Customer Reviews

Three-Ten to Yuma

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This is the third collection of Leonard short stories to be culled from his hardcover COMPLETE WESTERN STORIES OF ELMORE LEONARD. The seven stories in this book were published between 1952 to 1956.

To be frank, other reviewers have been more fulsome in their praise of Leonard's western stories. I think his stories are good, sometimes very good but rarely what I would term excellent. They are too short, too lacking in grit to win me over completely.

Having said that, the stories in this collection are nicely done, workmanlike tales of a cowardly cavalryman who winds up winning a Medal of Honor, a hardscrabble farm couple who, working together, triumph over desperados, a search for a Lost Dutchman mine and so on. The longest story - 'The Captives' - is the best in the bunch. Leonard has space to fill out the characters and details, which make for a well-told story.

I bought the book because it contains the story 'Three-Ten to Yuma,' one of my favorite western movies. I wanted to see how the source material compared to the movie. In this case the movie was better since the screenwriter supplied a nice twist at movie's end that elevated the story from a routine oater to something else.

In any case, whether you are a confirmed Leonard fan or not, you will enjoy the tales in this book.

I bought this for "3:10 to Yuma," after seeing the most recent version of the film and then the Glenn Ford version (which is now my favorite), and it was interesting to see what a simple story inspired both films, and how the tale grew in the telling (the short story begins at the hotel!). But I ended up enjoying most of these short Western gems and appreciating how well Leonard crafts his tales with grit and humor and the pure desire to entertain.

I like the short story format. These short stories are no exception (if you enjoy westerns). A few of these are far better than others, but the book is good on a whole. Surprisingly, one of the weaker stories (but still good) is the title story. The best story in the collection of seven, is the story called "The Captives." This is more than a short story, but less than a novella. It gives the writer a chance to develop some characters and gives more time for the story to evolve. I really ate this story up. I plan on moving onto a full length western novel by Leonard. You may know this name from the GET SHORTY story or movie.

Ok, first off this is a collection of short stories. It is not a novel, does not even pretend to be. That being said, you might not like this item if you feel a need to know when a cowboy cooks biscuits, makes water in the mesquite, or remembers his old sweetheart. There are other works for that, such as Lonseome Dove or Last Stand At Saber River, or How the West Was Won. If you need that much detail, skip this book. It does not have it. If you can handle a quick trip to the old west this book is for you. Leonard does provide grit and quick thinking in each story. The tails are chock full of emotion and action without being overdrawn. So, if you can handle a tail in which every action of the characters is not included but this book. If not ride down the trail.

book looks just like new. arrived promptly and packaged well...excellent service. highly recommended seller. good book, too. 3:10 to Yuma is a a great short story...more interesting and complex than either movie version (although I liked both). i recommend the book and the seller.

This is a good set of tales by Elmore Leonard, whose writing is lean and efficient, but could do with a few more details.

This story, from which the movie was taken, is not carried off as well as the movie----which is generally the reverse. This story is kind of 3rd class fiction, and not very endearing to the reader----at least this reader.

i'm not sure why the author chose to write a new, short version of 3:10 to yuma, but that is what you get in this collection. it is not much like the '50s version (or the 2007 movie for that matter). he has applied the train ride to a different set of characters. my guess is it is a marketing strategy dreamed up by the publisher using the title "3:10 to yuma" to sell the book. while overall, i enjoyed this collection, i would still like to read leonard's original story.