Conagher by Louis L'Amour

Louis L'Amour

 

I'm not sure when I first read a Louis L'Amour book. I know it was either right before we moved to Jamaica around 1991 or while we lived in Jamaica. I just know that I fell in love with his writing style. I started with one of his non-westerns - The Last of the Breed - and I LOVED it. Because of that I started on the westerns.

I remember when we moved back stateside from Jamaica and drove from Enid to the Oklahoma Panhandle - I looked at all that open land and thought a lot about the "cowboys" and the the west that L'Amour described in these books and they came alive for me.

Conagher was written in 1968. 

Randy and I picked up most of L'Amour's books at an estate sale a few weeks ago. As we were sorting and looking through them to see if we had a complete set, I was reminded of reading his books. - And thought of my favorite L'Amour story. But, just glancing at the synopsis on the back covers didn't help me -  I couldn't think of the title. Let me show you the difference in descriptions.

My description to Randy:

It was the one about "the man that moved his family to a remote area in the west. He went back east to do something (I now remember it was to buy cattle). He left his wife and two children at their place. He never returned. She was so lonely and started writing notes and tying them to tumbleweeds. Of course a man was finding them and fell in love with the author of the notes - even though he didn't know who she was."

Randy immediately said, "Oh, that's Conagher. There was a movie about that one."

I found our copy of Conagher, looked at the back and this is what it said:

"Smoke Parnell and his outfit knew every dirty trick in the book, from robbing and rustling to cold-blooded murder.  There were five of them, sometimes six - enough men to scare a lot of people. Only one man in the territory had something new to teach them and he was sure they wouldn't like it..." 

Of Course that man was Conagher.

My reaction to Randy was "Are you sure?? The back of this book doesn't even mention a lady or tumbleweeds." So - I googled "Louis L'Amour's book about "a lady writing notes and tying them to tumbleweeds." And of course Conagher popped up! So I picked it up and read it last night. (it doesn't take long to zip through a L'Amour western. Or frontier story as he called his books.)

I was not disappointed. Being a farm girl from Oklahoma, I could vividly see the plains - the land with no fences, no highways or roads. Only trails made from cattle and cowboys, wagon trains, stage coaches. I could feel the fear and then the strength that comes from the isolation of the heroine of this frontier story. I could especially feel and understand her loneliness, her will of survival for her and these two children. 

I think we will buy the movie. But are you like me?? So often the movie is such a disappointment after reading the good book. I have the characters pictured in my mind. Are there any Hollywood actors/actresses that can live up to the vision of a hero? HOWEVER - once I googled the movie and realized that Sam Elliott was cast as Conagher - hmmm - maybe this hero CAN live up to my imagination of Conagher!  

At the time of his death, at 80 years old,  Louis L'Amour had 105 works in print. 89 novels, 14 short story collections and 2 non fiction. 

I would never have thought of myself as being a "western" fan. In fact, when I had read most of L'Amours "frontier stories" I thought I would try other westerns. Not. A. Fan. Apparently I'm a L'Amour fan, not a western fan!! I have never read one of his frontier stories that I didn't like. - and I've read most of them.

In fact, after reacquainting myself with Conagher last evening, I may have to read some more!

I want to challenge you - if you've never read one of his books, pick up Conagher and give it a try. You can read it in a few hours and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Or, if like me, you aren't sure about a "western" try The Last of the Breed.

I highly recommend this book.

*****