Cloudy in the West by Elmer Joey Shipman, a boy of only twelve in Texas 1885, must make a choice to runaway or to risk being killed by his stepmother, Dulcie. After his father's death Joey inherits the farm, spoiling Dulcie's and her new husband Mr. Mecham's plans of selling the farm and being rid of him. After two incidents that could have resulted in his death, Joey realizes Dulcie is willing to kill him to get the farm. After the farm hand, Rueben is found dead Joey decides to runaway to his only surviving kin. Joey's trip to find his last surviving cousin turns into a journey of a lifetime. Joey finds his drunken cousin Beau only to go on the run from the law. Along the way Beau and Joey run into the most feared outlaw Dawson Miller, who it is said has killed over seventy men. First Beau's horse is stolen along with the food and then they are held hostage by a camp of outlaws. When they escape they will not only be on the run from the law but also the outlaws themselves. Along the way Joey grows from being a boy to being a man and the further he gets from the farm the more he realizes what he must do to set things right.
Characteristics of Westerns
- Setting is set in Texas in 1885.
- Joey is trying to set right, the wrong that has been done to him, being nearly killed for his farm and forced to run away.
- Joey encounters cowboys and outlaws that could corrupt him but he stays true to himself and his father's teachings of being a hard worker.
- Hunger is a common theme that Joey and Beau must overcome out there in the west were water in scarce as well.
- In this time period there is a lot of cowboy jargon and slang used. Here is an example "Young'un you goin' to blunt that hoe plumb down to the handles"
Read-a-likes
Red Moon by Ralph Cotton
The Book of Murdoch by Lauren D. Estleman
Eyes of Eagles by William W. Johnstone
To the Far Blue Mountains by Louis L'Amour
To the Far Blue Mountains by Louis L'Amour
Comsnche Moon by Larry McMurtry
These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner
Texas by James A. Michener
I have never read a Western, but this sounds like a book I might normally choose to read, only with a Western color to it. What did you think of it personally? Have you read a lot of Westerns before? My library has a lot of William Johnstone and Louis L'Amour's books, and they get checked out frequently. In fact, patrons who like westerns tend to read nearly everything they've written. Though I'm not drawn to the cowboy stuff, it makes me curious if I'd enjoy Westerns anyway.
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