The Call of the Canyon

By: Zane Grey

Narrated by: Jim Roberts

From the master of the western comes a tale of love tested by the rugged life of the American Southwest. Glenn Kilbourne returned from World War I a changed man. Suffering from shell shock and disillusioned by what he witnessed, he can no longer stomach his high-flying former life in New York City. In the canyons of Arizona he finds a kind of peace with himself, and has no desire to go back to his old life. Where does this leave his glamorous fiancé Carley? Can she too grow to love life in the Wild West, far away from the high society she is used to? Zane Grey is one of America’s favorite authors, with a love of the West that shines through in his many novels.

Public Domain (P)2014 Jimcin Recordings

Antiquated attitudes with good descriptions

This was my first Zane Grey, and probably my last. I was spending time in the canyon in question, and thought it would be a good idea to delve into this book, written in that locale. The author was very good with the descriptive passages, but should have stuck to that instead of delving into the psychology of the principal characters. His attitudes about women and about the so-called “American race”, were at best old-fashioned and at worst borderline fascist.