Hombre

I've heard it said that Leonard did this stuff better than anybody and Hombre is perhaps his finest work within the western field, if that is true I think I may be done with Westerns now. This is the novel that was faithfully adapted in to a fine revisionist movie starring Paul Newman as Hombre. Essentially it is the story of a stagecoach holdup written by one of the passengers some months after the events. John Russell is a white man who was raised by Apaches and is shunned by the white folk on board but events conspire to leave their fates in his hands.

Leonard set his story against a vividly evoked landscape and captured a sense of the wild and unforgiving nature of the people and the land they inhabit with multiple well rounded characters, interesting people yet all flawed in some way, John Russell especially. This is your traditional western tale of good and evil but it is not so clear cut who is good and who is evil, and the concept of morality is murky at best and that is what makes this and other revisionist westerns so much more interesting than your Louis L'Amour's et al. I don't watch John Wayne movies but I do watch Clint Eastwood's, there's a very real difference between the two and the same can be said for Leonard's western novels when placed against the majority of the genre.

This is was an entertaing read, enjoyable distraction with the kind of message that will make you question your own beliefs and morals if you feel like interacting with the text to that degree, but if this is the best the genre has to offer True Grit aside I just don't feel the need to come back when there's so many impressive, powerful novels in other genres that will take my breath away.

Jul 09, Ed rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Recommended to Ed by: Not sure where I got this rec from. Certainly a classic Western as it's often touted, Hombre was published in Believe it or not, my local public library still shelved it in their holdings. The Apache-raised white John Russell is a perplexing protagonist given his stoic, pragmatic outlook. I liked the narrator's voice, brisk pace, steady build up, and gut-felt climax.

Did I say I dug Hombre? I've seen the movie Hombre with Paul Newman, also, which is also quite excellent. Jul 05, Daniel Villines rated it really liked it. His writing style felt like it was adjusted to match the dryness of the Arizona desert as well as the solitude of its main character, John Russell. Both, the character and his setting seemed to be intertwined through the pages, serving each other throughout the story.

The story is thought provoking. Leonard gambles with the lives of all his characters and in doing so, repeatedly pits the value of one life against another. He makes the end a relief but the end also provokes the biggest question of the book: With John Russell, Leonard once again creates a distinct human persona. The intrigue with Russell is associated with his actions, which were the final outcome of a host of personal feelings. Various portions of selfishness, kindness, disgust, and pity shaped his every move creating a complexity that mirrors real life.

This complexity is maintained until the very end, when one of the supporting characters, the narrator of the story, thinks he has John Russell figured out, but even now, I still have my doubts. It was an easy read and good overall but there was just not enough action taking place for me to give it a full 4 stars.

Feb 23, Cheryl rated it liked it. Brutal western about a stagecoach robbery. Nov 03, Heath Lowrance rated it it was amazing. His first four novels were all solid, well-written Westerns, but with very little that made them stand out from the hundreds of other Westerns at the time.

I'm a fan of those early ones for their remarkable compactness and directness of style, but HOMBRE is the first one that feels really different, not just in its themes but in the way Leonard approaches the characters. It's unique also in that it's the first and only one written in first person. Later, Leonard would vow never to write in first person again, but it works really well in this one. It's narrated by a former stage coach company clerk, riding along on an emergency journey with a disparate group of people-- his former boss Mendez, a fiery tempered young woman who has just been rescued from captivity by Apaches, a shady Indian Affairs agent named Favor and Favor's wife, an even shadier gunman with dubious intentions named Braden, and the "Hombre" of the title: Russell is a source of anxiety for the passengers, being a white man who was raised Apache but is now about to give a shot at living in the white man's world.

He is barely tolerated by the bigoted Mr. Favor, until the gunman Braden reveals his true intentions; he is part of a gang lying in wait to steal the money Favor had embezzled from his post as an Indian Affairs agent. With their lives on the line, Russell must lead the group to safety across the hostile landscape of Arizona, with the outlaws in close pursuit. Of all the central characters, but most especially of John Russell. He is an enigma to the others, a silent and stoic presence who refuses to submit to the opinions of the others or to placate them with false pretensions.

They hate him, they fear him, but they NEED him. And it's something none of them could ever even aspire to. Mark this as one of my favorites of Elmore Leonard's Westerns.

Looking at his bibliography, it seems he took a break from writing fiction for several years after this, some eight years, and when he did return to fiction he concentrated mostly on modern day crime thrillers. But between and '79, he wrote three more Westerns, all far superior to his earlier work in the genre.

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Feb 09, Judy rated it liked it Shelves: Somehow I thought this was Elmore Leonard's first novel. In fact, it was his fifth. He began publishing Westerns in with The Bounty Hunters.

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But for me Hombre is a good place to start. Hombre was the name given to John Russell, a tough and fearless white man raised partly by Apaches.

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The story is set in Arizona mining country complete with stage coaches, outlaws, and a big pile of money over which the other main characters commit violence and crime. I hadn't known that Leonard started out with Westerns. Though his style is not as flashy as it became, the voice is recognizable as is the timing of the plot and the hint of philosophy underlying it. A movie version starring Paul Newman was released in but since I have not yet seen it, the climax in the novel came as a complete surprise to me.

Hombre is a hero alright but with Elmore Leonard's brand on him. Aug 30, Donna Brown rated it it was amazing. A few pages and I was hooked. What wonderfully crafted language and characters, along with a plot that's impossible to put down. Always a big Paul Newman fan, I vaguely remember the movie, in which he played the title character. It was good, but I don't think it began to define the characters the way the book does.

It's only about a hundred pages, and In the middle of reading Singer's The Manor, hanging Around 19th century Poles, I sort of stumbled into Hombre on my Nook at the doctor's office. It's only about a hundred pages, and I got it very chap from BookBub, I think, although I don't know if it's still available. Now back to Poland This novel isnt the best i have read by Elmore Leonard when it comes to the storytelling but the prose,the writing was so fine,crisp and in his best form in my experience. The dialogue,the characters, the sense of place was a great read and much more interesting than how the novel begins and ends.

Aug 04, Robin Friedman rated it it was amazing. The Library of America has recently published a volume of four Leonard western novels and eight short stories. I enjoy both westerns and Leonard and have been working through the volume. First published in as a paperback original, "Hombre" became a film starring Paul Newman. The novel tells the story of John Russell, 21, who through most of the book is known simply as "Hombre". The book is unique among Leonard's output in that it is recounted by a first person narrator, a technique which adds a great deal to the story.

The narrator, Carl Everett Allen, also 21, is something of a naive, callow young man. He recounts the origins of his story in a brief preface to the reader which explains how he came to write the book and that Russell's nickname of "hombre" or "man" best describes his character. Early in his story and at its conclusion, Allen recounts how his boss, Henry Mendez, had told him to "Take a good look at Russell. You will never see another like him as long as you live. The book is set in in the Arizona territory. Russell is a white person who spent much time in his youth with the Apache.

When Russell becomes a passenger with five other people on a chartered stagecoach, the other individuals don't want him to ride in the coach because they believe he is Apache. When the stagecoach is held up, the passengers need Russell's help and familiarity with weaponry and terrain in order to survive.

The book develops many different characters including Mendez, the driver, and the passengers, Brandon, Dr. Favor, the corrupt superintendent of an Indian reservation, his young wife, a 17 year old, "McClaren girl" who also has been held by the Apache and is returning home, and the narrator, Carl Allen, who is seeking a new job and success. The story explores the characters' varied reactions to the precarious situation in which they find themselves in the Arizona desert pursued by outlaws.

The main interest in the book lies in Hombre. He is taciturn and stays within himself. At the outset of the book, he is disinclined to become involved in the business of others. As the story progresses with increased threats from the outlaws and dissension among the band on the stagecoach, Hombre makes decisions which often seem harsh and morally questionable.

The book explores different perspectives, at several points, on the moral necessity of helping other people in dire straits. Hombre's perspective on these situations is frequently juxtaposed with that of the tender-hearted "McClaren girl". The book has excellent descriptive passages of the stark Arizona desert, a great deal of violence, and a growth of dramatic tension as the story works to a climax. It reads quickly and held my interest throughout. But the primary value of the book lies in its depiction of character, its portrayal of racial prejudice and in its consideration of the many ethical dilemmas that arise in the course of the story.

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John Russell emerges as an enigmatic but heroic figure. May 04, Angelakfox rated it liked it. A muted color scheme with simple, commanding fonts versus a cacophony of color and an overly-stylized typeface? And most importantly, a solitary horseback rider in a barren landscape versus a swooning bargirl complete with garter and bustier and a mustachioed hero?

Oh, I was judging. This was an academic exercise to be endured. Westerns are formulaic, mindless morality plays, where the good guys kill the bad guys who are, often as not, those pesky "Injuns" , rescue gold-hearted prostitutes, and generally ooze testosterone from their very pores… …right? There are definitely characteristics that make a western a western, and themes of justice and morality are definitely central to the genre.

However, in the hands of talented authors, good and evil are not clear cut, and the concept of morality can be murky at best. The setting is most often the historical west, the dialogue sparse, and the most prosaic passages saved for describing the land.

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But beyond these basics, there is wide range of literary talent—as is true with any genre. Allen is a passenger on an ill-fated stagecoach with the infamous Russell. As a white man raised by Apache during his youth, Russell has ties to multiple communities—Caucasian, Native American, and eventually the Mexicans—without ever truly fitting in to any one.

Later, when the coach is ambushed and a fellow rider is partly to blame, the same stranded passengers realize that Russell may be their best chance of surviving. The straight-forward plot ending with a burst of action make Hombre a quick read, but one worth trying. Has Leonard turned me into a Western fan? Mar 22, Laura rated it liked it Recommends it for: But when the stagecoach passengers learn who he is, they want nothing to do with him.

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That is, until outlaws ride down on them and they must rely on Russell to lead them out of the desert. Not so bad but I still prefer his "roman noir" series. Jan 30, Randy rated it it was amazing. Classic novel about a white man raised by Apaches coming to try to live in the world of his people.



He gets caught up in a stage robbery and the rest depend on him for survival, even though they previously didn't even want him in the coach with them. Sep 12, Shirley Schwartz rated it really liked it Shelves: Who knew that the author of dark, comedic crime novels like Get Shorty and Raylan also wrote pretty darn good westerns too. This little book is often sited as one of the top 25 crime novels, and as I've been trying to read some of the books on that list, I read this one.

My love of Lonesome Dove has started this quest. Although this book doesn't have the scope of Lonesome Dove, it has a lot going for it. It's short, but full of action and full of realism. It all begins with the introduction of o Who knew that the author of dark, comedic crime novels like Get Shorty and Raylan also wrote pretty darn good westerns too.

It all begins with the introduction of one of the toughest guys you'll ever see in a western - John Russell. He looks like an Apache, but he has startling blue eyes. Russell had chosen to live with the Apaches for a time when he was young, but he was adopted by a white rancher when he was about The rancher has died and left John his ranch, and the book begins with him trying to get back to claim his inheritance.

He's thrown in with a motley crew of white people as they take a stage to the town closest to the ranch he's heading for. The stage is robbed and the rest of the book is a battle of wills between the robbers and John Russell. As Mendez says at the beginning of the book to his employee Carl - "Take a good look at Russell. You will never see another one like him as long as you live. It's an edge of your seat little western thriller that is packed full of action and human interaction. I was at the end of this before I realized what was bugging me.

I knew what to expect of this for two reasons: One it's by Elmore Leonard who is one of the world's best known writers of thrillers and perhaps to a slightly lesser extent and earlier, of westerns. Many of his books have gone on to be films and he has a huge amount of experience in film and tv writing although he allegedly has a tendency to dislike the adaptations of his work. The second reason I knew what to expect is that, in this case, I've seen the film.

In fact the book was for once to my m I knew what to expect of this for two reasons: In fact the book was for once to my mind an exact reflection of what appeared on the screen. I'm bound to be wrong about this as my memory isn't great but perhaps the perception is more important here anyway. It seemed the same and I read the book seeing Paul Newman's blue eyes where John Russel's similarly described eyes where mentioned.

To anyone who likes well written "classic" westerns, like myself, I would recommend this AND the film. It has all the excitement, action, jeopardy that you could want and is thought provoking to boot. Not perhaps as controversial as its anti-discrimination message might have made it at one time. For me the enigmatic "Hombre", raised by whites and Apaches is one of the classic western heroes perhaps fit to rank alongside Shane, Will Kane, Lyn McAdam and the man with no name. I once enjoyed several of Jack "Shane" Schaeffer's books and if I was aware of more westerns of this calibre I wouldn't certainly be happy to return to the genre.

Aug 27, Gary Baughn rated it it was ok Shelves: I love the late Elmore Leonard's crime fiction, and even though this is one of his early westerns, a genre he dropped quickly, I had already seen the movie they made of this very early Elmore Leonard, with Paul Newman as the title halfbreed, and I wanted to see how much of the later craftsman would show up in this beginning book. First off, there is a somewhat naive character narrating, and Leonard does not do 'naive' convincingly. It comes off as 'stupid. It is a small tortilla that is filled with a mixture whose content may differ from recipe from recipe.

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