Ten Tough Trips: Montana Writers and the West

By William Bevis

'There is something special about the land, as anyone with a whole car and half a heart can see, ' writes William Bevis in the introduction to Ten Tough Trips. The land is the Inland West, particularly Montana, and the trips are literary journeys made by ten writers ranging from James Fenimore Cooper to James Welch. In a series of lucid and witty essays, Bevis uses their works to explore the conflict between the mythic West of European yearnings--a natural paradise free of all civilized constraints--and the real complications and austerities of Montana.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0295969415
• ISBN13: 9780295969411
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

informative analysis of america's fascination with the West

Bevis clearly presents both his own expertise on Western (specifically Montana-based) literature and the theories of the writers he presents. Reading this book will remind you of all the wonderful aspects of the books he analyzes and make you yearn to read those you haven't yet. Bevis is certain to present multiple opinions on a work, while still admitting his own preferences in a lyrical, charming fashion that surprisingly never seems to undermine his critical thoughts. The analysis of A River Runs Through It, one of my personal favorites, is refreshingly honest in its attack, even while the author unabashedly displays his own love of the work.