LCC
PS3566.R697 B76
Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
New York : Scribner, 2005.
Description
Annie Proulx has written some of the most original and brilliant short stories in contemporary literature, and for many readers and reviewers, "Brokeback Mountain" is her masterpiece. Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist, two ranch hands, come together when they're working as sheepherder and camp tender one summer on a range above the tree line. At first, sharing an isolated tent, the attraction is casual, inevitable, but something deeper catches them that summer. Both men work hard, marry, and have kids because that's what cowboys do. But over the course of many years and frequent separations this relationship becomes the most important thing in their lives, and they do anything they can to preserve it. The New Yorker won the National Magazine Award for Fiction for its publication of "Brokeback Mountain," and the story was included in Prize Stories 1998: The O. Henry Awards. In gorgeous and haunting prose, Proulx limns the difficult, dangerous affair between two cowboys that survives everything but the world's violent intolerance.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member brokenangelkisses
I’ve always wanted to see the film based on this novel, since everyone raved about it when it was released, but put it off until I had read the book. This wasn’t a pressing desire, more a kind of ‘add to the mental To Be Read pile’ notion. In fact, I may have continued to vaguely intend to
First impressions
I was instantly struck by the slimness of the volume: I’d had no idea that this was a short story. In fact, as this story has a mere 58 small pages of approximately size 14 font, I had time to read a good 16th of it while I waited for the librarian to hunt out the other book I had reserved! If I’d gone to have a coffee, this book probably wouldn’t have made it home unread. Now, while this didn’t exactly put me off, I did wonder whether or not I would enjoy reading it: I’m quite a fan of detailed, winding stories and text. In fact, Charles Dickens is my favourite writer, so next to ‘Hard Times’ or ‘Bleak House’ this looked a little insubstantial!
After reading the blurb, I was even more nervous about the degree of reading enjoyment this book could provide. Lonely cowboys? Harsh environment? Danger? It sounded to me quite a bit like ‘Of Mice and Men’, which I love, and I wondered if this would be like my recent ‘Twilight’ experience (verdict: not a patch on ‘Interview with a Vampire’).
However, to balance out these concerns – it was 58 pages. And I’d read four of them. Given that, there was no reason to ignore the rest.
The plot
‘Brokeback Mountain’ follows the hard, lonely lives of Jack Twist and Ennis del Mar in Wyoming ‘thirty years ago’. They meet young and enjoy each other’s company, quickly developing a relationship that jolts into an intense physical affair. As the years pass, they meet infrequently but the passion simmers, ferocious and unabated. Will they ever be able to admit their feelings – even to each other? Can a story set in such harsh terrain have a happy ending?
My thoughts
Initially I found the pace moved so quickly and the prose was so slight that I couldn’t really differentiate between the characters. Even after the characters were first physically intimate, I had to go back and reread most of the first few pages to develop a sense of which was which and how they differed. Once I had finally pinned them down, they sustained clearly distinct personalities for the remainder of the story, always acting ‘in character’.
Despite the brevity of her prose, Proulx does manage to convey a sense of life when summing up the responses of her characters through telling details. Ennis’ concern with appearances is revealed when ‘he wanted to be a sophomore, felt the word carried a certain distinction’. The unlikelihood of him realising his dreams is also succinctly described: ‘both Jack and Ennis claimed to be saving money for a small spread; in Ennis’s case this meant a tobacco can with two five-dollar bills inside’. Once I had adapted to this concise style, I enjoyed the slower reading pace this encouraged. I felt that I needed to really let the details of their lives sink in, much as Proulx herself had to do in order to write these characters and their lives.
The action is spread over twenty odd years so there are some jumps in time but usually the gaps are smoothed over by narrative that briskly fills in the key information. There are very few moments developed in detail which has the effect of heightening those that are developed. At these points, Proulx relies on dialogue to express and simultaneously avoid expressing her character’s true feelings. The tension between Twist and del Mar is emphasised through the forceful vocabulary they use and the silences that pepper these conversations, creating an engaging tale for the reader.
Proulx is as concise with her use of events as she is with her use of dialogue. I found the casual references to violence quite shocking, but del Mar’s easy acceptance of violence he has witnessed as a child both reveals the attitudes of his culture and creates a sense of (justified) foreboding. Without ever seeming to ‘push’ the issue of homosexuality, Proulx creates a tender and frustrating tale that forced me to genuinely contemplate the lives these fictional men endured. For me, that made this a successful read.
Conclusion
I think in a lot of ways this story might be classified as a ‘slow burner’. It took me at least a third of the story to adapt to the style, but once I did so I read with increasing engagement. I hesitate to use the word ‘enjoyment’ because this is a serious story, concentrating on a life-changing relationship.
Finally, I have to say that this story made a genuine impact on me. Del Mar concludes, ‘if you can’t fix it, you’ve got to stand it’. My instant response was: I want to fix it! This was followed by a more reasoned deliberation, and I’m still thinking about the issues raised by this book over a week after I finished reading it.
Highly recommended.
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read it for many more years if it hadn’t been this month’s book group choice.First impressions
I was instantly struck by the slimness of the volume: I’d had no idea that this was a short story. In fact, as this story has a mere 58 small pages of approximately size 14 font, I had time to read a good 16th of it while I waited for the librarian to hunt out the other book I had reserved! If I’d gone to have a coffee, this book probably wouldn’t have made it home unread. Now, while this didn’t exactly put me off, I did wonder whether or not I would enjoy reading it: I’m quite a fan of detailed, winding stories and text. In fact, Charles Dickens is my favourite writer, so next to ‘Hard Times’ or ‘Bleak House’ this looked a little insubstantial!
After reading the blurb, I was even more nervous about the degree of reading enjoyment this book could provide. Lonely cowboys? Harsh environment? Danger? It sounded to me quite a bit like ‘Of Mice and Men’, which I love, and I wondered if this would be like my recent ‘Twilight’ experience (verdict: not a patch on ‘Interview with a Vampire’).
However, to balance out these concerns – it was 58 pages. And I’d read four of them. Given that, there was no reason to ignore the rest.
The plot
‘Brokeback Mountain’ follows the hard, lonely lives of Jack Twist and Ennis del Mar in Wyoming ‘thirty years ago’. They meet young and enjoy each other’s company, quickly developing a relationship that jolts into an intense physical affair. As the years pass, they meet infrequently but the passion simmers, ferocious and unabated. Will they ever be able to admit their feelings – even to each other? Can a story set in such harsh terrain have a happy ending?
My thoughts
Initially I found the pace moved so quickly and the prose was so slight that I couldn’t really differentiate between the characters. Even after the characters were first physically intimate, I had to go back and reread most of the first few pages to develop a sense of which was which and how they differed. Once I had finally pinned them down, they sustained clearly distinct personalities for the remainder of the story, always acting ‘in character’.
Despite the brevity of her prose, Proulx does manage to convey a sense of life when summing up the responses of her characters through telling details. Ennis’ concern with appearances is revealed when ‘he wanted to be a sophomore, felt the word carried a certain distinction’. The unlikelihood of him realising his dreams is also succinctly described: ‘both Jack and Ennis claimed to be saving money for a small spread; in Ennis’s case this meant a tobacco can with two five-dollar bills inside’. Once I had adapted to this concise style, I enjoyed the slower reading pace this encouraged. I felt that I needed to really let the details of their lives sink in, much as Proulx herself had to do in order to write these characters and their lives.
The action is spread over twenty odd years so there are some jumps in time but usually the gaps are smoothed over by narrative that briskly fills in the key information. There are very few moments developed in detail which has the effect of heightening those that are developed. At these points, Proulx relies on dialogue to express and simultaneously avoid expressing her character’s true feelings. The tension between Twist and del Mar is emphasised through the forceful vocabulary they use and the silences that pepper these conversations, creating an engaging tale for the reader.
Proulx is as concise with her use of events as she is with her use of dialogue. I found the casual references to violence quite shocking, but del Mar’s easy acceptance of violence he has witnessed as a child both reveals the attitudes of his culture and creates a sense of (justified) foreboding. Without ever seeming to ‘push’ the issue of homosexuality, Proulx creates a tender and frustrating tale that forced me to genuinely contemplate the lives these fictional men endured. For me, that made this a successful read.
Conclusion
I think in a lot of ways this story might be classified as a ‘slow burner’. It took me at least a third of the story to adapt to the style, but once I did so I read with increasing engagement. I hesitate to use the word ‘enjoyment’ because this is a serious story, concentrating on a life-changing relationship.
Finally, I have to say that this story made a genuine impact on me. Del Mar concludes, ‘if you can’t fix it, you’ve got to stand it’. My instant response was: I want to fix it! This was followed by a more reasoned deliberation, and I’m still thinking about the issues raised by this book over a week after I finished reading it.
Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member Crazymamie
"There was some open space between what he knew and what he tried to believe, but nothing could be done about it, and if you can't fix it you've got to stand it."
Can I just say, "Wow!" This short story packs a powerful punch. It's heartbreaking. It breaks it and then it rips it out and throws it on
If you haven't already done so, I beg you to read this story which is short but not small.
"...Ennis was back on his feet and somehow, as a coat hanger is straightened to open a locked car and then bent again to its original shape, they torqued things almost to where they had been, for what they'd said was no news. Nothing ended, nothing begun, nothing resolved."
Can I just say, "Wow!" This short story packs a powerful punch. It's heartbreaking. It breaks it and then it rips it out and throws it on
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the ground and stomps on it a bit, and yet still you think, "Thank you Annie Proulx." Because she makes you think about life in a way that stops your heart for a beat. Or two. It feels like holding your breath for just one moment too long. So much revealed and yet left unsaid in such a short story. Life is like that. We are shaped by our choices and defined as much by what we don't say as what we do. If you haven't already done so, I beg you to read this story which is short but not small.
"...Ennis was back on his feet and somehow, as a coat hanger is straightened to open a locked car and then bent again to its original shape, they torqued things almost to where they had been, for what they'd said was no news. Nothing ended, nothing begun, nothing resolved."
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LibraryThing member Hengyi
This is a great book about love.It is very different bewteen this book and the others. because this book describes two guys' love. I am extremely like its plot. I have some new minds about the love when I have read it. some people said that the end of this book was too sad. but, in my opinion, it
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is not sad for me. it is very important that they love each other! So, love is to need courage. Show Less
LibraryThing member varwenea
I read this little book in the same evening that I brought it home in one sitting, never got up. It’s short, gripping, descriptive, poignant, heartfelt, simple, tragic, lovely, moving, and shakes you up a bit. To be fair, I’m a huge fan of the movie too. The book and the movie do justice to
Jack and Ennis, two men who met as sheep herders for a summer, never identified themselves as gay and don’t know how to label themselves either. “I’m not no queer,” and “Me neither. A one-shot thing. Nobody’s business but ours.” Their love and bond for each other was un-quit-able. (See quote below.) In a mere 53 pages of printed text, Ms. Proulx very powerfully convinces the reader of their eternally attachment in their 20 years of long distance relationship and beyond. Along their journey, also enjoy the author’s simple, yet beautiful and crisp descriptions: lavender sky emptied of color, copper jean rivets hot, etc.
Some quotes:
Made famous by the movie is the last sentence of this quote.
“Try this one,” said Jack, “and I’ll say it just one time. Tell you what, we could a had a good life together, a fuckin real good life. You wouldn’t do it, Ennis, so what we got now is Brokeback Mountain. Everthing built on that. It’s all we got, boy, fuckin all, so I hope you know that if you don’t never know the rest. Count the damn few times we been together in twenty years. Measure the fuckin short leash you keep me on, then ask me about Mexico and then tell me you’ll kill me for needin it and not hardly never gettin it. You got no fuckin idea how bad it gets. I’m not you. I can’t make it on a couple a high-altitude fucks once or twice a year. You’re too much for me, Ennis, you son of a whoreson bitch. I wish I knew how to quit you.”
This scene in the movie hit me like a ton of bricks, relating to the shirt Ennis found in the now deceased Jack’s closet still with the blood from their fight. The book does too:
“The shirt seemed heavy until he saw there was another shirt inside it, the sleeves carefully worked down inside Jack’s sleeves. It was his own plaid shirt, lost, he’d thought, long ago in some damn laundry, his dirty shirt, the pocket ripped, buttons missing, stolen by Jack and hidden here inside Jack’s own shirt, the pair like two skins, one inside the other, two in one. He pressed his face into the fabric and breathed in slowly through his mouth and nose, hoping for the faintest smoke and mountain sage and salty sweet stink of Jack but there was no real scent, only the memory of it, the imagined power of Brokeback Mountain of which nothing was left but what he held in his hands.”
The final sentence of the book – that summarizes their situation:
“… if you can’t fix it you’ve got to stand it.”
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each other.Jack and Ennis, two men who met as sheep herders for a summer, never identified themselves as gay and don’t know how to label themselves either. “I’m not no queer,” and “Me neither. A one-shot thing. Nobody’s business but ours.” Their love and bond for each other was un-quit-able. (See quote below.) In a mere 53 pages of printed text, Ms. Proulx very powerfully convinces the reader of their eternally attachment in their 20 years of long distance relationship and beyond. Along their journey, also enjoy the author’s simple, yet beautiful and crisp descriptions: lavender sky emptied of color, copper jean rivets hot, etc.
Some quotes:
Made famous by the movie is the last sentence of this quote.
“Try this one,” said Jack, “and I’ll say it just one time. Tell you what, we could a had a good life together, a fuckin real good life. You wouldn’t do it, Ennis, so what we got now is Brokeback Mountain. Everthing built on that. It’s all we got, boy, fuckin all, so I hope you know that if you don’t never know the rest. Count the damn few times we been together in twenty years. Measure the fuckin short leash you keep me on, then ask me about Mexico and then tell me you’ll kill me for needin it and not hardly never gettin it. You got no fuckin idea how bad it gets. I’m not you. I can’t make it on a couple a high-altitude fucks once or twice a year. You’re too much for me, Ennis, you son of a whoreson bitch. I wish I knew how to quit you.”
This scene in the movie hit me like a ton of bricks, relating to the shirt Ennis found in the now deceased Jack’s closet still with the blood from their fight. The book does too:
“The shirt seemed heavy until he saw there was another shirt inside it, the sleeves carefully worked down inside Jack’s sleeves. It was his own plaid shirt, lost, he’d thought, long ago in some damn laundry, his dirty shirt, the pocket ripped, buttons missing, stolen by Jack and hidden here inside Jack’s own shirt, the pair like two skins, one inside the other, two in one. He pressed his face into the fabric and breathed in slowly through his mouth and nose, hoping for the faintest smoke and mountain sage and salty sweet stink of Jack but there was no real scent, only the memory of it, the imagined power of Brokeback Mountain of which nothing was left but what he held in his hands.”
The final sentence of the book – that summarizes their situation:
“… if you can’t fix it you’ve got to stand it.”
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LibraryThing member technodiabla
That book was disappointing since I love the movie so much. It reads like a concept for a screen play. The writing style and dialog is just awkward. Even though it only took a few hours to read I felt it was a waste of time.
LibraryThing member wordygirl39
This is my favorite short story ever. Proulx always delivers a good narrative, but this tale ripped me into. The movie was such a gorgeous rendering of an already powerful tale, and I know that's partly because Proulx helped write the screenplay. I recommend both.
LibraryThing member DaveCullen
The best story I've ever seen about the experience of gay men in America, written by a straight women. Who would have figured. But it's extraordinary.
Great film, too.
Great film, too.
LibraryThing member shireling
I guess I'm not the only one that saw the movie before I read the novella-
but this is a rare thing: I liked both equally much.
Heartwrenching, beautiful!!
My thanks to both Ms. Proulx and Mr. Lee!!
but this is a rare thing: I liked both equally much.
Heartwrenching, beautiful!!
My thanks to both Ms. Proulx and Mr. Lee!!
LibraryThing member ysmng
Short Story/ novella. Better than the movie in shorter time. The essence of the love that existed is the only driving force in the novella.
LibraryThing member silentq
I've been on a tear reading the books on which movies that I've seen recently have been based. This one is a short story that was adapted very faithfully, telling Jack and Ennis's story from when they meet on Brokeback Mt to the heartbreaking conclusion. The movie tugged harder on my heartstrings,
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as it had the time to linger over the tender scenes between the two, and there's not much more in the book than was shown. Overall, a quick enjoyable read. Show Less
LibraryThing member judithann
Don't buy this book! Yes, I gave it 4 stars for the story, but the book itself (this edition) is 50-ish pages long and costs as much as any other book. I ordered it online and was disappointed by the size vs cost.
The story is interesting, but having seen the film, the book seems like a summary of
If you haven't seen the film, why not buy the Proulx short-story book from which the Brokeback story was taken? I can't remember the title. Proulx stories are always interesting so go for it!
The story is interesting, but having seen the film, the book seems like a summary of
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the film. Nice if you forgot how the story went and don't have time to see the whole film :-) If you haven't seen the film, why not buy the Proulx short-story book from which the Brokeback story was taken? I can't remember the title. Proulx stories are always interesting so go for it!
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LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin
This is a beautifully written tale of two young men, Ennis and Jack, who develop an abiding (although unnamed) love for one another over the years. Fearing retribution from ignorant and intolerant neighbors, the two men end up marrying women and starting families in different states. However, they
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continue to see each other for “fishing trips” over the years. Plot wise, not a huge amount happens. Rather, the story is atmospheric, and Proulx manages to pack a heavy punch with nearly every word she writes. Despite the slimness of this volume, both men are richly characterized with differing personalities and back stories adding to their full realizations. Buyer beware on two points though: there is some sexually explicit language and, as might be expected, this is a bit of a depressing story. Show Less
LibraryThing member Chuck37
I am so glad I read this before I saw the movie. It really makes you question love and sexuality, and the lack of boundaries of both. The heartbreaking ending alone makes it a masterpiece.
LibraryThing member johnbakeronline
I read Annie Proulx's novella, Brokeback Mountain. All fifty-eight pages of it. I know the film version has had great reviews but I think I'll give it a miss. The book was too good. Muscular prose so carefully crafted you can almost smell the two cowboys, their horses and stock, their vehicles and
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their passion. Must be a landmark fiction, and film - if it is true to the novel - deconstructing, as it does, the West that gave us the myths of John Wayne and the Marlboro Man, leaving in its wake a couple of country gays in a cold and hostile landscape. Show Less
LibraryThing member aleahmarie
Brokeback Mountain recounts the love of Jack Twist and Ennis del Mar, a couple of "high school dropout country boys brought up with no prospects." Both are looking for work wherever it can be found. During the summer of 1963 the work brings them together on the summer range of Brokeback Mountain.
Again I'm mesmerized by Annie Proulx. She tells a story exactly the way I want it to be told and then adds a little something extra. Brokeback Mountain is, of course, heart breaking -- but not gratuitously so. It's a quick read (originally published in a book of short stories) and I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't read any Proulx yet. Have a tissue handy.
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What begins as a casual relationship evolves into the most important thing in both men's lives, but the strength of their feelings for one another isn't enough to protect against the dark shadow of intolerance.Again I'm mesmerized by Annie Proulx. She tells a story exactly the way I want it to be told and then adds a little something extra. Brokeback Mountain is, of course, heart breaking -- but not gratuitously so. It's a quick read (originally published in a book of short stories) and I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't read any Proulx yet. Have a tissue handy.
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LibraryThing member nicola26
This was pretty good! It's a very short story but it doesn't feel like that! Proulx is a very talented writer and manages to pack a whole lot of plot into 54 pages. The characters feel very real and the plot was well though out and told in a precise, clear manner. There really is no need for this
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story to be any longer- it all fits in just fine like this which I think shows a lot of skill on Proulx's behalf. Overall it was a good and memorable book and I'm glad I read it. Show Less
LibraryThing member mrn945
I am a huge fan of the movie version of Ms. Proulx's short story, however there was something quite hauntingly beautiful about reading the story behind the script.
The imagery was amazing - you could easily picture all the events occurring in a sweeping landscape. Of course, it might help that I
More importantly, the love story between these two men is what sticks with you long after you finish reading. Days later, I was still turning some of their conversations over and over in my mind, torn up inside that they could never be in love with one another. There was something about their quick recoil from the label of homosexual that made me terribly sad. They were both so closed up inside that they couldn't even come to terms with their sexual orientation, because admitting it would be detrimental to their social image. What should have been a beautiful love affair become something dirty. The times and their inability to come to terms with their sexual orientation resulted in their life long unhappiness. Nothing upsets me more than that.
If you enjoyed the movie or are interested in a short social commentary, take the time to read this story. I promise it will stay with you long after the last page is turned.
The imagery was amazing - you could easily picture all the events occurring in a sweeping landscape. Of course, it might help that I
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live in the prairies.More importantly, the love story between these two men is what sticks with you long after you finish reading. Days later, I was still turning some of their conversations over and over in my mind, torn up inside that they could never be in love with one another. There was something about their quick recoil from the label of homosexual that made me terribly sad. They were both so closed up inside that they couldn't even come to terms with their sexual orientation, because admitting it would be detrimental to their social image. What should have been a beautiful love affair become something dirty. The times and their inability to come to terms with their sexual orientation resulted in their life long unhappiness. Nothing upsets me more than that.
If you enjoyed the movie or are interested in a short social commentary, take the time to read this story. I promise it will stay with you long after the last page is turned.
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LibraryThing member stefano
This collection of stories turned out to be an unexpected treasure. It turns out that not only the title short story 'Brokeback Mountain' is in many ways better than the movie (which is itself already moving to the extreme) but not even the best story in the collection. Or rather, many of the
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stories in the book have moments that rival if not exceed in beauty those found in the title story. Proulx' prose is a marvel to be studied: the language is economical and taut but at the same time extremely precise (for example in the description of cattle, ranching tools and technologies, vegetation, weather,...) and relentlessly attuned to the experience of life on vast and unsympathetic expanses. Human passions of all sorts are described unsentimentally with a raw, brutal precision that rings true to experience through its complete lack of rhetoric. And then there's the language of the ranchers salted with outrageously funny and/or moving metaphors, often anchored to the sense of sublime that comes from feeling very small in a place that is very, very big. Altogether, an amazingly well written book. The kind you plan to re-read to appreciate more in depth. Show Less
LibraryThing member Smiler69
I listened to the audio version of this short novel, which took me through a walk with my dog and the preparation of a simple dinner—just one hour, but that hour was filled to the brim with emotion and gorgeous prose and imagery so vivid that I'm sure I would have imagined a movie in my head even
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had I not seen the film adaptation already. This story of two young men who let time and circumstance steal by and who never get a chance to fully express their love for one another is incredibly poignant, and speaks to all of us who've experienced loss and missed connections. Great narration by Campbell Scott. Show Less
LibraryThing member TW_Spencer
The best love story of our time.
LibraryThing member HotWolfie
Annie Proulx did an excellent job of capturing the voice of a rough edged loner caught up in a relationship he can't publicly embrace, but still refuses to let go. This was a heartbreaking story about prejudice, homosexuality, and a loving relationship that spans years. The imagery was gorgeous and
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the story was tight and sharp. Show Less
LibraryThing member jshillingford
Many people are familiar with the short or story, or the movie. It is a touching tale told in simple language, without much drama. I highly recommend the story, but do not recommend buying this edition. This is a short story and this mass market is VERY TINY. No way worth a retail price of $9.95!
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Luckily, I got my copy used. If you want the story, I recommend buying one of the author's anthologies that include it. Show Less
LibraryThing member schatzi
This short novella packs a punch. Jack and Ennis, two young ranch hands, meet one summer while herding sheep on Brokeback Mountain. An intense affair develops between them; both insist that they're not "queer," but neither is able to form attachments that rival what they share together. They see
Like I said, the novella is quite short (my copy has 55 pages), but the author doesn't need to fluff up the story. She develops two characters locked in a heartbreaking struggle, and the ending is a gut puncher. Highly recommended.
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each other occasionally, popping in and out of each others' lives, but Ennis is unable to commit to anything more serious than what they already have. Like I said, the novella is quite short (my copy has 55 pages), but the author doesn't need to fluff up the story. She develops two characters locked in a heartbreaking struggle, and the ending is a gut puncher. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member arsmith
well, i finally read the story so long after seeing the film. the dialougue is exact. gives some insight into the film.
LibraryThing member RoxieT
Short, but a well written book.
Awards
Golden Globe Award (Winner — Best Screenplay — 2005)
Language
Original publication date
1997
Physical description
55 p.; 19 inches
ISBN
0743271327 / 9780743271325