Great Book!!! It's about the influence of Morman religion on their woman, and one woman's fight against it. But she's trying to stay true to her religion and conscience... A few love stories and gun fights are thrown in for added drama!! You should all read it!! You will be delighted! The descriptions are wonderful... makes me want to go out and live in the canyons for a while!

Vivid descriptions of prairie storms and what was then the Mormon storm. Perhaps it is me or the style of writing, but Mr. Grey's tales seem to take awhile to develop. I will read the sequel to this and then decide whether or not I'm done with Zane Grey. Not a usual genre for me, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

3.5 stars.

Not my favorite... he took way too long to tell his story...

I’m honestly so surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I feel conflicted knowing that its setting in the “Wild West” is predicated on American expansion into indigenous lands. Taken for what it is though, I thought it was brilliantly written. The action, adventure, and romance combination kept me engrossed throughout the twists and turns. Is it the most profound novel? No. Was it really enjoyable and easy to read? Very much so. The character set up is pretty simple — going through transformations through love — but it’s interesting to analyze them nonetheless

I came across this book by chance and have been pleasantly surprised. I am not generally interested in western cattle ranching stories, but I have been pleasantly surprised by what feels like a faithful dedication to the vernacular of the time. I have also been impressed Grey's ability to fully flesh out the personalities of complicated characters while using a minimum of words. I have also been fascinated by the setting and the portrayal of the Mormon culture of the time and its impact on local culture and government. As I said, I am not usually interested in this genre, but this book is nothing if not interesting and I am glad I came across it.

A good example of early 1900s Mormon propaganda, so there's that.

Grey can be a maddening writer. His descriptions geographic settings of scenes are unmatched in their detail and the mental images they invoke but then he can go far overboard with them, as with his descriptions of Surprise Valley and Deception Pass. But he had me wondering what about Surprise Valley was based on an actual location he had visited and how much he had imagined.

But the most maddening thing I find with his writing is exemplified by the dialogue in this book. Much of the dialogue between Lassister and Jane Withersteen conforms to the archaic, overwrought style of early 20th century fiction. But much of the dialogue (with exceptions) between Venters and Bess are more contemporary, much like my favorite Zane Grey novel, The Mysterious Rider.
This novel would've been much improved by more editing. Much of the Withersteen plot is repetitive as is the subplot with Venters in Surprise Valley.

The novel deserves its classic designation but I found it uneven. The archaic nature of the writing of much of this book is what made The Lone Star Ranger so unreadable. But there's plenty of action and two great love stories to enjoy. I also found the indictment of Mormons highly interesting and, from what I've read, historically accurate.