When These Thousand Hills was published in 1956, The Saturday Review proclaimed it to be "so compelling that it is hard indeed to set aside until it has been devoured." Conjuring up the ephemeral world of cattle ranchers in the 1880s, this intimate saga delights in a Montana community's boisterous, wanderlusting eccentrics as they chase after love and their unbridled ambitions. At its center is Lat Evans, good-hearted and yet seduced by the possibilities for prosperity in his new life; gradually he discerns how the perils of the natural world, and most especially human nature, can conspire to frustrate a young man's best intentions. A lively, quixotic revisit to our historic youth, this literary classic deftly captures western drama at its finest, with all its accompanying toils of the heart.
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Book Description
--This text refers to an alternate
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Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Who says the West isn't wild any more? This duo by Guthrie follow on the boot heels of two recent Max Brand reprints (Classic Returns, 10/15/95), perhaps triggering a resurgence of interest in the genre. LJ's reviewer found Fair Land, a sequel to Guthrie's Big Sky and The Way West, "not only an authentic portrayal of the Old West but also a good novel with full-bodied characters and a spare, though picturesque, style" (LJ 9/1/82). The Thousand Hills, however, was deemed "far below the author's usual high standard" (LJ 11/15/56). A hit and a miss.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
About the Author
A. B. Guthrie, Jr. (1901-1991), was the author of numerous books, including six Big Sky novels, as well as the Academy Award-winning screenplay for the classic film Shane. He received the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Way West. Guthrie was honored for his contribution to literature and his portrayal of the American West.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
These Thousand Hills-a classic cowboy tale,
This review is from: These Thousand Hills (Paperback)
In my opinion, Guthrie's "These Thousand Hills" is a typical western novel. It tells the story of a young man named Lat and his journey into adulthood. His adventure as a cowboy is complete with prostitutes, encounters with Indians and "bad guy" cowboys, murder, and love. Lat dreams of starting his own ranch, but he comes from a very humble background, and has to make his money fur trapping and racing his horse. His prostitute lover, Callie, gives him her life savings to bet on his horse in hopes of getting him to marry her. Lat can't marry her because she would not be good for his reputation, so he marries a well-to-do woman named Joyce instead, although he knows he loves Callie. Lat sacrifices many of his relationships in order to keep his reputation and work toward his dream.
Guthrie uses imagery in describing the scenery, but more so in describing the women in the story. He describes both Joyce and Callie in meticulous detail, along with all of the other women featured in the story. I pictured all of the women in the story easily, but Guthrie did not ever give a detailed description of any of the men in the book. He also uses diction to set the rugged, cowboy setting, often using a western accent and sometimes using words that seem uneducated. Overall, the book was simple and not difficult to understand. Guthrie basically tells the reader exactly what is going on, so there is not very much to analyze or look deeper into. I enjoyed the book and it had all the makings of a perfect cowboy tale.
5.0 out of 5 stars
These Thousand Hills,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: These Thousand Hills (Paperback)
This book is very enjoyable and I very much like the many "mountain man" stories by AB Guthrie. He adds a realistic dimension to his stories, that allows you to actually find the areas he writes about.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointed,
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This review is from: These Thousand Hills (Paperback)
Although Thousand Hills was entertaining, it was not up to what I look forward to in Guthrie's works. It was not as smooth reading as others by Guthrie.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
THESE THREE old men would sit and smoke and let a word fall and pause to hear the echoes of it as if they owned all time to speak their little pieces in. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
sugar tit, bed wagon, eyes swam Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Moo Cow, Amy Lou, Miss Fran, Miss Callie, Tom Ping, Brother Van, Fort Benton, Little Lat, Lat Evans, Aunt Fran, Whey Belly, Little Runner, Marshall Strain, Lally Cooler, Albert Gallatin Evans, Rising Moon, Front Street, Jesus Christ, Reverend Bradford, Sun River, Two Plumes, Uncle Marsh, Gilt Edge, Heap Medicine, Tansytown Merc New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
THESE THREE old men would sit and smoke and let a word fall and pause to hear the echoes of it as if they owned all time to speak their little pieces in. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
sugar tit, bed wagon, eyes swam Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Moo Cow, Amy Lou, Miss Fran, Miss Callie, Tom Ping, Brother Van, Fort Benton, Little Lat, Lat Evans, Aunt Fran, Whey Belly, Little Runner, Marshall Strain, Lally Cooler, Albert Gallatin Evans, Rising Moon, Front Street, Jesus Christ, Reverend Bradford, Sun River, Two Plumes, Uncle Marsh, Gilt Edge, Heap Medicine, Tansytown Merc New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 10
books:
See all 10 books this book cites
11
books
cite this book:
See all 11 books citing this book
- The Way West by A.B. Guthrie Jr. in Front Matter
- Murder in the Cotswolds by Jr. A. B. Guthrie in Front Matter
- The Last Valley by A. B Guthrie Jr in Front Matter
- Fair Land, Fair Land by A. B. Guthrie Jr. in Front Matter
- The Big It by A.B. Guthrie Jr. in Front Matter
See all 10 books this book cites
- The Way West by A. B. Guthrie Jr. in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Bone Deep in Landscape: Writing, Reading, and Place (Literature of the American West Series) by Mary Clearman Blew on page 56, and Back Matter
- The Big Sky by A. B. Guthrie Jr. in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- Writing Naturally: A Down-To-Earth Guide to Nature Writing by David Petersen on page 59, and Back Matter
- Home and Beyond: An Anthology of Kentucky Short Stories by Morris A. Grubbs on page 80
See all 11 books citing this book
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