Winter Grass

By Richard S. Wheeler

Book Overview

During the 1886 Montana drought Harvard educated John Quincy Putnam had Federal Law on his side, and desperate angry neighbors surrounding him. A hard 1887 winter follows, and ranchers pay the price... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345331664
• ISBN13: 9780345331663
• Release Date: April 1986
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Principles v.s. human relationships

IMO this is one of the finest Western novels ever written. Not only is it a gripping story, but it's a subtle philosophical novel as well. The setting is Montana at the transition from open to closed range. The protagonist is a progressive rancher who is attempting to save his cattle from a drought by careful fencing while following the letter of the law regarding open range. He is actively opposed by the other ranchers who see him as a threat. One in particular, an Englishman and his siblings here to prove themselves to their father in England. The rancher is middle aged with a heart condition. He has raised a white girl from infanthood after "buying" her from an Indian tribe. (Her parents had been killed in an Indian raid.) He is trying to protect his project through a female attorney in Bozeman. (She had support from the ranchers in establishing herself.) The plot is two pronged: the ensuing range war and the attempt to adopt the girl legally. (She has a wealthy grandfather back east who is asserting his rights after disowning his daughter because she married "beneath her." The man was an immigrant and a South Slav laborer.) The issues, then, are: progressive change in a way of life opposed by tradition and family rights opposed to emotional ties. (The grandfather is acting more from duty and principle than genuine concern for his granddaughter's well being.) Weather is a central concern here. The time frame covers a summer of drought followed by severe winter blizzards and the ruin of many ranchers. The turning point is a "debate" between two of the characters concerning nature and mental abstraction (principles) while stuck in a stage coach in the blizzard. On the large scale, how best to survive with a way of life in an often hostile natural setting. On the small scale, the struggle between human love and abstract principle. I realize this sounds very heavy. It isn't dealt that way. These conflicts arise organically from the times in which the book is concerned with and in the plot of the story. It's an engrossing and entertaining read and a quick one. The issues are dealt with deftly on a level accessible to anyone. The characters are well rounded and believable. The conflicts are real. The outcome is satisfying.