The Homesman

By Glendon Swarthout

Book Overview

Soon to be a major film directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones and co-starring Meryl Streep, Hilary Swank, and John Lithgow, this classic Western novel captures the devastating realities of early frontier life through the eyes of one extraordinary woman.

IN PIONEER NEBRASKA, A WOMAN LEADS WHERE NO MAN WILL GO

Soon to be a major motion picture directed by Tommy Lee Jones, The Homesman is a devastating story of early pioneers in 1850s American West. It celebrates the ones we hear nothing of: the brave women whose hearts and minds were broken by a life of bitter hardship. A "homesman" must be found to escort a handful of them back East to a sanitarium. When none of the county's men steps up, the job falls to Mary Bee Cuddy--ex-teacher, spinster, indomitable and resourceful. Brave as she is, Mary Bee knows she cannot succeed alone. The only companion she can find is the low-life claim jumper George Briggs. Thus begins a trek east, against the tide of colonization, against hardship, Indian attacks, ice storms, and loneliness--a timeless classic told in a series of tough, fast-paced adventures.

In an unprecedented sweep, Glendon Swarthout's novel won both the Western Writers of America's Spur Award and the Western Heritage Wrangler Award. A new afterword by the author's son Miles Swarthout tells of his parents Glendon and Kathryn's discovery of and research into the lives of the oft-forgotten frontier women who make The Homesman as moving and believable as it is unforgettable.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1476754268
• ISBN13: 9781476754260
• Release Date: February 2014
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Sleeper of a story

I bought this book at a thrift shop,had no idea what it was. As I began reading I thought I knew where it was going, and almost stopped reading. But it intrigued me, and it fooled me, and after three years it still enters my mind at times. It is a wonderful story of a quiet part of our American history, and illustrates perfectly just how heroic the women of that great western migration were. This should absolutely be made into a movie. And please, no 'Star Power' touch-ups. The book jacket said it was soon to be made into a movie--wonder who passed on that deal?

a different kind of western novel

The forgoten part of the western story, that of women children and families, is portrayed in this very human story. If life was hard for men settling the west, it was even harder for their women. Many reached the limits of their endurance and lost their minds as a result. Small comunities at these times engaged a 'Homesman' to escort the unfortunate women back to the eastern states. Mary Bee Cuddy, school teacher, 'plain as an old tin pail', independent means, is the 'Homesman' for her small community. For help on her jouney she engages a 'lowlife army deserter' she manages to rescue from hanging. The story becomes an multi strand tale of the hardship of the trail and the personal harships of loneliness and isolation. For Mary Bee the issues of her life as a woman overwhelm her with unfortunate outcomes. Not a grand novel, it doesn't have the scope of 'Lonsome Dove' nor is deft and complex like the work of Peter Mattiessen ('Lost Man River', 'Bone by Bone'). Never the less, a well crafted piece of work, very touching and very readable. Worth finding secondhand, probably worth a reprint........why hasn't anyone made it into a film over there?