Fair Land, Fair Land

I loved this book even though I didn't like everything that happened. Would love to write a review with spoilers because I have read other reviews that I disagree with. Many great observations by the characters and all the loose ends from the first two novels tied up. All I'll write is that Boone Caudhill was a damaged spirit and I found the scene with him, Dick Summers and Higgs a masterwork.The cultural mix of the native tribes and the Mountain Men told through the stories of marriages between them while dealing with an unending tide of white invaders is rare and incredible to experience through this novel.

Embracing the frontier-mountain-man life and the travels of Dick Summers. This book picks up where The Way West leaves off, along the Columbia River in Oregon. Dick Summers, the "main" character in all 3, decides to leave the settlers and head back east toward the Plains of Montana. Higgins, another of the settlers, goes along with him.Guthrie's writing style can pull you in and scenic descriptions are done fairly well. This edition actually has a map of the region that was mid 19th century, so that is an added bonus.Would have given this book 5 stars, but the conflict with Boone Caudill, dating back to the first novel, was short and not played out very well, so left me disappointed.The ending was very sad was well, and was somewhat abrupt.Guthrie takes you through the Bitterroots, the Tetons, and the Rocky Mountains of Montana for most of the story, with interactions with the Blackfeet and Shoshone tribes.We see how one hearkens to keeping life simple but yet sees progress coming and cannot do anything about it.In many respects Guthrie lays out the issue of over-hunting and killing for sport, and the sad state of affairs of the tribal nations and the conflict with the U.S. army, and the taking of land.

This is the last book in a trilogy that started with The Big Sky (1947) and The Way West (1949). I so much enjoyed The Big Sky that I purchased the next two. None of them disappointed, although this last one (published in 1982) did leave me somewhat upset, having been drawn to the characters and not liking the way everything played out (particularly the Summers/Caudill finale). Had the story been written closer in time to the original two books and while Guthrie was a younger man, I think it would certainly have been a different one. One of the difficult things in writing a review is how to do so without ruining the book for others ... so let's just say that stuff happens and you may not like it, you may even feel cheated. But if you read The Big Sky, then you must read this book to see what happens to Dick Summers and Boone Caudill. The Way West, though part of the trilogy, is mostly a different story dealing with emigrants heading to Oregon. If not for Dick Summers, who is in all three books, it would not really be a part of the trilogy. The meat and potatoes, so to speak, is the first and third book. But still, read all three. It's worth it.Favorite line: "He didn't mean nothin' to me." (Shocking when read in context, at least it was for me)Least favorite part: Brother Potter and his religion and the fact that Summers didn't reject it outright (but understandable for the time and place)Lastly, the printing quality of this book left something to be desired, as the bottom line on quite a few pages was cut off. However, by using the free preview on Amazon and Google Books I managed to get all the missing text.

As much as it pains me to say, I didn't enjoy this one as much as the previous two.Picking up just moments after The Way West ends, we once again follow Dick Summers and Hezekiah Higgins (a returning character from the previous book) as they traipse across the wilderness...or what's left of it. I can tell the author really loves these two characters, however they both wore on me as the story progressed.Dick Summers is too perfect. He never misses a shot, spots game from miles away with his eagle-like eyes, and just generally excels at all things he tries to do...which the other characters in the story feel the need to repeatedly point out. This wouldn't have bothered me as much if there were more story to latch onto here, but instead the plot just sort of meanders along, directionless, like its two leads. I understand this in context -- Summers and Higgins want to enjoy the wilderness while it's still around, and I sympathized with Summers every time he lamented the loss of nature and state of modern man, but by the 100th page I was begging for him to say or observe something else.The book's greatest sin is its treatment of Boone Caudill, the protagonist of The Big Sky. What little build-up the story offers - that is, the final meeting and confrontation with Caudill - is quick, emotionless, and not handled well. From there we move rather quickly to the end of the novel, which is equally abrupt. To be fair, this somewhat unsatisfying ending afflicted The Way West as well, but with such a plodding and aimless plot preceding it, it stands out far more here.Nature descriptions and dialogue are as great as ever, though. Guthrie has a real knack for writing people of this period accurately. The book is probably worth a read for that reason alone, and I did enjoy it to an extent. Overall, though, it's a bit disappointing. I couldn't escape the feeling that Guthrie just wanted to tie things up, rather than develop this story into a fully-fledged novel with something unique to say. Instead we just tread - literally and figuratively - the same ground we tread for the previous two novels.

This book is a classic Nr. 2 in a series of books. Well worth the read.

We first met Dick Summers in A.B. Guthrie's classic The Big Sky and then again in The Way West. These two books form a sort of trilogy with Fair Land, Fair Land as the final volume. These are favorites of mine that I have read over and over again through the years.

Very enjoyable book

Having read the other two books this is a perfect read. The wild west as it should be remembered.

A.B.G Jr. A remarkable story teller..this book is #3 in the Bib Sky Series..Couldn't put it down.

Fair Land fair LandOuvrage de qualité très bonneSuite non traduite en français des deux premiers tomes de the big Sky. A quand la traduction?