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The Way West
 
 

The Way West (Paperback)

~ A. B. Guthrie Jr. (Author) "THE DAY dawned clear, but it had rained the night before, the sudden squally rain of middle March..." (more)
Key Phrases: loose stock, train winding, camp smoke, Dick Summers, Brother Weatherby, Lije Evans (more...)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

List Price: $14.00
Price: $11.20 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $2.80 (20%)
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26 new from $3.46 34 used from $1.99 4 collectible from $15.00

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  Hardcover, May 31, 1949 -- -- $10.00
  Paperback, January 8, 2002 $11.20 $3.46 $1.99
  Unknown Binding -- -- $2.75

Frequently Bought Together

The Way West + The Big Sky + Fair Land, Fair Land
Price For All Three: $31.54

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  • This item: The Way West by A. B. Guthrie

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  • The Big Sky by A. B. Guthrie

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  • Fair Land, Fair Land by A. B. Guthrie

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"With sure skill, with absolute command of every detail of equipment, custom, speech, and thought . . . Mr. Guthrie has written a stirring and tenderly moving book." -- The New York Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Review

"With sure skill, with absolute command of every detail of equipment, custom, speech, and thought . . . Mr. Guthrie has written a stirring and tenderly moving book." (The New York Times ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Mariner Books (January 9, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0618154620
  • ISBN-13: 978-0618154623
  • Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #47,429 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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

    #2 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Westerns > Pioneer

More About the Author

A. B. Guthrie
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Inside This Book (learn more)



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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Way West
78% buy the item featured on this page:
The Way West 4.4 out of 5 stars (14)
$11.20
The Big Sky
14% buy
The Big Sky 4.6 out of 5 stars (29)
$10.17
Fair Land, Fair Land
4% buy
Fair Land, Fair Land 4.7 out of 5 stars (3)
$10.17
These Thousand Hills
2% buy
These Thousand Hills 4.0 out of 5 stars (2)
$11.20

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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars As good as the original, a masterpiece of literature., February 11, 2005
By Tom Bruce (Brooklyn , NY) - See all my reviews
Rarely is a sequel, whether it be a movie or book, as good as the original. But, rest assured that this is not the case of "The Way West," A.B. Guthrie's follow-up to "The Big Sky," and the second of six books in The Big Sky series. How good are these two volumes? Well, the first has been designated "the best novel of the American West" by the Western Literature Association. "The Way West" won the Pulitzer Price for fiction in 1950. Which is the better book? Impossible to tell, they're almost like two books in one. "The Way West" begins where "The Big Sky" ends in 1846 as Dick Summers, a true mountain man introduced in the original, is living as a farmer in Missouri. His sickly wife has just died and he is urgently asked to be the guide for a wagon train departing from Independence to Fort Vancouver in Oregon. What follows next are months of exciting adventures among the Indians, rattlesnakes, stampeding buffalo, raging rivers, and other obstacles they have to surmount in the quest to the west. The pacing of "The Way West" is similar to "The Big Sky." Quiet passages wherein we get to really know the many principal characters of the book interspersed with tension filled episodes of action. The details of the trek, the dialogue, the characters are so real that this book compels the reader to keep turning pages late into the night. It's amazing to discover and reflect on what these settlers went through to expand our country from sea to sea. I can't say enough good things about these two books, and once I take a breather, I'll move on to the next book in the series.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Broad and Deep, June 2, 2002
By A Customer
This book changed the way I read novels. I used to read mostly fast-paced books with lots of excitement, "page-turners" that propel you towards the ending. Although The Way West has a good story line, it did not develop in the way I expected. I kept waiting for the Indian attacks and shoot-outs, standard fare for a novel about a wagon train, but they never quite came. In the meantime I started to appreciate the way the author got into the minds of the characters, how well he described their lives and journeys.
This book is not so much about telling a story about a wagon train as telling the individual stories of the people in it. The book describes their day-to-day lives, their attitudes and motivations, and gives insight into the times in which they lived. The landscapes of the early west are painted beautifully. Guthrie does all of this in a writing style which is very readable.
Most novels today use techniques to keep you on the edge of your seat, so that when you finish a chapter you want to dive into the next. They manipulate the reader and compel you forward to the finish line and - if the author is crafty enough - to the next book in the series. This is much more about selling books than creating art.
I found that when I reached the end of a chapter in The Way West, I was often inclined to return to the start of the chapter and read it again. After reading this book, I started looking for books of greater substance, that create lasting images. Guthrie's other books fit the bill nicely.
The Way West is a beautifully written book. Slow down and enjoy it.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Deserving Pulitzer Winner!!, February 4, 2002
By sam byrnes (Gentry, Arkansas USA) - See all my reviews
This sequel to The Big Sky continues the story of Dick Summers. It would be very beneficial to first read The Big Sky. I actually found The Big Sky more interesting and if possible, better-written, than The Way West. Both books are extremely interesting and hard to put down. The Way West tells the story of a wagon train on its way to Oregon. Dick Summers, an experienced mountain man, agrees to lead the group to Oregon. This takes place in the early days of the Oregon Trail when men were still working out the exact route they would take. There are six Big Sky novels of which The Way West is the second. I am currently reading the third book in the series, Fair Land, Fair Land. It is every bit as good as the first two. All of these books are historically accurate and, once again, very hard to put down. I highly recommend The Way West!! Enjoy!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Way West
In my opinion, this book portrays exactly what it must have been like to have traveled over land in a covered wagon. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jolene Quintal

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book by Guthrie
A.B. Gutrhrie has a mastery of the days of the mountain men and the first pioneers to cross the great divide to settle the far west. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Lloyd Scallan

5.0 out of 5 stars Hit the Oregon Trail!
The Way West is the second in the series of great Western novels by A.B. Guthrie. The story picks up in 1846 in Independence, Missouri, jumping off point for the Oregon Trail... Read more
Published on August 29, 2006 by Douglas S. Wood

4.0 out of 5 stars 1950 Pulitzer Prize Winning Western
I'm glad a used book store I go to had this old tattered book for sale. I agree it was a little confusing in the beginning with so many characters, but eventually you become... Read more
Published on May 5, 2006 by bookloverintexas

4.0 out of 5 stars Caitlin Webb's Superfantastic AP English reveiw
The Way West is the "epic saga" of a wagon train heading west to Oregon and although The Way West was a bit hard to get into, it was a real page-turner. Read more
Published on January 30, 2006 by C-Dawg

3.0 out of 5 stars The Way West
I thought the story mediocre at best. Why this won the Putlizer instead of The Big Sky is beyond me. Read more
Published on December 18, 2005 by John Brock

4.0 out of 5 stars The Writers Craft

I read this book because I so loved Guthrie's' first book, "The Big Sky". This is the one that won the Pulitzer though. Read more
Published on October 30, 2005 by Walsh

5.0 out of 5 stars An American Classic
An outstanding story of American pioneers. This book is timeless. You feel like you are part of the wagon train on this incredible journey over the Oregon trail in 1845. Read more
Published on May 16, 2004 by J. Hayes

3.0 out of 5 stars comment
id like to compare this book to zane grey &louis lamour &possibly emily dickinson as style goes the characters were efficeient the plot strange &the theme essential... Read more
Published on February 19, 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars Honor for The Way West
Basic Review

I was told to read the way west as a highschool [kid]. I'm glad I did! I havn't read The Big Sky the first in the series I only knew that is was a series after I... Read more

Published on July 29, 2002 by Wild Horse

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