The Sackett Brand is a biography written by Louis L’amour. Tell Sackett was miles away from anyone he knew. Then he was shot without warning and tumbles down a steep cliff, when he gets back to where he had been standing, he discovers that all traces of his life have vanished. His wagon disappeared as well as his wife Ange. He will do anything to find what had happened and when the truth emerges it is worse than he ever imagined. I think the book gives great examples on the challenges of the American frontier. I think the book gives unique understanding of people.
While scouting a trail, Tell Sackett suddenly finds himself falling 600 feet down a steep cliff and into the water. Tell discovers that all traces of his wagon and Ange are gone. Upon further search of the area he finds the burned remains of his wagon and supplies and the murdered body of his beloved Ange. Tell recovers from his injuries and begins searching for his wife's killer. When he starts asking around he finds himself being hunted by the Lazy A Cattle Co. with orders that he be killed on sight. Word begins to spread that there is a Sackett being hunted, and other members of the Sackett family begin making their way to help. As Tell begins sharing his side of the story, honest men from the Lazy A begin to quit and ride off only to be replaced by hired guns and outlaws all promised a big payout when Tell is killed. Van Allen was the man that had killed Ange and who had shot Tell. As Tell is finally pinned down with no chance of escape, the other members of the Sackett family begin showing up and begin fighting and killing their way thru to Tell. In a big shoot out, Tell finally meets the man that killed his wife and serves him with western justice!
The author’s purpose of this book share stories of his personal experiences. He also tells stories that he heard from his great-grandfather. His lifelong devotion to historical research gives Louis the unique knowledge and understanding of people, events, and the challenges of the American frontier. Louis L’amour likes to write about his adventures and experiences. He enjoys telling stories of that he has heard. I do feel the author did achieve his purpose of writing this book.
When I read this book I thought it was entertaining. It kept me interested throughout the book. Louis L’amour does a good job of making events in the book exciting to read, for an example, Sackett says, “My eyes took the flash of light against knife blade and I shot my rifle as if it was a pistol, jamming the muzzle against the body and squeezing her off” (L’amour 118). The characters are very realistic and the author does a good job of describing them. For example, “I was just a big raw-boned cowboy with big shoulders and big hands” (L’amour 10). The author gives good detail when he writes, for an example, “My camp had been on an almost level spot under the cottonwoods and sycamores beside the creek. It was a quiet, pleasant place, with the creek chuckling along over the stones” (L’amoure 108).
In conclusion, Louis L’amour has proven himself, in my opinion to be a really outstanding author. This book is now one of my favorites. I do recommend this book, especially if you like western books and big gun showdowns. This book, in my opinion, is more for teenagers than adults. This book gives good understanding of the challenges people faced on the American frontier. I rate this book a 4 out 5, it was an entertaining book but I feel like it could have improved on being more informative.