wonderful narration

I read this book years ago at school and it was a real pleasure to listen to this version... terrific storyline .. colourful characters and beautifully narrated

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A classic

One of the best tales of masculinity and purpose I have ever read. A classic for a reason.

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A Great Western

I'd loved this book as a boy and was young again listening to the tale, told through the eyes of a young boy, of the hero riding to the aid of a family up against the local bully. Just the right voice for the narration.

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A Flawed Masterpiece

Nicely read by a narrator capable of doing justice to the content, this is certainly an entertaining listen for people who are fans of the Western genre but who, like me, find much of the pulp novels along such lines to be somewhat lacking in maturity.

The only real flaw in the whole thing is the tendency of the author to stray from his first person perspective (the entire story is told as the recollection of an adult reflecting on the events he witnessed as an innocent, naively hero worshiping boy) into the internal monologues of the characters. It’s quite jarring at times to hear a pre-teen’s almost Freudian capacity for ascribing motives and internal struggles of the grownups about him, especially just after he so frequently tells us that he was just a boy and didn’t understand at the time.

But, looking past that repeated error, and the occasionally juvenile exposition dumps, there is still a great novel that will reward the patient listener. The climax is superbly written and leads this listener to wonder if the idea for the novel sprang from that last couple of brilliantly written chapters at the end?

Published in the late 1940’s, you can really feel the need for this type of hero figure in American culture, as the introduction suggests. But what the author does with that notion was to take it into an almost supernatural realm: the Christ-like perfection of the character of Shane, his self sacrifice and nobility express a yearning from deep within the American psyche, going a long way toward explaining the enduring passion for westerns in pop culture.

Also, clearly laid out in this original tale is the template for what would become a familiar trope in the Western genre, of the mysterious stranger who rides into the midst of a troubled town, sets things right, usually at great personal risk, seeing off the elements of evil, before riding off again into an equally mysterious future, like an avenging angel, leaving the town and its people forever changed. Clint Eastwood’s fascination with that idea - the paragon of conservative virtue - has manifested repeatedly throughout his career.

So this book still has the power to enthral even though the prose style may strike some as being a little unsophisticated by today’s standards. And it also has the power to be genuinely moving, which is always of value to this listener.

Fans of westerns will eat it up and ask for seconds. Fans of classic literature will appreciate the occasional flashes of brilliance and the originality of the author, who seems to be the first that I know of to tell this story in this way. Fans of the movie will find that the film was faithful to the original novel, more than enough for their satisfaction. And they will probably enjoy the insights into the characters.

Certainly worth your time if you’re in any of the above categories. If you’re just looking for a good story, well told, you’re also in the right place.

It is flawed, but like a dusty relic in a museum, it’s still a classic, even if it could use a little polish.

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A classic

A well read classic of it’s time. One of my father’s favourites, enjoyed the introduction as well.

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Good western

could be just a farmer vs rancher story but there's alot more to it than that. one of the better westerns

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An undying classic

Great reading of one of the seminal novels of the Western genre. Timeless, evocative, and mythical tale of the Old West.

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To the guardian of the souls

Great story with reference to older stories well told
Would like to hear a story where Shane reappears again

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Really enjoyed

He is Shane! Really enjoyed the book. The kind you’d drive slower to hear more of.

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School Revisited

Once upon a time long ago, in the freezing hills of Buxton Derbyshire, a 12 year old me struggled to read this book at school. Perhaps my comprehension was akin to the boy Robert here telling the story, though he was clearly much smarter than the average. This wonderful version illuminates and excites the senses as it enabled me time travel back to 1972 and further to Wyoming in 1869. A Perfect example of the best of Audible.

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