Dorothy Scarborough (1878–1935)

Herein, we have a young gal, Letty, from Virginia headed by train to Sweetwater, Texas, to live with her cousin and his family. She is not at all ready for life on the plain. Definitely a fish-out-of-water! And the wind and the sand drive her mad! And she pines for her old life, and hates her new one. Pobrecita.

There's a lot to like in this book. The dialogue, especially the cowboys', is wonderful to read! And the desolation of Letty's situation is expertly described! I also got a kick out of seeing a little bit of the origin of a favorite song of mine, “Sinnerman” by Nina Simone, in the reminiscing brought about from an old negro spiritual Letty was familiar with. All-in-all, this is a pretty good western!

My negative feedback would be that I felt like I was hit over the head a bit too much with Letty's sadness of her situation. Soooo many paragraphs about life back in Virginia, contrasted with life in Texas. Too much for my taste. And I never liked Letty, so I never really felt that bad for her. For me, she was less a victim, and more a spoiled, privileged pain in the rear.

Still, I'm glad I read it, and I think any fan of the Western genre would be glad too!… (mais)

Recently I watched a clip of the choreographer Arthur Pita rehearsing Royal Ballet dancers for his new work, "The Wind". (https://www.roh.org.uk/productions/the-wind-by-arthur-pita). It's based on this controversial novel, published in 1925 and subsequently filmed in 1928 with Lillian Gish. The controversy over the novel arose because of the portrayal of the Sweetwater, Texas, area during a drought in the late 19th century. The publisher, in a poorly planned PR stunt, released it anonymously, leading Southern readers to assume spiteful Yankee authorship, when in fact Scarborough was Texas-born and -raised and had spent time in the Sweetwater area.

Letty Mason, an 18-year old Virginia girl raised in very genteel circumstances, is hustled off to relatives in west Texas after she is left destitute. It's a nightmare. The wind blows incessantly, sand gets into everything, and she is not really wanted in her cousin's small, poorly-appointed cabin, where even one extra mouth to feed is a burden. As she begins to go mad from loneliness and frustration, Letty is courted by two very rough cowboys, neither of whom she can imagine marrying. Instead, she dreams of returning to Virginia to find her white knight, or at least of making a connection with the handsome rancher she met on the train and who promised to stay in touch. The drought goes on for the many months the book covers, and Letty's life and future become more and more bleak.

That sounds really depressing, I know. In fact, I wouldn't have read the book based on such a description. However, the fact that it interested Pita so much made me take notice, and it is considered by some to be a classic of Texas literature. The writing is focused on Letty's mental downfall, and the wind is easily the second most important character. In her imagination it is an enemy that taunts her, reading her mind and taking pleasure in destroying all hope she can muster. In the end I'd have to say I found the book pretty interesting, and I'm glad I read it.… (mais)