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mattybw's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Book 1 of 2024
The Power of the Dog was a Christmas present from my Mum after I asked for some surprise books I wouldn't usually read. My friend Jonas (IG: @jonahreads) recommended this on his book Insta page as a 10/10 book, and so my Mum bought it without knowing anything more about it.
I loved reading this! I felt super smart reading it as well (lol) as it's not the usual kind of novel I read - more aimed at an adult audience than the usual LGBTQIA+ YA that my reading diet usually consists of. I also usually struggle with immersing myself in historical fiction, especially if the writing style is slightly archaic - it takes me longer to understand what the author is trying to convey properly, and so I get more restless. Because I managed to overcome both of these points (or rather thanks to this), I felt rewarded with this stunning and descriptive portrait of how themes like society, homosexuality and family could manifest themselves in early-20th century America.
My only bémol was the pace, but I think this was probably simply a personal taste, and I understand how this probably added to the intrigue and the character development.
I would firmly recommend this book to everyone - especially as I enjoyed it so much for a book I wouldn't usually read!
I loved reading this! I felt super smart reading it as well (lol) as it's not the usual kind of novel I read - more aimed at an adult audience than the usual LGBTQIA+ YA that my reading diet usually consists of. I also usually struggle with immersing myself in historical fiction, especially if the writing style is slightly archaic - it takes me longer to understand what the author is trying to convey properly, and so I get more restless. Because I managed to overcome both of these points (or rather thanks to this), I felt rewarded with this stunning and descriptive portrait of how themes like society, homosexuality and family could manifest themselves in early-20th century America.
My only bémol was the pace, but I think this was probably simply a personal taste, and I understand how this probably added to the intrigue and the character development.
I would firmly recommend this book to everyone - especially as I enjoyed it so much for a book I wouldn't usually read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Suicide
Moderate: Alcoholism and Murder
gailcooksandreads's review against another edition
4.5
4.5 stars rounded up for this gorgeously-written, hidden gem of a classic novel that I never would have discovered had I not been seeking out books set in Montana for a 50-states challenge. I'm really looking forward to watching the movie adaptation on Netflix as it is also supposed to be excellent. It got a bit draggy in parts, hence the 4.5, but wowzers, I was floored at how good it is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Homophobia, and Suicide
Moderate: Antisemitism
Minor: Murder
mia_merrill's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Suicide, and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Antisemitism, and Grief
Minor: Murder
booksthatburn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
THE POWER OF THE DOG is about manhood and homophobia in the last gasps of the Old West, following a rich cattle rancher and his brother as one starts to have a life outside of their duo and the other tries to make him miserable enough to stay.
If you liked the 2021 film of the same name, adapted from this text, then you’ll probably like the book. The main changes are consolidations; placing some events as backstory instead of showing them as the book does, collapsing two side events into one, and to move Phil’s bigotry into fewer targets. The rest of this review contains minor spoilers, as it’s impossible to discuss what makes this so good without talking about some of what happens in it.
Phil is an odious person, a homophobic man who has based his hygiene and personal habits around as many opposites to his idea of a gay man in his era (clean, well-dressed, quiet, liking womanly things) that he possibly can. The end result is someone who bathes once a month (not at all in the winter), refuses to wear gloves (not even when castrating cattle and doing all the other bloody, messy work required to drive cattle and run a ranch), and uses his exceptionally sharp mind to whittle down the confidence of anyone who catches his ire (usually in language dripping with bigotry of whatever kind will sting the most). His closest relationship is with his brother George, a closeness which assumes George would never request distance and leaves Phil frustrated when George falls in love and marries a widow. He’s also enamored with his long-dead mentor in all things cowboy; Bronco Henry, talking up his wisdom and exploits to the ranch hands even two decades on from Bronco Henry’s death.
George meets and marries Rose, a widow whose husband killed himself early on in the book, years before the main story. Their son is strange, eventually assumed by Phil to be gay, called a sissy for his arrangements of paper flowers and way of dressing and walking. The boy’s quiet study of medical texts and dissections of animals hum along in the background, eventually he attends medical school with the help of his late father’s books. His actual sexuality is secondary to Phil’s perception of it, seeing the boy as weakness walking, the embodiment of everything Phil despises even as he eventually longs for connection again.
Phil’s homophobia is one of a pile of bigotries which he wields like barbs when he’s irritated or inconvenienced. He most common method of addressing his brother is “Fatso”, and when Rose starts drinking in an attempt to stomach living in the same house as him, he belittles her for it, taking it as proof that she’s just taking advantage of his brother. His every action drips condemnation, that if someone has chosen to do what Phil would not, then they must be weak or scheming and their choice is contemptible.
The audiobook narrator’s calm tone is perfect for this dryly delivered story which builds slowly, layers of time pooling to form the whole. The ending is quiet, managing to tie together everything in a single calm moment. It’s a resolution that feels like life, where one phase can unquestionably be over even as everything else continues on.
If you liked the 2021 film of the same name, adapted from this text, then you’ll probably like the book. The main changes are consolidations; placing some events as backstory instead of showing them as the book does, collapsing two side events into one, and to move Phil’s bigotry into fewer targets. The rest of this review contains minor spoilers, as it’s impossible to discuss what makes this so good without talking about some of what happens in it.
Phil is an odious person, a homophobic man who has based his hygiene and personal habits around as many opposites to his idea of a gay man in his era (clean, well-dressed, quiet, liking womanly things) that he possibly can. The end result is someone who bathes once a month (not at all in the winter), refuses to wear gloves (not even when castrating cattle and doing all the other bloody, messy work required to drive cattle and run a ranch), and uses his exceptionally sharp mind to whittle down the confidence of anyone who catches his ire (usually in language dripping with bigotry of whatever kind will sting the most). His closest relationship is with his brother George, a closeness which assumes George would never request distance and leaves Phil frustrated when George falls in love and marries a widow. He’s also enamored with his long-dead mentor in all things cowboy; Bronco Henry, talking up his wisdom and exploits to the ranch hands even two decades on from Bronco Henry’s death.
George meets and marries Rose, a widow whose husband killed himself early on in the book, years before the main story. Their son is strange, eventually assumed by Phil to be gay, called a sissy for his arrangements of paper flowers and way of dressing and walking. The boy’s quiet study of medical texts and dissections of animals hum along in the background, eventually he attends medical school with the help of his late father’s books. His actual sexuality is secondary to Phil’s perception of it, seeing the boy as weakness walking, the embodiment of everything Phil despises even as he eventually longs for connection again.
Phil’s homophobia is one of a pile of bigotries which he wields like barbs when he’s irritated or inconvenienced. He most common method of addressing his brother is “Fatso”, and when Rose starts drinking in an attempt to stomach living in the same house as him, he belittles her for it, taking it as proof that she’s just taking advantage of his brother. His every action drips condemnation, that if someone has chosen to do what Phil would not, then they must be weak or scheming and their choice is contemptible.
The audiobook narrator’s calm tone is perfect for this dryly delivered story which builds slowly, layers of time pooling to form the whole. The ending is quiet, managing to tie together everything in a single calm moment. It’s a resolution that feels like life, where one phase can unquestionably be over even as everything else continues on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Racism, Xenophobia, and Alcohol
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Suicide, Antisemitism, and Death of parent
Minor: Miscarriage, Violence, Murder, and Pregnancy
kangaci's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexism, Suicide, Murder, and Colonisation
joshhornbeck's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
FIRST THOUGHTS:
The characters are richly drawn and so much is given in the layered subtext of the novel. I love the way the film explores misogyny, deconstructs traditional masculine codes, and even looks at homosexual desire - and written in a time when that was rare to find in a Western. The way the novel jumps between point of view is also really compelling, giving us insights into characters other than the white menu at its center. The language and sentence structure throughout is a bit too convoluted for my tastes - phrasings and sentences are organized in ways that often get themselves List before they reach the end. But the characters themselves are richly drawn.
The characters are richly drawn and so much is given in the layered subtext of the novel. I love the way the film explores misogyny, deconstructs traditional masculine codes, and even looks at homosexual desire - and written in a time when that was rare to find in a Western. The way the novel jumps between point of view is also really compelling, giving us insights into characters other than the white menu at its center. The language and sentence structure throughout is a bit too convoluted for my tastes - phrasings and sentences are organized in ways that often get themselves List before they reach the end. But the characters themselves are richly drawn.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Blood
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Genocide, Self harm, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation
prm97's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Homophobia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racism, and Antisemitism