Book Review:
Under the Tonto Rim


by Cornelia Richardson
Henderson, New York


I read my first Zane Grey novel before I started school, at the age of eight. The second was Betty Zane -- AND I WAS HOOKED! To this day, each becomes the favorite as it is being read.

At the end of a grueling trail drive, the suddenness -- simply shocking! -- of three teenage cowboys shooting each other over a quirt! The fantastic journey over every conceivable obstacle so that Madeline can save the man she finally realizes she loves from the firing squad!

But perhaps my favorite is Lucy, who manages to save herself and consequently her sister from a really squalid environment, to become one of the most admired and loved members of a new community -- the Tonto Rim.

Such age-old stories, yet they seem very modern. The love Zane Grey had for the West is clearly depicted in the wonderful descriptions of the changing desert, the great tranquil forests, the gorgeous sunsets and sunrises, the overwhelming mountains, and the clean, clear air that caused distant objects to appear near (almost a thing of the past, and thus doubly precious in his writings). Zane Grey: a very modern man.

Cornelia Richardson is a Member of ZGWS. She lives in Henderson, New York.

This book review is the personal opinion of the writer.

Historical images of Zane Grey used with permission of Dr. Loren Grey and Zane Grey, Inc.