Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1527611 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-01
• Format: Import
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Customer Reviews

A transforming work
I wanted to be able to talk about this story in a casual conversation without getting tears in my eyes so I actually went and saw the movie. It has been my experience that however powerful a piece of literature might be, a movie can make it banal. For those who have seen the movie, I was exactly as sucessful as you would have thought. Now I can't talk about the story or the movie.

It is a symptom of our national myopia about homosexuality that anyone would conclude that this story is about gays or was written to serve some gay agenda. Downright silly if you ask me, so don't let yourself get sidetracked.

I can't shake this story, me, a respectable mother of 3 with nothing in my life history which would approach the grief these two men experience. All I can conclude at this point is that my spirit knows the losses that are to come to me -- my parents, a brother, maybe my husband -- and the crushing grief that is to come.

To say this story changed me would be inaccurate -- it has not finished its work in my life. I can't think what more a reader could ask for. So read it -- even if you are anti-gay, pro-family, etc. Be open to the idea that there is something in this story for you, or, at the very least, be prepared to defend your position in the face of what Ms. Proulx has given us.

"I wish I knew how to quit you."
Annie Proulx's short story, "Brokeback Mountain," is a beautifully crafted tale of love and longing. Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar meet when they're 20 year olds tending sheep on the titular mountain. The men are grateful for having each other for company on the long and lonely job; unexpectedly, they have sex on a cold winter's night. They both pass it off as a one-time thing and move on with their lives. However, when they meet again four years later, it's clear that they cannot forget each other, leading to years of yearning and ultimately frustration.

Set in 1963, the story uses the mythos of the great American West and cowboys to full effect. Ennis and Jack are two of the last people you'd expect to romance each other, which only deepens the meaning and realism of their relationship. Proulx's writing is spare; it took me awhile to read through and absorb the tale because of all that it implies without stating directly. With Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhall on the cover and trailers for the movie playing non-stop, it's hard to not imagine them as the characters, which does not lessen the story and its impact. The ending is somewhat abrupt and perhaps overly tragic - but then all-too-often so is life. As others have noted, "Brokeback Mountain" is not necessarily "gay" lit; the characters and their longing are universal and the writing is simply excellent. Highly recommended.

Awesome story, but...
First things first. Annie Proulx' short story Brokeback Mountain is absolutely awesome. So much has been written about it, I don't think I'll have to go into detail.
However this version of it provides horrible value for money compared to other alternatives.
For just 1$ more, you can get the "From Story to Screenplay" book, which not only includes this story but also the published screenplay to the movie AND three interesting essays by Proulx, Ossana, and MCMurtry.
The second alternative, also just a measly dollar more expensive, is Annie Proulx' "Close Range: Wyoming Stories", which also includes this story and 10 more short stories by Proulx.
I'd only recommend this item to collectors who want all merchandise from the movie. Everyone else is better served with the alternatives I mentioned, IMHO.