Shane | 
| Author: Jack Schaefer
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
Category: Book
List Price: $6.50
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Avg. Customer Rating:  100 reviews
Sales Rank: 146806
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 160
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.5
ISBN: 0553271105
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780553271102
ASIN: 0553271105
Publication Date: September 1, 1983
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
He rode into our valley in the summer of ’89, a slim man, dressed in black. “Call me Shane,” he said. He never told us more.
There was a deadly calm in the valley that summer, a slow, climbing tension that seemed to focus on Shane.
“There’s something about him,” Mother said. “Something . . . dangerous . . .”
“He’s dangerous all right,” Father said, “but not to us.”
“He’s like one of these here slow burning fuses,” the mule skinner said.
“Quiet . . . so quiet you forget it’s burning till it sets off a hell of a blow of trouble. And there’s trouble brewing.”
Jack Schaefer is best known for this timeless classic.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 95 more reviews...
 I took me 30 years to finish this book August 20, 2008
I just recently finished 149 page book that you could say has taken me 30 years to finish and is considered by many to be the best Western novel of all time, Shane by Jack Schaefer.
Shane was actually the first book I'd ever read that had no illustrations. I can't remember why, but one time in 5th grade, a few us had to stay in upper-grade classroom, and with nothing better for us to do, the teacher had us grab a book off the shelf to read. So basically I read the first few chapters and those first few chapters have always stuck with me and I always meant to go back and finish. It's weird how these things work -out sometimes, but I finally did. All I can say is; what the heck took me so long! For its size, Shane is one of the most well written and emotionally impacting books I've ever read.
Mr. Schaefer's skill at projecting emotion and his ability to just "imply" what's going-on with out actually telling the reader is nothing short of amazing. Many mysteries are teasingly never solved in the story but the conclusion still has no less of an impact.
Shane should be considered a modern classic. It's a must read for fans of Western fiction, a great first Western for any new-comers, and should definitely be on the list for literary scholars.
Less of a Western more of a Coming-of-age story July 23, 2008
Unlike most students, when I read this novella in 8th grade I actually liked it. We were required to read a book in a genre we ordinarily avoided. I chose the western genre, which to this day I dislike.
I believe the success and failure in popularity of Shane is due to breaking of genre lines. The description of this novella sounds like the archetypal Western. You have a lone gunman, a battle that can't be avoided and the inevitable showdown. Yet Shane refuses to fit the Western mold.
The action sequences are few and most of the written word is devoted to description of the relatively few characters involved. Even when action occurs, it isn't described in scintillating, pulpy detail.
Partly this is a result of the author's chosen protagonist. This novella is less of a Western and more a coming-of-age story. We see the events unfold through the fuzzy and at times myopic lens of a young boy. Shane is a vehicle used to challenge Bob's understanding of right/wrong, and the makings of a "good" man.
Readers have complained that Shane's past is never fully explained. There are many reasons for this. It isn't necessary in the development of the plot concerning Fletcher. It also isn't necessary for the plot concerning Bob's psychological journey into young adulthood. Most importantly though, is the fact that anything Schaefer might have written would pale in comparison to our own imaginations. Most of Shane's impact comes from his mysterious past. Illuminating it would decrease his affect on the reader.
Shane remains one of my favorite books today. I encourage young people to give it a try with the above caveats in mind. This isn't a mindless adventure. Shane requires a lot of effort on the part of the reader. In particular the infamous "stump" scene comes to mind. I've read a number of different analyses of that scene and my own is slightly different still. That is part of the wonder, the joy, and yes the frustration of reading Shane.
If you have a soul you'll love it! September 16, 2007
My high school English teacher, Father Dwyer, assigned us this book in the Fall of '80. I wasn't really up for it since I never particularly liked westerns, but I liked Father Dwyer so I decided to read it. Boy was I glad I did. It's a short novel that can be read in a single sitting, but once it's over you'll wish there were more. If you're a guy you'll easily be able to identify with each of the male characters(Joe, Shane and Bob). Don't miss this book.
True American Literature August 12, 2007
Every western since this book was published (1950's) has tried to capture is power. None have succeeded.
A Timeless Tale of the Old West - and a book Young Americans Should Read January 31, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Shane is the classic tale of the Old West fading away through the eyes of Bobby, a young boy, whose family is trying to homestead range land in (presumably) Wyoming. Based loosely on the Johnson County Wars of the early 1890s, the tale centers on the heroic gunfighter Shane, a man who is trying to escape his past by settling down with the homesteaders, and working alongside Bobby's parents.
Unfortunately, the Ranch barons, seeing their ranges fenced in and their way of life coming to a close, refuse to compromise and seek violence against the families. One of them is coldly shot down by the notorious gunfighter Jack Wilson, and Shane is forced, very much against his will, to return to a way of life that he sought so desperately to leave.
In the end, Shane, wounded, and knowing he could never settle down, rides off - the metaphor being the Old West is dying, and so is Shane, though no one ever knows for sure, as his figure portrayed in the classic book and through the eyes of the late Alan Ladd remains immortal - to the Starrets and to us readers. The last scenes of the movie remain very sad -and very timeless. This was a movie - unlike the pablum and nonsense churned out by Hollyweird these days.
I echo the comments of James Drury, this is a book that young readers should want to read, as it is solid literature. And finally a personal note: Even though he was the "bad" guy Wilson in the movie, I want to pay my respects to a nice man and fellow Pennsylvanian who I had the honor of meeting before his passing, Jack Palance. RIP, Mr. Palance, and God Bless.
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