Josh McClendonOctober 25, 2011Oral and Written CommunicationMr. BalesReview of the Cherokee TrailtThe Cherokee Trail was written by Louis Lamour. The author is known for his western pieces, many of them have become movies. This is a story based in Colorado around the 1860’s. This book is set in the old west (Colorado) around the time of the civil war. It takes place on stage coach line, more specifically the Cherokee trail. This is the roughest country on the whole stage line.tThe main character in this story is Mrs. Mary Breydon. Her husband was killed on their way west. So she decided to feel his shoes and take the job that was offered to him. She was raised by a wealthy family as an only child so her father taught her as a son. Then there is, Temple Boone he keeps to himself but there are rumors about his past as a gunfighter. He is always around for Mary when there is trouble. Next is Jason Flandrau, he is the person who causes the trouble. He was a guerilla back east during the civil war. Now he is running for the governor of Colorado. tMary Breydon takes over the Cherokee station on the stage line, which is not a job for a lady. The station is a dump when she takes over so she must turn it around to be the best station in order to keep her job. Along with her at the station is her daughter (Peg), an Irish woman (Matty), a young boy looking for work (Wat), and Temple Boone. When the station is running good Mary goes to town and the trouble begins when she and Flandrau see each other. He knows that she can ruin his chances for governor and decides she must be killed. So he sends people to attempt to do this. These attempts are not successful and things all work out in the end.tThis is a very good book and I would recommend it to anyone. The other uses appropriate dialect and the story line holds your attention all the way through. This is a very interesting story and would be a good book for everyone to read especially if you like westerns. tLouis Lamour grew up as the frontier days were coming to an end but he stayed very fascinated with this time period. He lived in a farming community that cowboys happened to come through often. He was inspired by stories told to him by his uncles and grandfather. He later wrote many of the stories that he was told as a child and young adult with a few changes. Many of these stories became books and grew to be very popular, some of which even went on to become movies.tThe Cherokee Trail is a very good book and I would recommend it to anyone. This book has a lot of action along with serious moments. This book will hold your attention through and through. This book is one of the many that has become a movie and I look forward to watching it and hope it might interest you to read it.Work Cited"Adventure in the Great American Tradition." The Official Louis Lamour Web Site. The Internet Trading Post LLC., 2010. Web. 2 Nov 2011. .
Do you ever get tired of the world we live in today? With all the stress of day-to-day life compounded with news of how bad the economy is, no end in sight, terrorism, crisis after crisis, etc. don't you just want to hide in a little cubby hole and not come out until it's over? Well if that sort of day ever comes your way then I heartily suggest a good western novel by Louis L'Amour. I've just completed Cherokee Trail and it took me to another place and time that somehow made our current predicaments fade away, at least for a while. I've probably read 40-50 of L'Amour's novels now, interspersing them throughout all of my other reading and I just never get tired of them.Cherokee Trail is about a widow who takes over the management of a stagecoach stop in northern Colorado during the years of the Civil War back east. She is a very strong female character and it is a pleasure to see how she copes with the wildness of the times in a man's world and succeeds with her business. Now these novels will not win a Pulitzer prize, of course, but I don't read them for their literary merit. But I am impressed with L'Amour's knowledge of western life and I think he gets short shrift by historical purists who often discard his research and consequently his novels as "typical westerns." Yes, there are some cliched characters, the gun fighters, the ranchers, the stage operators, etc. but his protagonist displays the same sense of honor and courage that we find in all of his novels. And that's why I read them. I can always count on them to be what they are. I don't expect more or less than a good ol' fashioned western.
What do You think about The Cherokee Trail (1996)?
I have only read a few Louis L'Amour and it has been at least a decade since the last. I can see why L'Amour has been so popular with the masses--the writing is easy and natural, nothing complicated or hard to follow, with a simple story that is appealing to both men and women. Nothing ground shattering here, but at the end of the day, the evening spent with this book was very relaxing and enjoyable. The fact that it had a strong female lead is probably what made me bump it to 4 stars--I am a sucker for strong female characters.
—Tiffany
My first L'Amour... and I wasn't impressed. The writing was, well, sub-par. And the ending was less than stellar. It seemed like he got fed up with it and just wrapped it up as soon as he could. Also, I didn't like what happened to the main villain -- it was kind of a cop-out. I might read another to make sure this just wasn't a bad book, but I really don't have high hopes.My mother used to tell me the Louis L'Amour books were romance books for men. She was right, although not in a traditional "romance" sense. There was no sex nor even kissing, but the author sure did talk a lot about guns, horses, and fights. I guess whatever turns guys on... :)
—Beth
This was an excellent, exciting western with good twists. Beautiful Mary Breydon aimed to be the first woman to run a stagecoach station on the perilous Cherokee Trail. Widowed on the journey west, she was determined to build a new life for her and her daughter. She soon proved herself to be courageous. Yet, not everyone admired Mary. Jason Flandrau, cruel and calculating, wanted to be governor of the Colorado Territory. There was only one thing that stood in his way - - Mary Breydon. I love the strong heroine in this western. Not many westerns have strong heroines. If you don't read this book, you're missing out.
—Hayley Shaver
