Nine old hunters warmed their hands as they gathered around their monitors for the second ever Last Thursday virtual Book Club meeting. Two hunters were swept down the river and never regained solid footing, and one skinner left camp early. Our host Dick Jensen reminded us that Butcher's Crossing was the first of three great novels that John Williams wrote. [Stoner (1965) and Augustus (1972) also were award-winning]. As they gathered around the electronic campfire, they told their stories:
Jack: I enjoyed Butcher's Crossing. The story line certainly kept my interest. It was hard not to
pay attention to Miller and hard not to anticipate a tragic end and you all know the Irish in
me loves a tragic ballad. I liked John Williams' writing style--straightforward and very
descriptive. I did not find it an easy read, however, a la Max Evans or Louis L'Amour.
Williams' emphasis on the harshness of life in the west was more akin to Cormac McCarthy,
in my opinion. I would certainly recommend it to my friends who enjoy western fiction. A
Karl: I didn’t really enjoy this book. I didn’t hate it; but I didn’t like it much either.
The problem for me started with the Introduction. It gave away almost the entire story. Unfortunately,
my impression after reading it was that I didn’t want to read the book – exactly the opposite of what it
was probably intended to do.
Though, read it, I did. It annoys me that I didn’t understand Will Andrews at all – not from the
beginning; not during the buffalo hunt ordeal; and certainly not afterwards. What I did find extremely
interesting is the perspective from which the story was told. Technically, it was written in the third
person. However, it was really written from Andrew’s perspective as not a single shred of insight into
the thinking of the other five characters was evidenced and all descriptions of them were from Andrews’
point of view. What was interesting is that even though the story was told from Andrews’ perspective, I
learned very little of his motivations for wanting to participate in a buffalo hunt and what he thought
about the experience during and after it. Unless I missed it, there was precious little regarding the
“coming of age” lessons and insights that the introduction promised that Andrews took away from his
experiences.
I must say that I did like how the characters: Miller, Schneider, and Hoge were drawn and revealed. I
didn’t get much of a feel for McDonald and Francine, but that wasn’t troublesome as their roles were
minor. My impression is that John Williams is a good writer – but that he had flawed judgment in how
he decided to let the reader come to know his protagonist, Will Andrews. Aside from that, his
descriptive skills, pacing, clarity, conversations (limited though they were), and realism were all topnotch. Sadly, they didn’t save the book for me.
I like the title of the book, but after having read it, think that it is inappropriate as very little of the book
takes place in the town of Butcher’s Crossing.
Finally, the senselessness of massive buffalo hunts was deftly highlighted by the huntsmen losing their
entire load and learning of the worthlessness of their remaining cache. But I already knew of the
senselessness of massive buffalo slaughter, so in the end I learned nothing new.
I didn't like the book, but I like how it was structured. I would not recommend it. B-
Ken: I really enjoyed this book. Reminded me of my youth. A-
Tom: I liked this book too. Reminded me of the classic movie The Treasure of the Sierra Madre [1948, Bogart] when the gold ended up floating away on the river. I also thought the term 'hunt' was not applicable - the author showed us how horrific it was B+
Bob Simon: I have mixed feelings. The book captures that span of time well; it also captures the sadness. The sadness of destroying the buffalo and the Indian cultures. The part I loved: they knew how to meet the problems encountered in the wild. They had survival skills. This could be a case study for any Boy Scout. As I think back over the book: Will Andrews and his succumbing in the hardships. He was a Lost Soul in my mind. What I found most interesting: the change of fashion back East from buffalo hides was a big surprise. The Ending was crude: Miller burning the hides was cruel and unjust. A-
Charlie: Grade B. I didn't really care for it. I tired of the description of the geography and the plants. It struck me as not well constructed. The character flaws were evident: Miller needed to kill all the buffalo. The story was too long - things got worse and worse. I did not want something depressing.
Mike: Charlie had confessed to me earlier in the quarantine period that he had difficulty getting into a book, that he would rather recline on the couch and watch a good movie. I had that feeling as well, especially as I staggered into Butcher's Crossing. But I fashioned some mental snowshoes and trudged on, and as I made progress, I enjoyed the telling of this clash of macho personalities more and more. I learned you had best listen to Miller - however, one of three big surprises to me: Schneider survived the blizzard snowfall on his own.
Like Prof. Genoni, I couldn't help but picture this as a movie. I wanted to cast The Duke as Miller - not the young John Wayne, but the Rooster Cogburn edition. Maybe Gene Hackman as Schneider - as Tom says, he was practical, his arguments made sense from a "let's make sure we survive" view.
We didn't talk about it, but there was a strong environmental message throughout, climaxing with the author's writing at the end. Unlike Karl, I did learn something new: give me a horse and a couple of sharp knives, and I'll show you how to skin a buffalo. A
Bob W: I learned quite a lot from this book. A number of technical details were clarified in the text without being pedantic. I
assume that the remarks about
The Sharps Rifle are accurate. Also, the next time I have to actually skin a bison I will be spared the embarrassment of
starting on the wrong end.
The style of narration was excellent and well suited to the subject. I would give this one an A minus.
Rob E: Sorry I didn't join in on Bob Simon's connection. I heard the discussion, though, through Karl's connection with my phone.
I liked the book and was most impressed by how much detail the author got into the story. It read like he could have observed a Buffalo hunt in Colorado. He created all that imagery out of his head! Thus, A from me.
I'll need some help zooming next month's book discussion. Tom is our Mr. Nabokov. He can probably provide a lot of background, etc.
Dick J: I like this book. I'll give it an A. I have (finally) 7:30 am surgery - send some good vibrations toward Central and I-25.
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