The Rifle (Mass Market Paperback)

by Gary Paulsen (Author) "It is necessary to know this rifle..." (more)
Key Phrases: sweet rifle, John Byam, Revolutionary War, Gary Paulsen (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 5 Up?This novella focuses on a specific weapon crafted during the Revolutionary War. At the book's conclusion, set in 1994, this rifle still functions and performs as it was designed to do. Paulsen, who can create vivid portraits of individuals in relation to specific places, takes the focus off the people here, although they remain distinct characters, and puts this object?a rifle?at the core of the story. Although he seems to be saying that people don't kill people, guns do, this message is not sustained. The circumstances seem so unique and the love of weaponry so strong that the anti-gun theme is fatally weakened. For anyone whose mind is made up on this issue, this book will probably not change it. However, it could lead to intense discussion and exploration of how our society has evolved into its present gun-loving culture and into the intense anguish and human cost we collectively ignore as we continue our love affair with weaponry. For readers willing to think about this issue, for those looking for ways to introduce the debate, there is no better vehicle than this short, engagingly written story of one rifle and its fatal impact on one modern boy.?Carol A. Edwards, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
Gr. 7^-9. In his latest novel, Paulsen explores the history of a flintlock rifle, meticulously describing the skill and artistry of gunsmith Cornish McManus as he spends months creating a gun both beautiful and "sweet" (meaning accurate). Using his usual spare style, Paulsen describes the rifle's use in the Revolutionary War and follows its story into the twentieth century, when it is exchanged by a scathingly depicted gun fanatic for an Elvis-on-velvet painting, and ultimately ends up killing a teenager, Richard, in a freak accident that occurs without human intervention. The omniscient narrator, who speaks in an ironic tone reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut, details the events small and large (943 baseball games; finding a genetic cure for heart disease) that Richard missed by dying prematurely. Paulsen's message is clear and cutting: a machine made for killing, no matter how lovingly crafted and benignly kept, remains a machine made for killing. Susan Dove Lempke --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf (February 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440219205
• ISBN-13: 978-0440219200
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #455,250 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #62 in

  Books > Teens > Authors, A-Z > ( P ) > Paulsen, Gary

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Absurd premise, December 5, 2007

By	W. M. Scott (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Rifle (Paperback)

Paulsen is a good writer, and I enjoyed several of his other books. This book, however, is based on the most absurd idea -- that being that the powder charge in a black powder rifle would still fire after decades. Paulsen shows that he has little knowledge and less care for the facts, but he clearly has an agenda...

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Paulsen's books speak loud & clear to everyone, May 19, 2000

By	twilliam (Williamsburg, VA) - See all my reviews

Paulsen writes wonderful stories about teen boys overcoming hardships in physically and emotionally challenging situations. In The Rifle there is a major change. The main character is not a boy at all, but a rifle. Not an ordinary, modern one. This is a revolutionary-war-era handmade "sweet" gun. Its making is described as carefully as the gun itself was made. Its history is documented up to 1993, when the plot twists...

Another sure fire winner from Paulsen just waiting to be read a loud. It can easily spark discussion on gun control, and the right to bear arms if you need a catalyst.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Rifle: Propaganda?, November 20, 2004

By	Sunderkris "Kris" (Waterford, MI) - See all my reviews

I found The Rifle quite an interesting read. It gave me a unique insight into the propaganda written by the anti-gun lobby in this country. I find it truly unfortunate that such a fine writer as Gary Paulsen would spend the time writing such a ridiculous story, all at the expense of smearing the reputation of law abiding citizens who support the second amendment. This country would not exist today if the revolutionaries in the British colonies had not gathered together to fight against tyranny by the British government. Gary wishes to brainwash our children into believing that a tool or instrument that has been created by a talented individual such as the gunsmith "Cornish" has a life of its own, and poses a threat to our society. Motor vehicles, hair dryers and, electrical outlets also pose a threat to individuals who are not concerned about using mechanical implements safely. I wonder whether Gary Paulsen will write a book about the sinister motor vehicle parked in our driveways waiting to run over the next unsuspecting pedestrian.

This book is an ingenious form of propaganda disguised as children's fiction.

Read with care,

Sunderkris