Don't like westerns...LOVED this book!

STORY - I only got this book because it was on sale and the ratings were high. Even though I don't usually like westerns, what the heck, right? What a pleasant surprise! The characters are strong and likeable, and I became totally immersed in their lives and dreams. Not only must they survive from day to day in a tough land during tough times, but they must face the challenges of starting a huge cattle ranch deep in the wilderness of Texas. Needless to say, there's a lot of action. Normally I would be totally bored by Indian ambushes and shootouts with bad guys, but not ths time. It is definitely a book for guys, but it doesn't dwell on fighting, blood, descriptions of guns, etc., that is boring to women. It also has a little romance for us girls, too!

The story line is simple, easy to follow, and simply wonderful. The ending is satisfying enough that you could consider this a standalone story, but there is a fairly large question left hanging which will probably leave you wanting to continue to the next book.

NARRATOR - The narrator has multiple "western" voices which change for lots of different characters. His performance makes a great story even better.

OVERALL - I think everyone will like this book. (No sex or cursing, so it's probably even okay for older kids).

18 people found this helpful

The Smell of Stale Whiskey, and Unwashed Bodies?

I thoroughly enjoyed all four books in this series, and found them well written, and entertaining. However, I did not like the constant "indirect references" to how bad drinking, and smoking was, and how everyone should drink coffee. I felt that this was not the time or place for "PC" references like that. After all, these stories were time situated in the 1800's, and people smoked, drank, and chewed tobacco back then, and still do, and there weren't many places to take a bath in those days, unless you wanted to jump into a cold river or creek to wash up. Indoor plumbing had not been invented yet. I also thought the author went a "bit" overboard on the "love scenes" between Buck & Rebecca, and Cody & Julianna.
Also, the author brings a whole new meaning to the word "fiction" in these books, the main characters could do no wrong, they were constantly falling into situations that caused them to make zillions of dollars, ..........I wish I could fall into just one of those situations these days! These are good books, and if you like westerns you will enjoy them, just a bit to much on the romantic side for me. I do hope the author intends to continue the series!

18 people found this helpful

The Beginning

I enjoyed this book. The story was a common one in lots of Westerns. I was particularly happy that there was no foul language or explicit sex in the book. I have stopped reading lots of books because of these two items were over done in the stories. If Dusty Rhodes keeps his books clean, he has a new fan in me. Buck obtain the money at the beginning of the story so it seems he was able to do in one year what many ranchers obtain in a lifetime of work. Other wise the story moved along with a good balance of action and character development. Looking forward to book two.

21 people found this helpful

Not your typical western.

Any additional comments?

I am not a fan of westerns, this was my husbands choice. That being said, I have to admit that I'm hooked.
It's so well written, I could understand the 2 young men's reasoning and reactions to different situations. The story has a lot of meat on the bones and it's easy to sink your teeth into it. LOL! I'm actually looking forward to see what happens next in this series.
BTW... my husband loved this book, and the fact that he could discuss it with me during and after the listen. We will definitely be getting into the next book.

2 people found this helpful

intend on listening to the rest of the series.

When I say that I think this is a pretty good series, bear in mind that I'm comparing it against other series like Longmire.

Of course, a so-so narrator is just about the equivalent of a death sentence to an audio book, so Gene Eugene has to be above average just to earn an OK, which he does. He does well managing a number of characters and distinguishing their voices without mangling them. As with most narrators, he warms to the book and writing as it progresses.

You won't struggle with the storyline or spend much time sorting out the details, which is just fine for a rainy day book, or something to go to sleep on. it's just what I was looking for this time.

2 people found this helpful

The Beginning of a Great Series

Perhaps, because I listened to "The Hondo Kid" first, then "The Prodigal Brother", listening to the series out of sequence is the reason I didn't find "The Beginning" as good as Books 2 & 3. I haven't heard Book 4, the last book in the series, yet.

"The Beginning" sets the background for the other books and really should be read first, but the next 2 books give evidence of what happened in Book 1, just not as detailed.

All in all, it's a great series, narrated by the very talented Gene Engene.

I highly recommend it for those who love the Western genre.

8 people found this helpful

CLEAN AS A FRESH LICKED COW

SURE AS SNUFF MAKES SPIT this was a good book. I have not read many westerns, I usually need some zombies, sex or mad scientists to keep me entertained, but this was enjoyable from the first minute to the last minute.

It is kind of interesting that the book has most of the things I put other books down for. It is kind of hokey, money just seems to fall in their laps and there is a lot of shoot-em up scenes. There are no gray characters, they are either good or evil. As I have mentioned before some writers can connect to the readers and some can not. It took me three days of driving to listen to all of this. I looked forward to hearing it everyday, enjoyed it as the miles disappeared and was sorry it finished.

Buck is A MIGHTY CAUTIOUS FELLOW, and him and his partner Chester have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later. When they fall in love they are putty in the girls hands. On their ranch they WORK FROM CAN SEE TO CAN'T SEE. It is a simple easy on the ears type book.

WHAT YOU GOING TO DO, TALK US TO DEATH
The narrator is excellent and his great performance made the book lots better then reading it.

YOU BOYS TOLD THEM HOW THE COW ATE THE CABBAGE

20 people found this helpful

awesome

very good job. going to be a great series. well worth the time amg used a lot of the familiar placed

1 person found this helpful

Excellent

What an excellent book. Well written with great description and a great narrator that makes the Bible ok true to life

1 person found this helpful

Great reader, flat characters

I loved the start of this classic western - the reader was amazing and he transported me into the old wild west. There was a lot of action, which kept me interested for the first half of this novel. And then the action slowed a bit, and with time to think, I realized that I didn't really care about any of the characters. They were neither real nor interesting. There were two kinds of characters - good guys and bad guys. Nothing in between. I felt like I was watching a very long episode of Bonanza or Gunsmoke, which I enjoyed for a while but then it got dull. If you love classic westerns, I expect that you will like this. The writing is good western writing and a lot happens. I enjoyed seeing how the two partners built a huge ranch from nothing. But this so paled in comparison to Lonesome Dove, another western novel about a cattle drive. Lonesome Dove, though, has truly unforgettable characters. The Lonesome Dove audiobook has a lame reader, and so the paper version is best for that. I rated The Beginning 3 stars because I was drawn into the story and enjoyed the first half. I'd say the story is 2.5 star story, but the great reader and fun language boosted the experience to a 3 star one for me.

5 people found this helpful