St. Agnes' Stand

I'm going to tell you about a miracle." (pg. 186).

At its core, St. Agnes' Stand is a straightforward classic western. Its characters operate on that simple, honest morality of the frontier - where you do what feels right, what allows you to retain respect for yourself, and where respect is more important than admiration. The main character, Nat Swanson, is the embodiment of this: the classic Western hero, who "didn't look for trouble... but [who] never looked away, either." (pg. 79). He helps Sister Agnes and her group because of his simple code of morality. He could flee easily from the Apache siege, but chooses to help because his conscience would not allow otherwise: "he could leave them, but he could never escape them." (pg. 62). show more The other characters also have this morality, even the white men who pursue Nat after he killed one of their friends in a fair fight: "They weren't cold-blooded killers. They were simply men who stood up for friendship." (pg. 185). If there is one mis-step by the author, it is that the Apaches' morality is not as coherent. They commit some reprehensible depravities in the course of the novel, but by the end I get the feeling Eidson wants us to respect their meeting with Swanson's group as reconciliation, as a clash between two codes of morality which are not all that different in the end. It does not convince and is perhaps the only weakness in the novel.

Indeed, the novel itself is a great piece of storytelling. The pacing is good and the language is clean and bracing, so that I read the entire book in one sitting without once feeling bored or fatigued. Some of the plot pivots seem improbable, such as the outstretched arms of the nun on page 86 and the stormy waves on page 166, and Swanson has that Hollywood-movie-trope tendency to keep fighting and shrug off even a broken arm, a bullet in the leg, etc. But the events never make the reader scoff and they don't veer into deus ex machina territory, although it does occasionally teeter on the edge. Eidson leaves it ambiguous about the hidden power behind the course of events; one may see God's hand in the group's 'miracle' of deliverance, but His hand never moves clumsily or obviously, and one can enjoy the novel whilst swatting It away (as I chose to do). Overall, the story is a classic throwback western when men were men and the world was black and white, not shades of gray. It makes for a quick, pleasing and refreshing story which I would recommend." show less

A cowboy riding west for a fresh start comes across wagons being attacked by red indians. He could ride on or be foolhardy & try to help.

Not for a long time have I felt so invested in a novel’s characters as I did with this small well-drawn cast, willing Nat, the nuns & the children on.

Edison brings the harsh terrain & story to life. He appalled me with descriptions of shocking torture & made me cry more than once, wringing my emotions. Great characterisations of both the westerners & their tormentors. And a novel that in its few pages shows the worst of being human, but also huge-heartedly the power of the human spirit (oh, and the bond between man & dog).

I couldn’t guess the outcome, and read throughout with equal measures of show more hope and dread. show less

I had never heard of the author, and I had never heard of the book but the blurb sounded interesting so I thought I would give it a try. I am really glad I did, and after finishing went an bought the next 2 books in the series.

Nat Swanson is your typical tough cowboy, a man who knows how to look after himself and survive in the desert wilderness. He has killed a man in a fight in Texas and has left with a band of the deceased friends hot on his trail with revenge on their mind, slowed up with a bullet wound in his leg he heads towards a new life. As he makes his way across the burning desert he spies a caravan than has been attacked by Apachee, he decides to quickly help and shoots one of the indians. However, he spots a woman still show more alive but feels the situation is hopeless and he moves on, but it plays on his mind and soon finds himself returning to help. What he finds though are 7 orphans and three nuns, can he use all his wits and knowledge of both Indians and the surrounding environment to save them and himself? The nuns, led by Sister Agnes, believe Swanson has been sent by God to save them... Swanson is not so sure.

Okay, so here's the crunch... the ending was about as probable as me winning the lottery 3 weeks in a row, and just seemed so over the top that even a James Bond film would think twice about using it. But that doesn't matter because the quality of the writing and the fullness of the characters is more than enough to make the reader overlook it. If you can sit back and persuade yourself that that the last chapter could really happen then you are in for a stormer of a read.

The descriptions of the landscapes are second to none and you really feel as if you are there. For fans of Westerns and also those that enjoy the hard boiled noir style books. show less

Don't read many cowboy stories, but this was truly enjoyable. I was rooting for a happy ending - tear in eye time! 4.5★s.

Read terrifically by Rob Campbell. Somehow the calm monotone reflects the vast landscape in which the drama plays out. Big landscape and sky, small cast of characters in the empty wastes, and the slow turning of day into night and back again over 5 days.

This was a delightful story, discussing faith, but not shoving it in your face. The main characters were engaging and the story moved quickly along.

Kazuo Ishiguro was interviewed in the New York Times recently since the Buried Giant just came out and he said, surprise, that he likes Westerns. He mentioned a few of the greatest and this one that I hadn't read. It's pretty good. Westerns can be very direct, almost like poetry, and if there is anything that you find slightly out of place or unbelievable, there is no place for it to hide.