Happy Fourth of July everyone! My husband and I have finished another book together. This was a book he bought at Book Revolution in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I bring it up as a small blip because they were a great bookstore, so if you are ever in the Midwest, I would recommend them.
We have never read any westerns before, so we just wanted try something different. Louis L’amour is a prominent western author, and we have another of his books to try as well. The Californios is about the Mulkerins, a half Hispanic, half Irish family of ranchers who are on the brink of losing their land to a bunch of assholes. The mother, Eileen, calls upon her son Sean to come home and protect the land in the way he knows best: brains, guns, and fists. Meanwhile, there is a secret hiding place where Eileen’s late husband had been led to find gold. The only problem is is that the person who led him to it is a very, very old Native American that can never be found unless he wants to find you.
My husband liked the book. He thought it was good for what it was, that the story felt rushed at some points, like at the ending, and very slowed down at others, like when they were in the mountains. For a book that you can read in probably burn through in five hours, it is not that bad.
I agree with him on the pace of the story, but my main thing comes in where it is a short, quick read, so there are a lot of details that are presumably going to happen off stage. From going for a long while now where all I am reading are longer books and all the details are laid out, The Californios left plot holes for me to pick at, so I did not just sit back and enjoy the ride. I did enjoy the concept though, again because it was a different genre for the both of us, so the change of scenery was really nice.
My husband would recommend it for others to read, but he also said that it would be a one-time read, which I agree with, but I can also see where it would be one of those small books that you always come back to, which I have a few like that.
If you are interested in checking out The Californios, you can find it here.
7/10
Chofa Times on the Chofa 