So Brave, Young, and Handsome

by Leif Enger
Category: "Fiction - Western"
Pages:285
Year of Publication:2008
Date Added:01/06/2021
Date Read:07/22/2025
Notes:Monte Becket wrote one best-selling novel but can't some up with another. He befriends Glendon, a boat builder. Glendon had married a Mexican girl named Blue, but then abandoned her when the police came looking for him — he had been a train robber and had killed a man. Now Glendon wanted to find Blue and apologize, and he wanted Monte to go with him. Monte leaves his wife, Susannah, and his son, Redstart, and takes off. They meet up with a young man named Hood Roberts, buy a car, and head to Oklahoma. Along the way, they realize that famous detective Charles Siringo was following, intent on arresting Glendon. They get caught in a flood. Siringo catches up, but Glendon escapes when an old girlfriend of his shoots Siringo. Siringo forces Monte , by strength of personality, to go with him in pursuit. Meanwhile, Hood has gotten himself in trouble, accidentally killing a man in a fight. Siringo decides to catch Hood first. He eludes capture several times, but Siringo and he finally come face to face in a town. Siringo manaages to kill Hood, but suffers a stroke. Monte leaves and follows Glendon to California where Blue lives with her new husband on a citrus farm. Glendon and Monte help Blue and her husband work the orchard. The husband dies. Monte sends for Susannah and Restart, and they move to California. Blue is hesitant to forgive Glendon, but she does after Siringo shows up once again and Glendon surrenders. Monte and Susannah live on the orchard with Blue, Susannah painting for income and Monte using what he learned from Glendon to build boats. As the book ends, he gets an idea for a new novel.
My Rating: 7

Reviews for So Brave, Young, and Handsome

Review - So Brave, Young, and Handsome

It kept me reading, and there was a lot about it I liked. The middle stretch, where Monte continually allows Siringo to beat up on him and force him to stick around, was annoying and made Monte a much less likeable character.
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