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Taggart: A Novel (1982)

Taggart: A Novel (1982)

Book Info

Author
Genre
Rating
4.14 of 5 Votes: 7
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ISBN
0553254774 (ISBN13: 9780553254778)
Language
English
Publisher
bantam

About book Taggart: A Novel (1982)

A blog review, written and published June 2, 2008.Adam Stark (no relation to Tony) has ventured into the heart of Apache country in search of gold, and he finds it. More than enough of it to buy the ranch somewhere near Tucson that he dreams of owning. The only drawback, other than being discovered and killed by Apaches, is the towering death trap the gold is buried beneath. Accompanying Stark on his expedition are his wife Consuelo and his sister Miriam, an unmarried twenty-nine year old on the verge of becoming a spinster. Fear and doubt has overwhelmed Consuelo's trust in her husband and she is plotting to leave him for a "strong man."Into this tense situation stumbles Swante Taggart. A fugitive from vigilante style "justice," for killing a man in self defense, Taggart has no desire to add to the Stark's already considerable troubles. But Miriam calls to his heart and Adam Stark is an honorable man in dire need of help, so Taggart stays, albeit reluctantly. For Taggart has not forgotten that Pete Shoyer, a ruthless bounty hunter with a 100% success rate, is determinedly hunting him down...A few weeks ago I finally bought that DVD of Once Upon a Time in the West (my personal choice for Best Western Movie ever made*) that I had been meaning to buy for awhile. Now that my DVD collection is a tad more complete in the Awesome department, I found myself suddenly suffering from a bad case of "Western Itch" (i.e. the sudden, powerful urge to enjoy a western story) and what better way to scratch it than by enjoying a novel by the late, great Louis L'Amour.Taggart is as direct and to the point as its title. A simple and straight forward tale of good guys fighting bad guys (or guy), L'Amour narrates his story in a smooth, visually powerful voice that conjures up characters and landscapes so vivid that reading the book is akin to watching a beautifully filmed and wonderfully acted motion picture unspool before your eyes. Read a few paragraphs of L'Amour's prose and I am certain you'll agree that the cover blurb on many editions of his books describing him as "America's Favorite Storyteller" is not just marketing hyperbole. I think the book's only serious drawback is the one dimensional (practically racist) nature of the Apache threat. But L'Amour was of a different generation (Taggart was originally published in 1959) than I, and times and viewpoints have changed considerably in the last 50 years. I know that will not forgive his treatment of Native Americans to some would be readers, but the best I can do is simply offer an explanation and a word of warning to those more culturally sensitive readers. But if you can look past that, then I think you will find a great deal to enjoy in this beautifully told tale.

Good book. Adam and his wife and sister were trying to stay out of the way of the Apaches who were raiding in the area. Adam had found a rich vein of gold and was trying to get as much of it out as he could. He has dreams of a ranch of his own and the money to give his wife and sister a better life. Taggart had had his own ranch before a larger outfit ran him off of it because they wanted his land. He had tried to protect his land and was now accused of murder. While he's trying to outrun a bounty hunter he stumbles on Adam's camp. He's drawn to Miriam but knows that between the bounty hunter and the Apaches there is trouble coming. There is a battle with the Apaches, an escape with the gold, and a gun battle with the bad guy. I always like reading L'Amour's books. His heroes are honorable men who usually find themselves in the position of having to protect someone - usually a girl. I loved the way that he shows what the people are thinking and how it affects their actions. He also has a wonderful way of describing the land where his books take place. In this one I could feel the heat and dryness of the desert and see the canyons and hills that he was describing.

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Rereading this many years later it is filled with far more suspense, tension and danger than I remembered. Right up until the very last line L'Amour showcased characters with cracks and flaws but most importantly, grit.One star down for a satisfying, yet tantizling ending that makes me hunger for more and the lack of any dialouge from the Apache on their scent. I understand this was written a long time ago and while Taggart and even the bounty allude to their wary respect of the warriors it would've been nice to see a bit from their perspective.In the end, it's going to be hard to put this in my eBay box.__From my NOOK
—C

This was the first Louis La'mour book that I've read. I've heard a lot about the utter readability and magnetizing power of all his works, so I thought it was time to pick one up. Apparently my brother-in-law has been stockpiling these for a while, and I picked one out at random. It was a good one.This story in particular included an account of a prospector during the gold rush, which I am absolutely engrossed by. No, not the kind of prospector that you imagine who only has two teeth left, and a couple of accumulated layers of epi-'dirt'-mis covering his nearly protruding bones; a yokel with the IQ of a marmot, breath that would peel the tar off the street, grammar and accent that would make a dictionary want to grow ears just to gouge them out and curse Webster for bringing him into existence. Anyway...where was I? Oh, yeah... prospectors. But THIS prospector was a man of true grit in a pretty interesting story that kept me turning the 140 pages. It was an easy, fun read that included an excellent gun fight between two champion gunslingers.The author himself had many enlightening experiences to draw upon that informed his tales, and I could sense the reality to the backdrop of his stories. Apparently La'mour was even stranded in survival-type situations several times, and had to gut out his existence in a contest against man and nature. La'mour has a deep-rooted appreciation for our affiliation with the dirt, and has a rich poetic appraisal of man's need to be out in the open air. Evidently, Ms. Nature makes an even better lover than mother. He would probably find himself simpatico with the words of George MacDonald , "No human consciousness can be clean, until it lies wide open to the eternal sun, and the all-potent wind; until, from a dim-lighted cellar it becomes a mountain-top."And again, I find myself back to George. It all comes back full-circle, doesn't it? All roads lead to George.
—Chris

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