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Borderlands
In 1871, brothers Ben and Bo Curtis travel across Texas looking for work, but when Bo is murdered, Ben vows revenge, sparking a series of events that bring him face-to-face with his nemesis
432 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 29, 2019
If you are looking for a typical western, this is not that. I picked it up because it is about Kansas - Abilene, Dodge - places I know and love. It is told through the eyes of Ben Curtis, an orphan from Clement County Texas who makes his way into Kansas with his older brother on a cattle drive. The story follows Ben as he learns through the school of hard knocks how difficult it is to make your way in the world on the American Frontier.
The author, Peter Carter, was a retired British school teacher and author of many award winning children's books. Ben, this book's protagonist, is a teenager. Peter takes very few liberties with history and does a nice job of depicting the inevitable and costly march of the United States expansion into the Wild, Wild West. He also asks the reader to consider what was lost in that march. A worthy question and in this book somewhat politically loaded.
At one point Ben hooks up with a man named Sam Dawson, a buffalo hunter. (Shout out to those of you who are yelling at you phones and this book - it's BISON, not buffalo!) Sam gives Ben an opportunity to shoot one which he botches. As they stand in the freshly killed herd Ben reflects.
"I just stood among them buffalo and it got me in a way it never had before. A couple of hours ago, there'd been that herd, peaceful as might be, grazing and sniffling and grunting at each other, the calves too, and now not a sound saving the buzzing of insects. And I don't know, I felt bad deep I side me.....Crazy, ain't it, but it's the truth. I felt I'd lost something, but the real awful thing was I didn't know what it was I had lost."
The author has his own ideas about the situation - mostly having to do with the philosophical opinions of Karl Marx. Peter Carter lived for a time in Germany. Thoughts of that aside, it is healthy to stop and consider what it means to live by doing the right thing. It is right to observe how your actions (all of your actions) affect those around you. It is right to consider the inherent problems created by mob mentality and a single-minded focus on making money for personal gain.
The reason I gave the book 3 stars is because of the heavy handed indictment of the American past and of capitalism. It felt like the author was trying to recreate another Huckleberry Finn. Unfortunately, though he is good at his craft, Mr. Carter is no Mark Twain. The 'hero' in this book is really Henry Schneider, a German journalist who befriends Ben while they are living in Abilene. Clearly older and wiser, Henry sees Ben as a young prodigy who needs instruction to learn how to live correctly. Huck's teacher was his own life. Young Ben is apparently (at least in the eyes of Henry) unable to discover life's lessons on his own.
I believe that a person outside of a culture can't effectively comment on a culture in an instructive way. The best someone from the outside can do is observe, ask questions and try to understand. That goes for anything - subcultures, majorities, minorities, life experiences. To instruct takes a native - someone who has lived the story and worn the shoes. Consequently, it didn't work.
This is a good book and an enjoyable protagonist. The general disdain of American culture get in the way of what I do believe is a very good message to absorb.
The author, Peter Carter, was a retired British school teacher and author of many award winning children's books. Ben, this book's protagonist, is a teenager. Peter takes very few liberties with history and does a nice job of depicting the inevitable and costly march of the United States expansion into the Wild, Wild West. He also asks the reader to consider what was lost in that march. A worthy question and in this book somewhat politically loaded.
At one point Ben hooks up with a man named Sam Dawson, a buffalo hunter. (Shout out to those of you who are yelling at you phones and this book - it's BISON, not buffalo!) Sam gives Ben an opportunity to shoot one which he botches. As they stand in the freshly killed herd Ben reflects.
"I just stood among them buffalo and it got me in a way it never had before. A couple of hours ago, there'd been that herd, peaceful as might be, grazing and sniffling and grunting at each other, the calves too, and now not a sound saving the buzzing of insects. And I don't know, I felt bad deep I side me.....Crazy, ain't it, but it's the truth. I felt I'd lost something, but the real awful thing was I didn't know what it was I had lost."
The author has his own ideas about the situation - mostly having to do with the philosophical opinions of Karl Marx. Peter Carter lived for a time in Germany. Thoughts of that aside, it is healthy to stop and consider what it means to live by doing the right thing. It is right to observe how your actions (all of your actions) affect those around you. It is right to consider the inherent problems created by mob mentality and a single-minded focus on making money for personal gain.
The reason I gave the book 3 stars is because of the heavy handed indictment of the American past and of capitalism. It felt like the author was trying to recreate another Huckleberry Finn. Unfortunately, though he is good at his craft, Mr. Carter is no Mark Twain. The 'hero' in this book is really Henry Schneider, a German journalist who befriends Ben while they are living in Abilene. Clearly older and wiser, Henry sees Ben as a young prodigy who needs instruction to learn how to live correctly. Huck's teacher was his own life. Young Ben is apparently (at least in the eyes of Henry) unable to discover life's lessons on his own.
I believe that a person outside of a culture can't effectively comment on a culture in an instructive way. The best someone from the outside can do is observe, ask questions and try to understand. That goes for anything - subcultures, majorities, minorities, life experiences. To instruct takes a native - someone who has lived the story and worn the shoes. Consequently, it didn't work.
This is a good book and an enjoyable protagonist. The general disdain of American culture get in the way of what I do believe is a very good message to absorb.
June 28, 2008
This was a really well-written, historical novel of the old west. The emphasis is on the hard-work of the west and the dangers of just trying to survive, not your typical western. The author captures the innocence of youth, the struggles of the working man, and the turmoil of life on the frontier.
A great quote:
One minute "we're" all brotherly love and "we're" goingto make a new start and a new life, but the minute Old Man Troulbe knocks on the door, it's "you" and "your" troubles.
Excellent book with an excellent depiction of the misery of living in a dugout, suffering through financial crisis, the greed of some, the good naturedness of others, etc.
A great quote:
One minute "we're" all brotherly love and "we're" goingto make a new start and a new life, but the minute Old Man Troulbe knocks on the door, it's "you" and "your" troubles.
Excellent book with an excellent depiction of the misery of living in a dugout, suffering through financial crisis, the greed of some, the good naturedness of others, etc.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews