Call number
FIC FER
Collection
Genres
Publication
The Book League of America (1930), Edition: Unknown, 388 pages
Description
Epic western about the Cravat family settling the Oklahoma prairie. Yancy Cravat is a newspaperman and lawyer who helps found the town of Osage. An adventurer, he finds town-life stifling and seeks his thrills even further into the frontier. His wife ends up becoming a town leader when his absences leave her no other choice.
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member Goodwillbooks
Grand, sweeping novel, originally published in 1929, about the settlement of Oklahoma, told from the vantage of Sabra Cravat, a proud, steely woman from Kansas, but whose roots go deeper. She moves with her husband and son to the town of Osage - a town of mostly tents, having been settled roughly
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one month before. Yancey Cravat, her husband, wishes to set up his law practice and a newpaper in the town. He does, but his wild undisciplined ways are no way to run these businesses. It falls to Sabra to keep the paper running, especially during Yancey's several unexplained multiyear absences. Through it all, we watch the growth of Osage, and the Cravats' newspaper, their family (now a son and daughter) and finally, the impact of the discovery of oil in Oklahoma. Poor Sabra tries to keep it together through her husband's absences, her son's marriage to an inscrutable Indian princess, and her daughter's conversion to calculating golddigger and marriage to the town's wealthiest new oil millionnaire. The book is well-written, exciting, and involving, and the characters colorful, if not always admirable. Good read. Show Less
LibraryThing member jburlinson
I liked the land rush episode. It occurs early in the book. What follows is as effective as Lunestra, but with a much lower incidence of viral infection, dry mouth, dizziness, hallucinations, infection, rash, and unpleasant taste; although I did experience the latter, to be honest.
LibraryThing member jon1lambert
I love these glitzy American laminated covers - so much more exciting than their UK counterparts. Here a moustachioed cowboy type holds the hand of a gal, his gun in his left hand pointing to the sky, all on a yellowy orange background.
LibraryThing member TheGalaxyGirl
I did not finish this novel, after getting about halfway through, so it is possible some of my objections were resolved by the end. I'm not giving it any stars for that reason.
The challenge of reading old novels is that the attitudes embedded in the text, while probably an accurate reflection of
I appreciated the skill which Ferber drew the character of Sabra, who begins as a sheltered Southern belle and must rise the the many challenges she faces as a new settler in the Oklahoma territory. Her husband, Yancey, although embodying many of the heroic masculine qualities valued at that time (including a very unfashionable sympathy toward the Native Americans), lacks staying power, and it is up to Sabra to keep their life and family on the rails.
What bothered me most about the novel was the embedded racism toward African Americans, especially in the portrayal of Isaiah, a black boy who accompanies the Cravat family on their journey. It's a given that Sabra is going to be racist because of her heritage, so, although a flaw, it is an understandable part of her character. Ferber takes care to balance Sabra's attitudes toward Indians with Yancey's opposing views, but no such balance is struck regarding blacks.
Ferber's portrayal of Isaiah is almost cartoonish. Although emancipated, he seems content, even happy, to remain a slavish servant. Ferber goes so far as to state his value to the family, how important he is to the newspaper business and the smooth functioning of the family as he serves as laborer, babysitter, messenger, and news-gatherer. Sabra is said to love Isaiah, she trusts him implicitly, and yet he sleeps in a kennel in the yard like a dog and wears cast-off clothing, while the Cravats dress in finery. He is mistreated by the cowboys in town as they shoot at his feet to make him dance, and this episode is treated as comedic by Ferber, rather than traumatic. Ferber also compares Isaiah to a dog, or a monkey, or a child (which he is, but the other children in the novel are not denigrated by being described as such). Ferber never acknowledges that this child is an actual person who is subjected to nearly constant trauma -- at least, not in the portion of the novel that I read.
So although there were things to like about the novel, the glaring omission of Isaiah's humanity bothered me enough that I eventually decided to stop reading.
The challenge of reading old novels is that the attitudes embedded in the text, while probably an accurate reflection of
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the feelings current at the time, can be hard to swallow. Usually I can gloss over the things which might be found to be offensive today, but not always. That was the case with Cimarron. I appreciated the skill which Ferber drew the character of Sabra, who begins as a sheltered Southern belle and must rise the the many challenges she faces as a new settler in the Oklahoma territory. Her husband, Yancey, although embodying many of the heroic masculine qualities valued at that time (including a very unfashionable sympathy toward the Native Americans), lacks staying power, and it is up to Sabra to keep their life and family on the rails.
What bothered me most about the novel was the embedded racism toward African Americans, especially in the portrayal of Isaiah, a black boy who accompanies the Cravat family on their journey. It's a given that Sabra is going to be racist because of her heritage, so, although a flaw, it is an understandable part of her character. Ferber takes care to balance Sabra's attitudes toward Indians with Yancey's opposing views, but no such balance is struck regarding blacks.
Ferber's portrayal of Isaiah is almost cartoonish. Although emancipated, he seems content, even happy, to remain a slavish servant. Ferber goes so far as to state his value to the family, how important he is to the newspaper business and the smooth functioning of the family as he serves as laborer, babysitter, messenger, and news-gatherer. Sabra is said to love Isaiah, she trusts him implicitly, and yet he sleeps in a kennel in the yard like a dog and wears cast-off clothing, while the Cravats dress in finery. He is mistreated by the cowboys in town as they shoot at his feet to make him dance, and this episode is treated as comedic by Ferber, rather than traumatic. Ferber also compares Isaiah to a dog, or a monkey, or a child (which he is, but the other children in the novel are not denigrated by being described as such). Ferber never acknowledges that this child is an actual person who is subjected to nearly constant trauma -- at least, not in the portion of the novel that I read.
So although there were things to like about the novel, the glaring omission of Isaiah's humanity bothered me enough that I eventually decided to stop reading.
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LibraryThing member jeffome
I always enjoy Ferber's light, charming descriptive style....and i did with this one as well. But it is a bit of a head-scratcher in that it was a constantly changing struggle as to who was good, and who was not. A very strong female character, Sabra drives the entire book.....and with a somewhat
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strong feminist bent......which i initially thought was the point....but oh my, does she have some unpleasant qualities that kept rearing their ugly heads throughout. And her dashing, adventurous bigger-than-life husband Yancey was always behaving badly........yet......when push came to shove, he often was an unexpected believer and supporter of the underdogs......almost always in conflict with his wife on that......thus, there are 2 main characters that are often hard to like. The story line is fascinating.....the opening up of the Oklahoma Territory and all the struggles that pioneers suffered through starting a town...and a community.....in the middle of desolate dry territory surrounded by Native Americans. There are several hard-to-read brutality moments based in fact....another learning experience. So, ultimately, we cheer Sabra on......she is unstoppable in her pursuits.....i think she ultimately is the hero.....but boy did she make it hard getting there. Be warned there is much bigotry as part of the story....but we also witness the forced dilution of such that comes with forced interactions between different people. I liked the book....but I was often conflicted.... Show Less
Pages
388