Monte Walsh

In our cynical times in certain circles describing a book or movie as heartwarming can be seen as something of an insult. I guess it's not too surprising, when Hallmark has its own network and Mitch Albom's books are held up as worthy, that heartwarming might have lost its positive connotation but it's a shame because sometimes that's the best description.

I was running up againest this when trying to recommend my new favorite book, Jack Schaefer's Monte Walsh. It's the story of a life of a cowboy from the open range heyday to the twilight of the golden era of the Wild West. The book is actually a chronological series of short stories (orginally published in The Saturday Evening Post no less, something that also doesn't make people rush to read it these days) seperated by testimonials about Monte from people who knew him.

Schaefer, best known as the author of Shane, is a terrific writer in that 'not calling attention to the writing' way. The reader is so completely engrossed in Monte's adventures the miles and the pages fly by. There's trouble (Monte is a king troublemaker), heroics, romance, death (when Monte's good good horse Monkey Face died, but not till after he got Monte where he needed to be-boy howdy did I cry) but most of all it's a clear eyed story about a lifelong friendship-Monte's with his friend, Chet Rollins, and a portrait of the cowboy's singular way of life.

(Why is Chet always a sidekick name? Monte Walsh, the Hardy Boys...always a sidekick..)

What I was reminded of most was the cafe scene in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath (also the subject of the great Highwaymen song, "Here Comes the Rainbow Again") where the waitress gives the kids candy two for a penny and another customer calls her on cutting them a deal only to overpay to cover her generosity. Kind of like paying it forward or random acts of kindness without the bumper sticker. I also thought of what Kurt Vonnegut said when the film "The River" essentially stole his short story, "The Deer in the Works" -

"It's good propaganda for humanity."

You don't have to like horses (though it helps as Schaefer, God love him, describes every single one) or Westerns to like this book you only have to like a good story well told.

And, of course, be willing to have your heart warmed.