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gelle3's review against another edition
5.0
I read one of Elmore Leonard's latest books, 10 Rules of Writing, and then decided to start with his early works as a warm-up and decide if I would read some of his books or all of them. I think now at least I will give each one of them a try.
This collection contains one of the best western stories: 3:10 to Yuma, and it was captivating. Another story that I liked a lot was Apache Medicine.
This collection contains one of the best western stories: 3:10 to Yuma, and it was captivating. Another story that I liked a lot was Apache Medicine.
mailei's review against another edition
Listened for work and while my boss is a huge Leonard fanboy, this wasn’t for us.
klparmley's review against another edition
3.0
Half way through the second story I was finally sure I'd already read this. Good stories, but clearly they didn't make a huge impression on me.
woody1881's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent western stories! No wonder Justified is such a great TV show, Elmore Leonard is a great author!
duparker's review against another edition
4.0
Great collection which showcase how unique and clever Elmore Leonard writes. The tone and voice are so strong and the visual elements are fun to read and absorb.
okcomp16's review
4.0
This is the longest time it ever took me to read a book. It's not the book's fault, because every story is different I read a different book after finishing a few short stories, so it took me two years to finished.
Like with every anthology, it's impossible to avoid comparing the stories with each other. With 30 short stories, some of them had a bigger impact on me, stories that I still remember very well. None of them were bad, but some of them are more memorable.
I had the impression the writing got progressively better. The second half of this book and especially the last ten stories felt smoother and without any fat. Since it was ordered chronologically it could be because Elmore Leonard got better, I believe his style improved, but I honestly don't know, maybe I got used to the style as it went along.
The characters are complex, and the storylines are always interesting, however, the dialogues are the best thing in the book, incredibly entertaining, human, and sometimes funny. I would re-read the dialogue thinking how natural yet fun they were and how lacking are other writers in this department.
Like with every anthology, it's impossible to avoid comparing the stories with each other. With 30 short stories, some of them had a bigger impact on me, stories that I still remember very well. None of them were bad, but some of them are more memorable.
I had the impression the writing got progressively better. The second half of this book and especially the last ten stories felt smoother and without any fat. Since it was ordered chronologically it could be because Elmore Leonard got better, I believe his style improved, but I honestly don't know, maybe I got used to the style as it went along.
The characters are complex, and the storylines are always interesting, however, the dialogues are the best thing in the book, incredibly entertaining, human, and sometimes funny. I would re-read the dialogue thinking how natural yet fun they were and how lacking are other writers in this department.
ericbuscemi's review
4.0
I own the Kindle version of this book, and read these short stories on my iPhone.
After reading a few of these stories, I saw Elmore Leonard's growth as a short story writer. 'Trail of the Apache,' his first short story, was overlong and unsure about what point it intended to impress upon the reader. But 'Trouble at Rindo's Ranch,' 'Saint with a Six-Gun' and other stories he wrote later, were much more powerful and gripping. 'Three-Ten to Yuma,' for example, was a perfectly formed short story.
After reading a few of these stories, I saw Elmore Leonard's growth as a short story writer. 'Trail of the Apache,' his first short story, was overlong and unsure about what point it intended to impress upon the reader. But 'Trouble at Rindo's Ranch,' 'Saint with a Six-Gun' and other stories he wrote later, were much more powerful and gripping. 'Three-Ten to Yuma,' for example, was a perfectly formed short story.
thetarantulalounge's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Western stories are horror stories. Desolation. Solitude. The Unknown. Monsters. That’s what they’re always about.
I think that’s why I like them so much – they strip civilization down to a skeleton and then they ask the most basic questions. What kind of person are you, really? What would you do to live? Would you rather survive, or keep your character intact? Can you do both?
This collection of Elmore Leonard’s Western stories was recently on sale as an audiobook, and most of the stories are read by David Strathairn (Godzilla: King of the Monsters), William Atherton (Bio-Dome), and Henry Rollins (The Drew Carey Show). Of course, I smashed that buy button.
I don’t know whether I’d prefer this collection in audio or print form. David Strathairn, Henry Rollins, and William Atherton reading the stories do raise the narration to something like a radio drama, which is a plus. Leonard’s one-liners and pithy observations sound great when read by older actors. But the audiobook doesn’t include all of the stories in the collection. And sometimes I found myself trying to figure out if a character from one story popped up in another one – especially because I know Leonard does that in other work. It would’ve been easier to track things like that in print. Still, listening to my man Henry Rollins read 3:10 to Yuma while I’m driving through Texas – Vince McMahon gif.
So I’ll recommend both. Listen to the stories and track down the collection in print (which has a great cover). There are worse things to spend your money on.