Publication
Pan Books (1976), Paperback, 142 pages
Physical description
142 p.; 7.7 inches
ISBN
0330248294 / 9780330248297
Collections
Description
The time is 1902, the setting eastern Oregon. Magic Child, a fifteen-year-old Native American girl, wanders into the wrong whorehouse looking for the right men. She finds Cameron and Greer, two gunmen taking a timeout from the game after an aborted job in Hawaii. Their violent past doesn�??t concern Magic Child. She wants them to kill a monster for her, one she says lives in the ice caves under the basement of Miss Hawkline�??s yellow house, and one she says has killed before.But the more she tells them about the monster, the more her story unravels until it isn�??t clear if the monster is even real, or if anything else is.Richard Brautigan�??s classic surrealist novel has inspired readers for decades with its wild, witty, and bizarre encounters with western-themed… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member jastbrown
I don't care for literary gimmicks of any kind, but as I recall I was halfway through this book before I realized that I was so enthralled that I had failed to notice there were no chapters longer than four pages.. many just one or two. It was a unique book at the time and probably remains so. This
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story is like a good caricature that has relatively few lines.. those lines have to be extremely well drawn for it to be effective. Brautigan drew his lines well! Show Less
LibraryThing member Banoo
When reading Brautigan I just never know what's going to happen and when it happens I'm never sure what it is and sometimes things happen when I'm not reading the book because when I come back to the book it's different and I'm usually hungry.
Greer and Cameron, the man who counts, are wild west
'I count a lot of things that there's no need to count,' Cameron said. 'Just because that's the way I am. But I count all the things that need to be counted.'
A well-crafted book that unfolds like a piece of paper wadded in your pants pocket and washed a few times... I think. Some things may have happened while I was away.
Greer and Cameron, the man who counts, are wild west
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men. They're hired killers. So an Indian girl, Magic Child, hires them to kill a monster and in the process they fornicate a lot, drink tea, bury a dwarf, and set an elephant foot free. Really. This all happens... and more.'I count a lot of things that there's no need to count,' Cameron said. 'Just because that's the way I am. But I count all the things that need to be counted.'
A well-crafted book that unfolds like a piece of paper wadded in your pants pocket and washed a few times... I think. Some things may have happened while I was away.
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LibraryThing member gazzy
Very very Unusual thinly drawn story of girl haunted by thing in a house.
LibraryThing member wirkman
What a gem! Subtitled "A Gothic Western," this odd excursion through absurdity to joy is a grand example of the brilliance of its author, Richard Brautigan.
On the back of one Brautigan novel, some critic states that "in the future, they won't write novels any more, they'll write brautigans."
I wish
But the truth is simple: Richard Brautigan's laconic, whimsical romps through his sunny nighmares have proven unique, and inimitable. It's a pity that his popularity waned, and that he, in bitterness, shot himself. What a sad end to a life. But his fiction remains, clear and winning as ever. And well worth a popular revival.
Forget the hippy context of Brautigan's day; in our day and age, these books haven't aged at all, and "The Hawkline Monster: A Gothic Western," in particular, has proved an enduring joy.
On the back of one Brautigan novel, some critic states that "in the future, they won't write novels any more, they'll write brautigans."
I wish
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that had proved true. But the truth is simple: Richard Brautigan's laconic, whimsical romps through his sunny nighmares have proven unique, and inimitable. It's a pity that his popularity waned, and that he, in bitterness, shot himself. What a sad end to a life. But his fiction remains, clear and winning as ever. And well worth a popular revival.
Forget the hippy context of Brautigan's day; in our day and age, these books haven't aged at all, and "The Hawkline Monster: A Gothic Western," in particular, has proved an enduring joy.
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LibraryThing member readingrat
Bizarre, surreal, and throughly memorable, this is my first Brautigan but will not be my last.
LibraryThing member harpua
Since this was a short one coming in under 200 pages this only took a few nights before bed and a few mornings over the cereal bowl to knock this one out. I must say this was not a book I really enjoyed. The only reason I really kept moving through it was the sheer shortness of it and the speed I
The story itself wasn’t bad, though there was a bit of gratuitous sex that really didn’t add much to the plot. Had the story been written by a better author, it could have potential to be quite a story, however, I just could not get past the writing style. There was little character development and plot turns and twists that seemed to go nowhere for no good reason. Just a strange, strange book.
I know this author has quite a following and judging by some of the reviews on Amazon, it appears that this was considered one of his better books (though perhaps not his most famous) but this is just not my style of story and I while it showed promise, it just wasn’t something that I enjoyed.
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was moving through. The book is written in a very juvenile manner that is really quite annoying, in fact, I would rather have read my sons picture books. The story itself wasn’t bad, though there was a bit of gratuitous sex that really didn’t add much to the plot. Had the story been written by a better author, it could have potential to be quite a story, however, I just could not get past the writing style. There was little character development and plot turns and twists that seemed to go nowhere for no good reason. Just a strange, strange book.
I know this author has quite a following and judging by some of the reviews on Amazon, it appears that this was considered one of his better books (though perhaps not his most famous) but this is just not my style of story and I while it showed promise, it just wasn’t something that I enjoyed.
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LibraryThing member sa54d
You either "get" Brautigan or you do not. I did not think to write a review of Brautigan's "Hawkline Monster" until I read the negative ones. Whether you will love Brautigan's writing you can not predict. Reviews will likely not help you. The somewhat simplistic writing style, Brautigan's
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trademark, barely conceals that his writings add up to so much more than the sum of the characters, plot and situations. Show Less
LibraryThing member JimmyChanga
3 and a half stars. I enjoyed the signature imagination. Some parts were too silly for me, things that seemed like running gags, like the counting Cameron. And other things seemed too random. Not as funny as some of his other books, and maybe less satisfying, but still a good read.
LibraryThing member ragwaine
Not funny, not witty, bad writing, horrible style, original and weird.
LibraryThing member RodV
The story is fairly silly--and I hate it when a book has tossed-off sci-fi elements like a scientist inventing something by throwing a little bit of this and a little bit of that of some unknown and unexplained ingredients and voila, something amazing!--but the ingratiating characters and
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Brautigan's folksy humor and gift for inspired similes saved this from a three-star rating. An enjoyable read. Show Less
LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
'Tis all allegorical, as cowboys go into a cellar looking for...a monster, and emerge through a cave. novels are not RB's best metier.
LibraryThing member hellorain
I loved this book. Read it.
LibraryThing member malcrf
I read a lot of Brautigan in the 80s, and on this re-read I'm now wondering why. It's pleasant and easy to read, and its whimsy is not totally unappealing, but it feels like literary candy-floss. It didn't make me feel anything and it's some way to being forgotten already.
LibraryThing member Auntie-Nanuuq
I read this book in the 70's and I read it again just now, as I was clearing out my bookshelf... Unfortunately it was in excellent condition, but as it aged (unread) it became stiff , the spine cracked, & pages fell out as I read it.
It is 1902, Greer & Cameron are guns for hire and are sitting in a
Both Cameron & Greer have hearts, both are intelligent, soft spoken, and have an empathy within. After Hawaii they go back to San Francisco and go whoring. It is in the brothel that Magic Child (an Indian) finds them, offers them a job, and brings them back to Oregon & Hawkline Manor with her.
Once back at Hawkline, Magic Child turns back into Miss Hawkline, the twin of Miss Hawkline who makes them dinner.
Hawkline Mansion is built over ice caves, there is snow surrounding the mansion, while just yards away the rest of Oregon is dry...
Hawkline Mansion also has a secret, a Monster, one that likes to play games with peoples' minds and flits around watching through light w/ an awkward shadow...
Through careful observation Greer (who counts things) and Cameron realize this is not a monster they can use a gun on, but something more eerily ethereal.
I had forgotten how much I liked the book, but I know I had loaned out my hard copy & when I didn't get it back, I purchased the one I could find.
I honestly believe Richard Brautigan to be vastly underrated, as quirky as Christopher Moore & well ahead of his time.
It is 1902, Greer & Cameron are guns for hire and are sitting in a
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pineapple field in Hawaii stalking their victim... However the man on horseback is teaching his son to ride, and when the man's wife comes out to call them in for dinner, their hearts soften & they leave Hawaii.Both Cameron & Greer have hearts, both are intelligent, soft spoken, and have an empathy within. After Hawaii they go back to San Francisco and go whoring. It is in the brothel that Magic Child (an Indian) finds them, offers them a job, and brings them back to Oregon & Hawkline Manor with her.
Once back at Hawkline, Magic Child turns back into Miss Hawkline, the twin of Miss Hawkline who makes them dinner.
Hawkline Mansion is built over ice caves, there is snow surrounding the mansion, while just yards away the rest of Oregon is dry...
Hawkline Mansion also has a secret, a Monster, one that likes to play games with peoples' minds and flits around watching through light w/ an awkward shadow...
Through careful observation Greer (who counts things) and Cameron realize this is not a monster they can use a gun on, but something more eerily ethereal.
I had forgotten how much I liked the book, but I know I had loaned out my hard copy & when I didn't get it back, I purchased the one I could find.
I honestly believe Richard Brautigan to be vastly underrated, as quirky as Christopher Moore & well ahead of his time.
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LibraryThing member Cail_Judy
Weird and awesome. Reminded me of Twin Peaks set in the American West.
LibraryThing member stephanie_M
I had thought at first that I’d accidentally picked up another juvenile novel or something, because of the style this author had written this in. But then he started using the word “fuck” quite a lot, so this wasn’t right...... So I spent the novel confused until the ending. Thank goodness
It turns out this novel was published in 1974, so maybe that’s why it “sounds” like it does...? I’m not sure, not having read Brautigan before. And being this is the only audiobook my library has, it may be my only one.
Johnathan McClain was the narrator, and he was all right, also.
3 tepid stars, and not really recommended. It’s just not my style at all.
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it is short. It turns out this novel was published in 1974, so maybe that’s why it “sounds” like it does...? I’m not sure, not having read Brautigan before. And being this is the only audiobook my library has, it may be my only one.
Johnathan McClain was the narrator, and he was all right, also.
3 tepid stars, and not really recommended. It’s just not my style at all.
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LibraryThing member electrascaife
In early 1900s Wild West, two partners who specialize in assassinations are approached by a Native American woman named Magic Child with a job proposition. A certain Miss Hawkline, who lives in the middle of the Oregon plains, would like to hire the two men to kill the monster living under her
I picked this one up off a colleague’s book display: Weird West. And hoo boy, it was both a western (“A Gothic Western” as it’s tag line indicates) and very weird. I loved it.
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mansion. I picked this one up off a colleague’s book display: Weird West. And hoo boy, it was both a western (“A Gothic Western” as it’s tag line indicates) and very weird. I loved it.
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LibraryThing member quondame
The attitude is everything in this story, from the author to the characters, to the behavior of the monster. A monster that can change the physical world around it but mostly messes with minds, which is actually quite frightening, though with a couple of exceptions seem satisfied with malicious
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mischief. Beyond the surface and the ideas, however, there isn't much done with the scant substance that is offered. Show Less
LibraryThing member jennaelf
Thoroughly enjoyed this one. It was recommended to me due to my interest in Gothic and Western storytelling modes, and since the line under the title is "A Gothic Western" - and it was right up my alley. Brautigan melded together the two genre aspects perfectly, setting two guns-for-hire up against
The style read a little like an old storybook (reading it out loud was a lot like reading our generic ideas about storybooks that start with "Once upon a time..."), but Brautigan didn't pull punches with the roughcut language of his two gunslingers nor skimp on the more adult encounters (these are not graphically described, but sex is present).
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a malevolent and supernatural force hiding out in an mansion inhabited by an odd set of siblings. The style read a little like an old storybook (reading it out loud was a lot like reading our generic ideas about storybooks that start with "Once upon a time..."), but Brautigan didn't pull punches with the roughcut language of his two gunslingers nor skimp on the more adult encounters (these are not graphically described, but sex is present).
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LibraryThing member AlexTheHunn
I admit that this was my first (an so far, only) Brautigan work to read. While I did finish it and even somewhat enjoy it, it was distinctly odd. I felt that it was self-consciously trying to be cool or hip. Avante-gard that tries to hard is not successful.
LibraryThing member Ranjr
This is another book I inherited from my late Uncle’s collection. It’s okay. It’s not as dynamic and entertaining as Willard and His Bowling Trophies or as utterly fantastical as In Watermelon Sugar. It is of the Western genre only in that there are two gunfighters gathered to confront the
The story is set primarily amongst desert hills upon which rests a gothic mansion surrounded and covered in frost due to the mysterious creature in the ice caves below the basement laboratory with a large pile of black coal next to it – a very surreal image. Rooms are always ice-cold whilst the windows look out onto the sun-seared fields of tall yellow grass and summer sun of Eastern Oregon. Reminds me of those summer days in my childhood when the swamp cooler was especially effective in our cement-block house, and I would be shivering cold while looking out onto a sunblasted yard during what had to be a 100-degree summer day. Anyway, there is a plot so-to-speak.
Plots in Brautigan’s stories seem to be a series of scenes and character interactions that are loosely related, typically strung together on a single premise. In Willard, it was the Logan Brothers’ vengeful quest to recover their stolen trophies. In Watermelon Sugar, the plot is held together via the conflict between the narrator, the rebellious inBOIL, and Margaret the narrator’s ex, and thus between inBOIL’s rebels and the commune of iDEATH between which the climax happens. Here, they are joined together in the first half of the book by the fact that the pair of gunmen guided by Magic Child (one of the Miss Hawklines transformed into a Native American by the monster) are traveling to Hawkline Manor. The second half which occurs within the Victorian manor is an extended setup for the anti-climactic face-off with the monster.
Another significant thing I noticed with this story is that all the primary characters (the house counts as a character in this case I’m pretty sure) come in pairs. The Hawkline women are twins, the gunfighters are a pair of friends distinguished by one having an intense desire to count everything, and the Hawkline Monster and its incompetent shadow, yet another pair, reflect the frosted mansion and its adjacent coal pile (two pairs). The pair of protagonists are described as having the same basic outfit and are even introduced as ‘they’ in the first few lines of the first chapter. What’s the significance? I do not know but I don’t think it was accidental.
I have to say, I did find this one interesting, and took a little while to digest it. However, so far, in my trip through Richard Brautigan’s oeuvre, this is the weakest as it’s the plainest if that makes any sense. I recommend this one as either an entry point into his work or to someone who is already a fan. It lacks a lot of the color and plain weird settings of the previous pair of his books that I have finished: Willard and his Bowling Trophies and In Watermelon Sugar.
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eponymous Hawkline Monster. The rest is pure Brautigan.The story is set primarily amongst desert hills upon which rests a gothic mansion surrounded and covered in frost due to the mysterious creature in the ice caves below the basement laboratory with a large pile of black coal next to it – a very surreal image. Rooms are always ice-cold whilst the windows look out onto the sun-seared fields of tall yellow grass and summer sun of Eastern Oregon. Reminds me of those summer days in my childhood when the swamp cooler was especially effective in our cement-block house, and I would be shivering cold while looking out onto a sunblasted yard during what had to be a 100-degree summer day. Anyway, there is a plot so-to-speak.
Plots in Brautigan’s stories seem to be a series of scenes and character interactions that are loosely related, typically strung together on a single premise. In Willard, it was the Logan Brothers’ vengeful quest to recover their stolen trophies. In Watermelon Sugar, the plot is held together via the conflict between the narrator, the rebellious inBOIL, and Margaret the narrator’s ex, and thus between inBOIL’s rebels and the commune of iDEATH between which the climax happens. Here, they are joined together in the first half of the book by the fact that the pair of gunmen guided by Magic Child (one of the Miss Hawklines transformed into a Native American by the monster) are traveling to Hawkline Manor. The second half which occurs within the Victorian manor is an extended setup for the anti-climactic face-off with the monster.
Another significant thing I noticed with this story is that all the primary characters (the house counts as a character in this case I’m pretty sure) come in pairs. The Hawkline women are twins, the gunfighters are a pair of friends distinguished by one having an intense desire to count everything, and the Hawkline Monster and its incompetent shadow, yet another pair, reflect the frosted mansion and its adjacent coal pile (two pairs). The pair of protagonists are described as having the same basic outfit and are even introduced as ‘they’ in the first few lines of the first chapter. What’s the significance? I do not know but I don’t think it was accidental.
I have to say, I did find this one interesting, and took a little while to digest it. However, so far, in my trip through Richard Brautigan’s oeuvre, this is the weakest as it’s the plainest if that makes any sense. I recommend this one as either an entry point into his work or to someone who is already a fan. It lacks a lot of the color and plain weird settings of the previous pair of his books that I have finished: Willard and his Bowling Trophies and In Watermelon Sugar.
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Original publication date
1974