Shane

"This book surprised me. I never pegged myself as one who would enjoy a Western read, although I've enjoyed Western movies and have enjoyed books about pioneers and homesteaders and those who settled the frontier during the westward expansion of the US. I found myself drawn to keep reading and thinking on the story more often that I'd expected. I think one thing that made the difference was that the events of the book were seen through the eyes of Bob, an impressionable young man, practically a boy. I saw the strength he admired in Shane, a stranger with so much unknown and the strength he saw in his father and his mother in the face of great adversity. I knew he would grow up solid and strong because of what he witnessed over the course of the novel, and that his whole family was strengthened from the impact Shane had on them.<br/><br/>Not to go into too much detail with the plot, it's enough to say that this book idealizes the value of hard work, honest work, and leadership. At the same time, there is a kind of awe in seeing the strength and skill possessed by Shane. He is a man who knows how to fight (and fight well), when to fight, he becomes one with his horse, and one with his gun. But his real strength shows in that he doesn't rely on his weapon. He leaves his gun in the barn for most of the book. His strength lies in the confidence of this character.<br/><br/>There is a lot unsaid in this book but that is because we are limited to Bob's viewpoint, and he doesn't always understand what is going on or what is being hinted at. At times when I was reading, I really wanted to know the hidden meaning being hinted at, and I felt sheltered, much as Bob did, and I can only imagine at what the author meant by what he wrote."