Review of Flint by Louis L'Amour

Flint by Louis L'Amour

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


There's a reason you know the name Louis L'Amour; a true master of his craft!

This was my very first Louis L'Amour novel to read (although I have collected the leather-bound editions for a while now), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The action was fast, gritty, and raw -- exactly the way I had hoped it would be. L'Amour's writing seemed to be the essentials; that is, it felt like every word in the book had a purpose. There was no fluff in Flint.

Flint is the story of a man who is preparing to die. He has an incurable disease and has chosen where and how he will pass away, he just doesn't know when yet. It should have been a peaceful ending for him, away from the other troubles he was leaving behind, but life has other plans for our protagonist. Blood, sweat and tears will flow and bullets will fly!

There were no super unexpected twists (although there were a few surprises), but there were definitely thrills and suspense. The characters were complex and multidimensional. I now see what all the hubbub is about. There is a reason you have heard of Louis L'Amour; he was very, very good at his craft and he has left behind an enduring legacy that defines what a Western should be.

There aren't many reasons to dislike this book. I scratched my head, and this was all I could come up with:

1. You just don't like westerns. The story here is great, well-paced, well-researched and filled with interesting characters, but it is a western. Dirty, dusty, violent. If you don't like westerns you won't like Flint.

2. You read L'Amour all the time and perhaps it is not too different from his other novels. I cannot speak to this since this was the first time one, but frankly I could read Flint again right now and I think I would still enjoy it.

3. Nancy Kerrigan. This one was not L'Amour's fault as the book was written before the whole Nancy Kerrigan/Tony Harding figure skating, knee whacking incident and following bruhaha. Unfortunately, the name "Nancy Kerrigan" is burned into my brain forever associated with the 90's fiasco and every time I saw the name in Flint it was difficult for me not to picture tears and ice skates. Even so, I loved this book.

I will read more L'Amour; I am sure of it. Perhaps over time I will begin to take L'Amour's writing for granted as I become more accustomed to it (although I don't think so), but for now, this is a 5-star read for me.

5 out of 5 stars



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