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The Revenant

Michael Punke

3.94 · Rating details · 41,010 ratings · 4,106 reviews

Hugh Glass isn’t afraid to die. He’s done it once already.

Rocky Mountains, 1823. The trappers of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company live a brutal frontier life. Hugh Glass is one of the most respected men in the company, an experienced frontiersman and an expert tracker.But when a scouting mission puts Glass face-to-face with a grizzly bear, he is viciously mauled and not expe ...more

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Hardcover, 262 pages

Published January 6th 2015 by Picador (first published June 20th 2002)

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Average rating 3.94 ·

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Oct 15, 2015 Edward Lorn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of historical fiction, preppers, and hunters.

I have a purely subjective hatred for Leonardo Decrapio. Can't stand him. Favorite movie with him in it is The Departed because of the elevator scene. Titanic was also pretty good because douchecanoes don't float. Rose knew she had enough room on that door but why share space with the likes of Depoopio. I hate Leonardo like some people hate going to the dentist. Like people in Hell hate heaters. Like Star Wars fans hate Jar Jar Binks.

So when I saw the trailer for the film adaptation of this nov I have a purely subjective hatred for Leonardo Decrapio. Can't stand him. Favorite movie with him in it is The Departed because of the elevator scene. Titanic was also pretty good because douchecanoes don't float. Rose knew she had enough room on that door but why share space with the likes of Depoopio. I hate Leonardo like some people hate going to the dentist. Like people in Hell hate heaters. Like Star Wars fans hate Jar Jar Binks.

So when I saw the trailer for the film adaptation of this novel, I became super excited. Deshitio gets mauled by a fucking bear??? Oh hell the fuck yeah! Sign my fat ass up! Of course the book nerd in me, the geeky purest, wouldn't allow me to watch such a movie without reading the source material first. And I gotta say, I did not hate it. Didn't love it either. But again, my dislikes are subjective.

By reading this book, you will learn how to make a fire, how to fight wolves, how to betray people and leave them to die, how to punch people until they're ugly ala Fight Club, how to feel guilty, how to explode a cannon, how to get facial scars, how to be cool with the cards life deals you, how not to play poker, and last but not least, how to fall asleep while reading.

The action in this book is superb. It's everything else I had a problem with. As long as people were getting killed, torn into kibble, or taking on the local flora and fauna, I was cool. It's when Punke digs into his research that I drifted off. You can tell dude studied his ass off. Had this been a quiz on the 1800s, man, he would've gotten a B+. Sadly, this is a novel, not the SATs. It was the oddest feeling being on the edge of my seat one moment and snoring the next. It's like chasing cocaine with heroin. Your body doesn't know how to react.

Knowing what I know of the plot now, I believe the movie has been perfectly cast. Tom Hardy is going to nail Fitzpatrick... or Fitzgerald... or whatever dude's name is. I'm sure it will be a fantastic film and the first Dejizzio movie I actually enjoy from beginning to end. At least when I watch the movie I won't have to read whole chapters about some fucker trying to locate the old-west equivalent of a Big Mac.

In summation: If you're a research whore, this should pay your bills. If you like your fiction fictionalized, you might become bored at times. The action is exquisite, though. Gore for days.

Final Judgment: Needs more cowbell. ...more

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Jan 05, 2016 Lyn rated it really liked it

Damn.

That was a good western.

Equal parts Larry McMurtry and Jack London with a nod to Cormac McCarthy, writer Michael Punke delivers a riveting tale of survival and revenge.

In the summer of 1823, fur trapper Hugh Glass, an experienced frontiersman, lowers his guard for a moment and in true Jack London fashion, nature demonstrates how unforgiving a mistake can be, as Glass is viciously mauled by a grizzly bear. His compatriots, already behind schedule and in danger from a rogue branch of a native ...more

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Apr 30, 2015 Richard rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: wild-west, adventure, historical-fiction, cool-covers

While reading this exciting western adventure, I was constantly reminded of how many things we take for granted today. Little things like blankets, lighters, automatic rifles, and those two words that kept running through my mind while reading: ANTI. BIOTICS.

description

The book is based on the famous true story of Hugh Glass, the frontiersman working as a trapper for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company in 1823 gathering beaver pelts along the Missouri River. Things go south fast when he gets ripped apart by a g While reading this exciting western adventure, I was constantly reminded of how many things we take for granted today. Little things like blankets, lighters, automatic rifles, and those two words that kept running through my mind while reading: ANTI. BIOTICS.

description

The book is based on the famous true story of Hugh Glass, the frontiersman working as a trapper for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company in 1823 gathering beaver pelts along the Missouri River. Things go south fast when he gets ripped apart by a grizzly bear while hunting. It's almost a sure thing that Glass will croak, so he doesn't take it personally when his colleagues abandon him, but when they steal his beloved knife and rifle, AND his flint and steel? Now that's totally unforgivable! Against all odds, Glass crawls across hundreds of miles of treacherous countryside to bring retribution to those that wronged him.

I'd never heard of the story of Hugh Glass and I'm totally in awe of how much of a badass he was. The story is sometimes hard to believe; I mean damn the dude's throat was nearly severed and he couldn't walk! And with Michael Punke's well-conceived embellishments and dramatics, the story really rises to an even higher level of extraordinary. It's not only a gripping tale of classic revenge, but it's also a story of survival literally against all odds and about the extent that one man's determination can go. It's well-researched and its great sense of place was very transportive. And Punke uses an omniscient POV that's great for historical fiction that really gives the reader more info about the world and more historical scope beyond the immediate story. I was not only entertained but I also learned a lot and I was inspired to jump on the Interwebs and learn even more. And that's what historical fiction is all about, right?

The frustrating necessity of delay was like water on the hot iron of his determination—hardening it, making it unmalleable. He vowed to survive, if for no other reason than to visit vengeance on the men who betrayed him.

...more

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Jan 10, 2016 Carol rated it really liked it

Shelves: published-2015, historical-fiction, movie-tie-in, saw-the-movie, ebook, adventure, read-2016

3.5 Stars

This "gritty" adventure tells the story of Hugh Glass and the near death experience of his encounter with a grizzly in the year 1823.

Relieved of all means to protect himself, abandoned and left for dead on the wild frontier amidst Indians and other foe, Hugh uses his knowledge and tracking skills to seek revenge against his vile compatriots.

Enjoyed this exciting novel for the most part and the historical data and background information of the time, but I was a bit disappointed with the

...more

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Mar 22, 2015 Jess ❈Harbinger of Blood-Soaked Rainbows❈ marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: for-kindle, own-tbr, popsugar2020

My boyfriend was completely brilliant in this film.

So I'm bumping this up on the list because I want more. ...more

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Feb 13, 2015 Heidi The Reader rated it really liked it

Shelves: first-reads-giveaway, fiction, book-to-screen

The Revenant is a fictional tale based on the real life account of Hugh Glass, a trapper who was attacked by a grizzly bear and then left for dead by the men who had been left to care for him.

This story is so gripping. From the explosive opening moments until the very last page, the reader is practically swept up into the action.

Not only are the men in The Revenant struggling with each other, but Nature herself has a huge role in this survival tale. If the characters aren't freezing, they're st ...more

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Jan 11, 2015 Justin rated it really liked it

So the book kicks off with Leonardo DiCaprio getting mauled by a bear so that alone may be enough for you to wanna read this book. Actually, it's Hugh Glass who will be portrayed at the local drive-in cineplex moving picture show this week by D-Cap himself who gets stone cold stunnered outta nowhere by the bear. The bear attack will be in the movie. It's crucial to the story. Don't mess around with bears, man.

Did I expect to really enjoy a book set in the early 1800s about fur traders wandering ...more

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Jan 20, 2016 Kelly (and the Book Boar) marked it as to-read

Shelves: or-just-watch-the-movie

Because some things are too funny to keep to myself . . .

...more

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Dec 27, 2015 Matthew rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, western, library, non-fiction, 2016, historical-fiction, revenge

This is a dark and gruesome tale of the wild mountain west and the treacherous planes. The key story here is of survival and revenge, tragic heroes and scoundrels, Mountain Men and Natives, truth and fiction.

I am glad that they made a movie of this book, because I am not sure my attention would not have been drawn to it without the hype.

I recommend this book, but only to the strong of stomach!

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Oct 03, 2017 J.K. Grice rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction

I need to add some comments here. First of all, I read THE REVENANT before it ever became a film. Don't even get me started on the movie version. Anyway, I posted a long review of this book on Amazon before I joined Goodreads. You can find my thoughts there if you want to investigate. Suffice it to say that I thought Punke's book was outstanding! ...more

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Jan 12, 2016 Jennifer rated it liked it

Shelves: book-to-screen, disaster-survival, historical-fiction, male-pov, listened-to-audiobook, read-2016, stand-alone-novel

The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge is a historical fiction novel themed with survival and of course, revenge. The author Michael Punke incorporated some pretty raw scenes in this story that kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat. There was a parallel and secondary non-wilderness story that I was less than enthusiastic about but all parts were important for the historical component and created a well-rounded tale.

After some research about the nonfictional 19th century main character Hugh Glass, The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge is a historical fiction novel themed with survival and of course, revenge. The author Michael Punke incorporated some pretty raw scenes in this story that kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat. There was a parallel and secondary non-wilderness story that I was less than enthusiastic about but all parts were important for the historical component and created a well-rounded tale.

After some research about the nonfictional 19th century main character Hugh Glass, I found that Mr. Punke put his own spin on certain aspects of his documented story. After reading the real-life ending to Hugh Glass's angry journey, I don't blame Mr. Punke for writing some of his own details for readers. However, Hollywood's adaptation is another story. The film may have been inspired by Mr. Punke's novel but it varies significantly in many areas. I enjoyed The Revenant and am glad I read it. As always, I appreciate it when a work of "fiction" leads me to learn more about the real-life journeys of those who came before us.

If you are interested in the historically documented events of Hugh Glass's life, click HERE for an online article titled The True Story Behind The Revenant, as Told in 1939.
description

My favorite quote:
"He stopped, awestruck. Fusing heaven to earth, the Big Horn Mountains stood before him. A few clouds swirled around the highest peaks, furthering the illusion of a wall reaching forever upward. His eyes watered from the glare of the sun against snow, but he could not look away...His awe of the mountains grew in the days that followed, as the Yellowstone River led him nearer and nearer. Their great mass was a marker, a benchmark fixed against time itself. Others might feel disquiet at the notion of something so much larger than themselves. But for Glass, there was a sense of sacrament that flowed from the mountains like a font, an immortality that made his quotidian pains seem inconsequential."

Note: It turns out the author Michael Punke wears many hats. He is a seasoned writer, the Deputy United States Trade Representative, and the US Ambassador to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. His political positions unfortunately prevent him from talking to reporters which has kept him out of the Hollywood spotlight in terms of his novel's success. Who knows, maybe he likes it that way. For an online article that discusses Mr. Punke in further detail, click HERE. ...more

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Mar 04, 2017 Jim rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, western

I never had any real interest in reading this book, being already familiar with the story of Hugh Glass. On top of that, I had already seen the horrid yawner of a movie which involved a pathetic DiCaprio wandering shivering over the Canadian countryside (and later describing a Chinook as evidence of our impending doom from global warming). Unfortunately, a co-worker reasoned that, since he had once seen me reading a book, it would necessarily follow that I would want to read anything that had pa I never had any real interest in reading this book, being already familiar with the story of Hugh Glass. On top of that, I had already seen the horrid yawner of a movie which involved a pathetic DiCaprio wandering shivering over the Canadian countryside (and later describing a Chinook as evidence of our impending doom from global warming). Unfortunately, a co-worker reasoned that, since he had once seen me reading a book, it would necessarily follow that I would want to read anything that had paper sandwiched between two covers. I could tell that he thought he was doing me a great favour, and since I am not one who likes to be untruthful I couldn't just give it back a week later and tell him it was OK. I reluctantly read the darn thing.

Surprisingly, I didn't hate the book. Happily, some screenwriter had obviously taken liberties and totally messed up the movie version, but that's the case for almost every translation of book to film. Punke isn't a bad storyteller, although he tends to lay it on a bit thick with the woodcraft. Tell me that Glass built a bullboat...I don't need to be told how he built it! That can slow the story down quite a bit, although this book didn't suffer terribly as a result. Some actions assigned to Glass were hard to swallow, such as a badly mauled man barely having the use of one of his arms suddenly having the capacity to start a fire with bow and drill, an activity requiring the vigorous use of both arms. And lets not forget the 200 gr charge of powder in the rifle...about twice as much as he would actually be using. Adding more powder doesn't give more range, it just gives you more unburned powder being shoved out of the barrel.

So I didn't hate it. Didn't learn anything from it, but I can give the book back to my co-worker and thank him for loaning it to me. I can tell him it wasn't bad with a clear conscience. And it is much better than the movie, a point I have to emphasize because I could see people dodging the book if they had seen the movie first.

...more

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Dec 12, 2015 Dianne rated it liked it

This book of frontier justice is based on a true story and the movie is based on the book.....by the time you get to the movie, the facts have been considerably altered. I can tell you there are at least 2 major differences between the book and the movie, and they're mighty big ones.

I read this because I always like to read the book before I see the movie, so mission accomplished. The book was difficult to stick with but finally picked up in the second half.

I'll report back after I see the movi ...more

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Dec 29, 2015 Wayne Barrett rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, western, native-american, adventure, 2016

Okay! Now that I've read it I can head to the theater tomorrow.

I thought the story was good. Punke admits that he has taken a lot of liberties with the story but all in all he still presented us with most of the basic facts. There are some big gaps in the action but they are filled with what I consider some pretty interesting historical knowledge and that is a subject that I find interesting anyway so the lags didn't bother me too much. Well...maybe a little. ...more

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Feb 11, 2018 Jessaka rated it it was ok

Shelves: western

Great book, one of my friends said as she passed the book on to me. I looked at the title, a story of revenge. This book is not for me, I thought. But then I began reading the first chapters, a book on survival. I like survival stories, and this one is based on a true story of a trapper back in the 1800s that is with a company of men who are out doing their own scouting when he gets mauled by a bear. When his company gets back to him, they find that he is almost dead. He is pieced back together, Great book, one of my friends said as she passed the book on to me. I looked at the title, a story of revenge. This book is not for me, I thought. But then I began reading the first chapters, a book on survival. I like survival stories, and this one is based on a true story of a trapper back in the 1800s that is with a company of men who are out doing their own scouting when he gets mauled by a bear. When his company gets back to him, they find that he is almost dead. He is pieced back together, but then he is left in the care of two men, who are asked to stay with him until he dies and then are asked to bury him. They stay for a while, but then they see that Indians are coming, so they grab all of their belongings, as well as his, and leave him to die or to get scalped, whichever comes first.

The Indians never show up so he lays there with a fever. He sees a rattlesnake eating a rabbit, and then the rattlesnake attacks him over and over again. Ah, a hallucination. I am thinking that I would have died from fright right then, if not from the bear attack. Then he wakes up, sees the rattlesnake is still trying to digest the rabbit and smashes it with a stone and eats it. Then he crawls on his belly to get to the creek for water. Next he is wrapping his knee with a strip of wool blanket that the two men hadn’t stolen from him. He does this because he needs to crawl on it in order to get back to the fort that is 300 miles away.

By now I am thinking that I will just read this book until I learn all of his survival skills, because, well, I don’t know, maybe someday I will be mauled by a bear and need to know how to survive. Or maybe I will need to know how to kill a rattlesnake when I don’t have a rifle in my hands. First and last time I ever had to kill rattlesnake I had a shotgun. First and last time I ever ate a rattlesnake I was at a Texas rattlesnake roundup. All I can tell you is that the meat is tough. If you get old and lose all of your teeth, don’t expect to gum this meat. Won’t happen.

If you can’t tell by now, well, I am not really into this book. The title turned me off. And if it wasn’t for the title, well, the writing wasn’t what I wanted, and well, it had back stories too, and I really wasn’t interested in these men’s lives or what his company was doing after they left him for dead. I was so bored, that I even forgot to put this book up on my current reading list, especially since I wasn’t sure that I would even read it far enough to consider it read or even abandoned. I was so bored that I began reading a fun teenage mystery story, and in between all of this I began reading a great book titled, The Jew Store, a true story about a Jewish family leaving New York for Tennessee and then having to face racism, and I sat there thinking that they picked a horrible place to move to being that they were Jewish and were the only Jewish family in town.

So, today I went back to reading this book. I learned how he fought off a pack of wolves after seeing them hunt down a buffalo calf. He wanted a share of the bounty. I read how he did other things to survive, like make a crutch. Later on when he was able to walk he turned the crutch into a spear and then he walked into a deserted Indian village where he met a blind woman and her dog. He fed her and her dog, but she died the next day, so he put her to rest when a band of Indians showed up and saved the day, all except for the dog’s. I got up off the couch, walked over to the “out” basket, tossed the book in and decided to write this review. ...more

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Nov 04, 2015 Asghar Abbas rated it really liked it

Whoa!

I am hesitant to say it's breathtaking, but it's breathtaking.

As brutal as the movie was, the book is more brutal and oddly enough more visceral. Nature and open range were not only an element but a part, an additional character of this book.

And what a foe it was. Yet this was also about folly of men. Kinda reminds me and puts me in mind to recite one of my wordlings from 2013.

Don't be afraid of nature
don't be afraid of men
but be oh so very afraid of nature of men.

Read it.

p.s ; aren't t ...more

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Feb 16, 2016 Ron rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The Revenant is fascinating story about a man who suffers countless tragedy at the hands of nature and man, and seeks redemption. It’s so compelling because it is based the real life of Hugh Glass. In the afterward, the author Michael Punke explains that many of the moments in his book are in fact fiction. The bulk of the dramatic events surrounding Glass and his fellow trappers are true, and sometimes so horrific you’d believe they were fabricated. He endured within a year what no man should ha ...more

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Feb 02, 2015 Jim rated it it was amazing

I don't think "Revenge" is considered a book genre, but it should be. Apparently I really love books on revenge.

1820's Middle America. A trapper is mauled (nearly to death) by a grizzly bear and left for dead by his companions. Only he doesn't die. Now, half-dead and unable to stand, he sets out to crawl his way across hostile and untamed land to seek revenge on those who abandoned him.

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Leonardo DiCaprio. This is a man's book. In fact, with the exception ...more

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Jul 18, 2016 Kavita rated it it was amazing

Shelves: biography, historical-fiction, usa, wild-west, history

I can't believe I actually enjoyed this book. It was all about fighting and hunting and living in the rough, and not a single woman in the 250 pages. But gosh, it was riveting!

Hugh Glass was a man who lived life on the edge. This was not due to any need or cash crunch. He just liked it, and soon it became the only way he knew how to live. His father wanted him to become a lawyer, but Glass had other plans for his future. In the end, his father relented and allowed him to pursue his dreams. Glas ...more

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Dec 09, 2015 Karla rated it it was ok

Shelves: ebook

Punke did his survivalist research, that's for sure. Every single step of every single thing Glass did to make fires and traps, etc. etc. on his long trek back to civilization after getting mauled by a bear is in excruciating detail in the blandest prose possible.

If any book could benefit from visual shortcuts and a condensing of action & time, it's this one. Should have just stuck with the movie.

Total snorefest. ...more

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Jan 29, 2020 Aishu Rehman rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This Writer satisfies my expectations of what I think makes a great story. He describes America in the early 1800's in enough detail to engage all of my senses: I could see, hear, taste, touch and smell the great outdoors in my vivid imagination, including the blood of a freshly killed and butchered animal, followed by the savory roasting of meat over an open fire. His dialogue feels true to his characters. Sometimes Mr. Punke can only describe the silence that passes between his characters, but ...more

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Jan 12, 2016 Darwin8u rated it liked it

Shelves: 2016

"Revenge is a dish that tastes best when served cold."
- Mario Puzo, The Godfather

description

The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?
- Edgar Allan Poe

So, I did this totally proper like. I read the book first. Untainted by the movie and then went to see the movie. The book was good. It was interesting and had great characters. The writing was ok. Perhaps, I've read too many good Western/Frontier novels (Blood Meridian, Butcher's Crossing, etc.], so a 3.5 star book isn't going to thrill me. It read like an older, slightly wiser awkward brother to My Side of the Mountain, Deathwatch, and seriously The Princess Bride). My big two beefs with the novel were the prose (again good, just not great) and the ending (meh).

So, this ends up being one of those novels where the movie ends up being more expansive and beautiful and perhaps, yes, artful than the original book. Part of that is due to Punke trying to at lest stay close to original events. He was clear when he deviated from the history (in the historical note) and because of this, it didn't crescendo and payoff like the movie. The movie ended up being more violent than the book (yes, the book was violent, but in a more contained way). The movie was like some weird mash-up/hybrid/mongrel of Werner Herzog and Terrence Malick. The visuals were amazing. But nature is a cold bitch for sure.

I have to admit I am more fascinated by the fact that Michael Punke is Obama's Ambassador to the WTO and Deputy US Trade Representative. The guy couldn't tour with Picador's new printing/edition of the novel, couldn't go to the LA premier of the movie. He can't even really talk about the novel or the movie because of Federal ethics rules prohibit pimping stuff while you work for the Feds. Anyway, the guy is 10 years older than me, and first published this novel about 14+ years ago. Anyway, I end up being just as fascinated with the author's story, the story of the real Hugh Glass, and the way the book intersects and differs from the movie MORE than I was impressed by the actual book. So I guess there is THAT. ...more

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Mar 04, 2016 Selene rated it liked it

The Revenant is a story of survival, determination, rage, and want for revenge. The overall plot was good but the detail (while useful for the story) made the story hard to read at times. I found at times it read very fictional and during others it seemed very non fiction which made the story seem chunked.

Michael Punke did a fantastic job with his research. I loved that this story had me looking into Hugh Glass' history and the 19th century fur trade. ...more

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Jan 08, 2016 Bettie rated it it was ok

Shelves: winter-20152016, historical-fiction, lit-richer-jan-2016, survival, adventure, film-only, us-rocky-mountains

Description: The year is 1823, and the trappers of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company live a brutal frontier life. Trapping beaver, they contend daily with the threat of Indian tribes turned warlike over the white men's encroachment on their land, and other prairie foes—like the unforgiving landscape and its creatures. Hugh Glass is among the Company's finest men, an experienced frontiersman and an expert tracker. But when a scouting mission puts him face-to-face with a grizzly bear, he is viciously ...more

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Jul 25, 2009 Bill McDavid rated it liked it · review of another edition

This was a quick and enjoyable book to read. Upon finishing it my first thought was that the ending was anticlimactic and the subtitle (A Novel of Revenge) was not well suited for the book. However, after thinking about it a little more I realized that perhaps the ending, though fictionalized, is a very good summation of the nature of revenge in the real world... that it is never all it is cracked up to be.

I will also say that this book does a great job of putting into perspective how very easy ...more

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Jan 30, 2016 ♥ Sandi ❣ rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1-have

This novel is fiction - based on true facts -but fiction.

Hugh Glass is a trapper who works for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. In 1823, while scouting food for the men he was traveling with, he accidentally comes upon a bear who mauls him, while trying to protect her cubs. Glass is next to death. The company tries to carry him, as they continue their travels to the Fort, but find that this is not working so decide to leave him, to prevent their possible detection by the local rampaging Indians. ...more

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Feb 29, 2016 11811 (Eleven) rated it liked it

I have no idea why this was supposed to be so awesome. I liked it but it was a firm '3 star' like, not a 'holy shit that was so awesome' like. Maybe the film will enlighten me. ...more

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Apr 24, 2016 LeAnne: GeezerMom rated it it was amazing

Well, after just digesting a group read set in the Civil War, you'd think I'd be sick of hanging out in the 1800s. Nope! Incredibly, I've been happily glued to The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge, set in 1823. Yes, this is the book on which the Leonardo DiCaprio movie was based, but I didn't let that stop me. If you've seen the trailers or glimpsed the book jacket, none of the below will be a big spoiler - although there are things in the book ignored by the movie and of course, Hollywood's heroism Well, after just digesting a group read set in the Civil War, you'd think I'd be sick of hanging out in the 1800s. Nope! Incredibly, I've been happily glued to The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge, set in 1823. Yes, this is the book on which the Leonardo DiCaprio movie was based, but I didn't let that stop me. If you've seen the trailers or glimpsed the book jacket, none of the below will be a big spoiler - although there are things in the book ignored by the movie and of course, Hollywood's heroism and anguish tossed in as a substitute. This is, however, an honest assessment from a middle aged lady - not some high action or shoot-em-up movie junkie. I loved it!

The book was pretty impossible for me to put down. Yes, it's historical fiction, but the portions that were true were amazing. Hugh Glass was a real life fellow who as a child, loved to read. His parents thought this tendency might lead to a scholarly future, but instead, it made him crave the exploration of new places. He became a sailor - a cabin boy, actually, at age 16.

Here in Louisiana, we know all about Jean Lafitte the pirate (or Baratarian, which is the polite term for Lafitte), and it turns out that his crew overtook the ship that Glass was serving on. Young Glass faked his ability to understand French and was taken on as a hand by Lafitte's crew instead of being thrown overboard like most of his fellow sailors. From there, Hugh eventually ended up ashore in Campeche (now known as Galveston), embroiled in a skirmish and with no supplies. A jouncing wagon, running from the fight, ended up being the salvation of Hugh and his comrade - a box of very expensive rifles toppled off. They each grabbed one and ran like hell.

Glass's perspective? That beautifully-made rifle was his defense. It fed him. It provided him a living. And it was a reminder, a decade later, of all that he had been through and the friends he lost along the way.

After surviving Pawnee capture and attacks made by the Arikara tribe, when that rifle was stolen from him and he was left for dead, Hugh Glass refused to take it lying down. Two "friends" from the Rocky Mountain Fur Company were the men he sought to find and punish, and as a man who seemingly had come back from the dead, Glass was indeed a revenant for them.

This historical fiction was well researched, as best can be for frontier history 200 years old, but the story was told so beautifully, it was impossible to separate out the poetic license. One thing I loved was the appearance of Toussaint Charbonneau, the widower of Sacagawea. The author took real occurrences known about Charbonneau and others, then added them in. In the story, Toussaint saw himself as solely an interpreter and refused to take turns keeping overnight watch for attack. He thought himself above it - this fact is documented in the writings of Lewis and Clark.

There are other little tidbits for history lovers, and the factual pieces make this a fun read - if you're okay with an occasional scalping, the eating of dog, and a few maggots in one's wounds. Granted, a story about revenge, dodging arrows and bullets, and slogging through snow could be seen as a Debbie Downer...but there are these funny and sometimes poignant moments brought in by various frontiersmen. I adored the French Canadian brothers whose insults for one another were only surpassed by their love.

Anyway, although I listened to this via audio from the library (totally kick butt narration), I loved the book so much that I've ordered a hard copy for my husband and son. If you need a gift idea for Father's Day, I highly recommend The Revenant. For this middle aged lady, it was pretty awesome too.
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Jan 22, 2016 Trina (Between Chapters) rated it liked it

Shelves: 2016, adult, standalones, historical

The biggest problem I had while reading this book was that the writing just didn't capture any emotion or personality. It was very cut and dried distant third person, but as an account of slightly fictionalized true historical events though, I do think it made the story of Glass accessible to a modern audience. The book is very different than the movie, but this is much closer to the real story of Hugh Glass's life.

Another fall back of the book is the ending. There doesn't seem to be one. If it ...more

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Jan 10, 2016 Brandon rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, 2016, fiction

“Glass became suddenly aware of the sound of the river. It was an odd thing to notice, he thought. He had clung to the river for weeks. Yet suddenly he heard the waters with the acute sensitivity of new discovery. He turned from the fire to stare at the river. It struck him as strange that the smooth flow of water would create any sound at all. Or that the wind would, for that matter. It occurred to him that it wasn’t so much the water or the wind that accounted for the noise, but rather the obj ...more

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Books2Movies Club: The Revenant - book and movie	14	15	Nov 27, 2020 11:50AM
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About Michael Punke

Michael Punke

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Michael Punke is a writer, novelist, professor, policy analyst, policy consultant, attorney and currently the Deputy United States Trade Representative and US Ambassador to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. He is best known for writing The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge (2002), which was adapted into film as The Revenant (2015), directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, with a scre ...more