'Compadres' for western lovers
By: K.J. Stimpson
Issue date: 12/2/08 Section: Entertainment
The sunsets on two cowboys riding off into the distance, a familiar plot for anyone who has read a western novel or two, and Paul Pumpian's "Compadres: A Cowboy Story" follows a happy medium between typical western and historical documentation following the lives of two men during the frontier days.
Pumpian's story follows the characters Jeff Price and Will Denton, who grow up and form a bond as they live as cowboys.
The word Pumpian uses frequently in his story of Price and Denton is compadres. A word, explained as the story develops, which describes the friendship between Price and Denton as they face adventures in running cattle across the frontier to finding fortune in gold.
The author describes many vivid images in his novel, utilizing flowery language to depict what today we would very commonly describe as a whorehouse. "In an affluent area of suburban Lexington, there stood a palace of masculine gratification," Pumpian writes in his novel.
Now, I'm not knocking Pumpian or his novel, it was an enjoyable read. Yet my tastes seldom defer to western stories.
Even still Pumpian does the western genre justice, taking us away from the typical shoot 'em up John Wayne styled western to a western focusing on friendship and trust between cowboys.
"Down here in Southwest Texas we use a lot of them Spanish words. If you got a friend, he's your 'migo. But the best friend you got in the whole wide world, is your compadre," Pumpian's character Denton says in his novel.
Pumpian does well in creating sequences of action, and shows a firm knowledge of history during the frontier days. His style of description is that of J.R.R. Tolkien meets Louis L'Amour, but he brings a rustic sweetness to steer you away from what you usually read in a western novel.
If you would like to read a good western, with great attention to detail, occasional action, and a good story on what true friendship is, I would recommend "Compadres: A Cowboy Story" by Paul Pumpian. I give it four out of five stars.
Pumpian's story follows the characters Jeff Price and Will Denton, who grow up and form a bond as they live as cowboys.
The word Pumpian uses frequently in his story of Price and Denton is compadres. A word, explained as the story develops, which describes the friendship between Price and Denton as they face adventures in running cattle across the frontier to finding fortune in gold.
The author describes many vivid images in his novel, utilizing flowery language to depict what today we would very commonly describe as a whorehouse. "In an affluent area of suburban Lexington, there stood a palace of masculine gratification," Pumpian writes in his novel.
Now, I'm not knocking Pumpian or his novel, it was an enjoyable read. Yet my tastes seldom defer to western stories.
Even still Pumpian does the western genre justice, taking us away from the typical shoot 'em up John Wayne styled western to a western focusing on friendship and trust between cowboys.
"Down here in Southwest Texas we use a lot of them Spanish words. If you got a friend, he's your 'migo. But the best friend you got in the whole wide world, is your compadre," Pumpian's character Denton says in his novel.
Pumpian does well in creating sequences of action, and shows a firm knowledge of history during the frontier days. His style of description is that of J.R.R. Tolkien meets Louis L'Amour, but he brings a rustic sweetness to steer you away from what you usually read in a western novel.
If you would like to read a good western, with great attention to detail, occasional action, and a good story on what true friendship is, I would recommend "Compadres: A Cowboy Story" by Paul Pumpian. I give it four out of five stars.