Good book, movie better?

I know the movie is not everyone's cup of tea, but I found it very strong and worthy of repeat viewings. Reading the book will certainly enrich my future viewings, of which there will be many. I've already watched it three times. The motivations for revenge are stronger in the film and they took many liberties with additional story elements. This all said, I highly recommended the book to anyone who loves the movie as much as I do and wants to spend more time in that world.

14 people found this helpful

thankfully this book is nothing like the movie

what a great story. Narration was done very well. I enjoyed this book and was thankful that is was nothing like the movie. The story of Hugh Glass was amazing.....they broke the mold after making this man! I appreciate how the author concluded with a discussion about the accuracy of his novel.

7 people found this helpful

My first time for Author and Narrator

I listen while I'm driving and recently have leaned toward fiction, to offset school and work. This was an amazing story (truth is stranger than fiction!!) well written and well read. hHighly recommended!

7 people found this helpful

Good story, exceptional narration

Maybe not as good as the movie, but still a good book. The narrator was excellent at distinguishing and producing the collection of harsh grizzly voices.

6 people found this helpful

solid entertainment

I don't know why a previous reviewer was bashing the narrator..i thought he did a fine job. Based on that one review I hesitated to purchase this book. I'm glad I got past my initial misgivings. Give this book a listen. In my opinion this is a very solid 4/5 Star book.

47 people found this helpful

Powerful story of revenge and salvation

This novelization of the true tale of trapper Hugh Glass is a first rate yarn about a man left to die in the wilderness and his determination to survive. The writing is superb and the narration is excellent. Glass' story was the basis of "Man in the Wilderness" starring Richard Harris and will soon be a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio as the lead. Before you see either film listen to this book. You won't regret it.

32 people found this helpful

Great story of survival and revenge

Great book, even for a reader/listener usually drawn to stories set in the present-day or future. Reluctant to buy my first "western," I'm now very glad I gave it a chance. Here, the year is secondary and takes nothing away from the story about survival and revenge. I also enjoyed the narrator - which is critical. I often search for and choose books based, in part, on the narrator's identity. Thanks to both.

33 people found this helpful

Wow. What a Ride

Any additional comments?

This story is interesting in and of itself. I mean a bear attacking a man in the wilderness who's buddies leave him for dead, but he's not. Interesting plot. I learned some history of the fur traders which I had known little about. Since the story is based on fact, it made reading more enjoyable. Really shows how hard life was for these men of the American West.
I thought the narrator was good.

22 people found this helpful

Surprisingly addictive.

I had no idea if I'd enjoy this but I saw it was being made into a film by a director I liked so I wanted to "read" it.

I became totally addicted. I love the story and the rich history around it all. The narrator was awesome and it helped the story so much especially the accents he does.

Really sad it's over. What do I do now??

27 people found this helpful

It Was A Good Death...almost

Reading the account of the bear attack, I couldn't help but think of the almost silly slow motion battle between Tristan (Brad Pitt) and the monstrous grizzly bear (Bart the bear) at the end of Legends of the Fall. Apparently the trained stunt bear, Bart, thought the two were just rough housing and the clip had to be tweaked to make it appear the grizzly was the killer that would give Tristan his "good death."

Working for Capt. Andrew Henry as a member of the Rocky Mountain Fur Co., Hugh Glass is sent out scouting the uncharted hostile territory along the tributaries of the Missouri River. The trapper is startled when a pair of frolicking bear cubs tumbles onto his path, their notoriously protective mother just a few yards behind. Faced with a charging mother grizzly, Glass knows that no matter how many bullets he can fire into the animal with his 1822 model rifle, he is facing certain death -- he draws his knife and braces for the blow of a massive paw.

Glass is mortally wounded; Capt. Henry and the trapping party begin to dig his grave. After days of caring for the dying man, Capt. Henry decides he is losing money and time and leaves two men behind to bury the body; a cold-blooded cutthroat John Fitzgerald, and the young Jim Bridger. Seeing hostile Indians nearby, Fitzgerald forces Bridger to leave with him, taking the dying man's weapons as they leave.

Against all odds, Glass does survive, and swears to kill the two men that left him defenseless, to die. Unable to walk, Glass begins his mission of revenge on hands and knees in what is a mind boggling account of survival and perseverance. Author Punke writes a riveting tale in the style of great westerns, based on the true story of Hugh Glass. The supporting characters are diverse and colorful pieces of the American Frontier. I couldn't put the book down (audible talk for couldn't disengage from my ipod) until I finished the story.

As a narrator, Graham did a good job bringing the characters to life. His depiction of young Bridger tended to be jerky and halted, and therefore a little distracting at times, but not enough to spoil the novel for me. For fans of the American Western, you can't go wrong with this piece of absorbing historical fiction.
*[I noticed a publish date of 2002 and found that this has been reprinted. It is probably no coincidence that the movie version is scheduled for release Dec. of 2015, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy.]

56 people found this helpful