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Brokeback Mountain: Now a Major Motion Picture
Brokeback Mountain: Now a Major Motion Picture
Brokeback Mountain: Now a Major Motion Picture
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Brokeback Mountain: Now a Major Motion Picture

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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A stand alone edition of Annie Proulx’s beloved story “Brokeback Mountain” (in the collection Close Range)—the basis for the major motion picture directed by Ang Lee, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, screenplay by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana.

Annie Proulx has written some of the most original and brilliant short stories in contemporary literature, and for many readers and reviewers, “Brokeback Mountain” is her masterpiece.

Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist, two ranch hands, come together when they’re working as sheepherder and camp tender one summer on a range above the tree line. At first, sharing an isolated tent, the attraction is casual, inevitable, but something deeper catches them that summer.

Both men work hard, marry, and have kids because that’s what cowboys do. But over the course of many years and frequent separations this relationship becomes the most important thing in their lives, and they do anything they can to preserve it.

The New Yorker won the National Magazine Award for Fiction for its publication of “Brokeback Mountain,” and the story was included in Prize Stories 1998: The O. Henry Awards. In gorgeous and haunting prose, Proulx limns the difficult, dangerous affair between two cowboys that survives everything but the world’s violent intolerance.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherScribner
Release dateMay 11, 2010
ISBN9781439130971
Brokeback Mountain: Now a Major Motion Picture
Author

Annie Proulx

Annie Proulx is the author of nine books, including the novel The Shipping News, Barkskins and the story collection Close Range. Her many honors include a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award, the Irish Times International Fiction Prize, and a PEN/Faulkner award. Her story ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ which originally appeared in The New Yorker, was made into an Academy Award-winning film. She lives in New Hampshire.

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Reviews for Brokeback Mountain

Rating: 3.96432548606466 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Touching and lovely and awful.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Many people are familiar with the short or story, or the movie. It is a touching tale told in simple language, without much drama. I highly recommend the story, but do not recommend buying this edition. This is a short story and this mass market is VERY TINY. No way worth a retail price of $9.95! Luckily, I got my copy used. If you want the story, I recommend buying one of the author's anthologies that include it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    says a lot with very little words
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I am so glad I read this before I saw the movie. It really makes you question love and sexuality, and the lack of boundaries of both. The heartbreaking ending alone makes it a masterpiece.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This collection of stories turned out to be an unexpected treasure. It turns out that not only the title short story 'Brokeback Mountain' is in many ways better than the movie (which is itself already moving to the extreme) but not even the best story in the collection. Or rather, many of the stories in the book have moments that rival if not exceed in beauty those found in the title story. Proulx' prose is a marvel to be studied: the language is economical and taut but at the same time extremely precise (for example in the description of cattle, ranching tools and technologies, vegetation, weather,...) and relentlessly attuned to the experience of life on vast and unsympathetic expanses. Human passions of all sorts are described unsentimentally with a raw, brutal precision that rings true to experience through its complete lack of rhetoric. And then there's the language of the ranchers salted with outrageously funny and/or moving metaphors, often anchored to the sense of sublime that comes from feeling very small in a place that is very, very big. Altogether, an amazingly well written book. The kind you plan to re-read to appreciate more in depth.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I read this pretty quickly and enjoyed it. While the movie is immensely better than the story it was still great to see the original source material for the movie. I liked this book and would recommend it to anyone that wants to compare the script to the original. Also there are some phenomenal essays by other people that were involved with the movie in this particular edition as well.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I am a huge fan of the movie version of Ms. Proulx's short story, however there was something quite hauntingly beautiful about reading the story behind the script.The imagery was amazing - you could easily picture all the events occurring in a sweeping landscape. Of course, it might help that I live in the prairies.More importantly, the love story between these two men is what sticks with you long after you finish reading. Days later, I was still turning some of their conversations over and over in my mind, torn up inside that they could never be in love with one another. There was something about their quick recoil from the label of homosexual that made me terribly sad. They were both so closed up inside that they couldn't even come to terms with their sexual orientation, because admitting it would be detrimental to their social image. What should have been a beautiful love affair become something dirty. The times and their inability to come to terms with their sexual orientation resulted in their life long unhappiness. Nothing upsets me more than that.If you enjoyed the movie or are interested in a short social commentary, take the time to read this story. I promise it will stay with you long after the last page is turned.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Short Story/ novella. Better than the movie in shorter time. The essence of the love that existed is the only driving force in the novella.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I guess I'm not the only one that saw the movie before I read the novella-but this is a rare thing: I liked both equally much.Heartwrenching, beautiful!!My thanks to both Ms. Proulx and Mr. Lee!!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book was chosen for me in the 'pick it for me challenge' in the m/m romance group here on goodreads. It's a classic (or should be), I saw the movie years ago, and I was amazed how short the book is.

    This is one of the most well written stories I have ever read. In places, it is more like a sketch than a painting. And yet it describes the main characters and their awful dilemma and, ultimately, suffering in such clear pictures that it broke my heart all over again.

    This is one of the few "tragedies" that gets 5 stars from me. It is an amazing book which should be required reading for everyone.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The best love story of our time.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Ennis and Jack drive 1963 flock of a sheep farmer to the pastures on Brokeback Mountain and guard them there one summer. They discover their passion for each other. Only after four years, they meet again. Both have now married and started families. Without their wives to tell the truth, they agree to meet regularly from then on. Jack dreams of divorce and to begin a new life with Ennis.the story shows the difficulties with homosexuality to live and how the rejection of the environment, shapes the lives of men.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Brokeback Mountain recounts the love of Jack Twist and Ennis del Mar, a couple of "high school dropout country boys brought up with no prospects." Both are looking for work wherever it can be found. During the summer of 1963 the work brings them together on the summer range of Brokeback Mountain. What begins as a casual relationship evolves into the most important thing in both men's lives, but the strength of their feelings for one another isn't enough to protect against the dark shadow of intolerance.Again I'm mesmerized by Annie Proulx. She tells a story exactly the way I want it to be told and then adds a little something extra. Brokeback Mountain is, of course, heart breaking -- but not gratuitously so. It's a quick read (originally published in a book of short stories) and I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't read any Proulx yet. Have a tissue handy.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I've been on a tear reading the books on which movies that I've seen recently have been based. This one is a short story that was adapted very faithfully, telling Jack and Ennis's story from when they meet on Brokeback Mt to the heartbreaking conclusion. The movie tugged harder on my heartstrings, as it had the time to linger over the tender scenes between the two, and there's not much more in the book than was shown. Overall, a quick enjoyable read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A concise, evocative story of thwarted love between two cowboys complicated by the time and place of their relationship. Loved the book, but felt saddened by the fact that society often constrains us and that doing the courageous thing sometimes results in tragic consequences.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have wanted to see the movie fashioned after this book for awhile, but put it off until I read the book.Now, years later, I came across this slim little volume while browsing the shelves of a used bookstore.I read it in about half an hour, but was surprised that such a little amount of time had gone by.At a mere 64 pages, "Brokeback Mountain," which is actually a short story, doesn't look like a laborious read. I began reading it flippantly, skeptical about the idea of an epic romance being contained in under 100 pages.However, this book wasn't what I expected.First of all, it wasn't an "epic romance." I had imagined it being much like a man version of "Titanic." And secondly, I certainly didn't see Proulx's powerful writing coming. In such a small amount of paper, the author covers 20 years, and pulls it off more than successfully. "Brokeback Mountain" may be a short story, but it impacts the reader like a full-fledged novel that you've been reading and loving for weeks.Sure, Proulx could have written this tale as a detailed, long, volume. But her writing clearly points out for itself that she doesn't need to.Her simplistic, to the point prose was a bit hard to get used to, but after a few pages, I was thanking her for it. She includes minor little "supporting" details without ever going into them, giving you a picture of a character in a sentence when other writers would take a chapter. Her writing is short and sweet - or, better put - short and unsweet.Because if there is a word that does not describe this book, it is sweet. Annie Proulx writes with unabashed, realistic, often dirty prose. Her tale is straight black coffee - cowboys didn't have fancy espresso machines, whipped cream, and sugary sprinkles, after all.I was impressed at the way she handled the two main character's relationship. There was no "gazing into his beautiful brown eyes" business. There was no romanticizing it, no beautification. It was a solid, honest story about two men. Their relationship begins with unromantic, unfeeling sex, for example. Not passionate sex, or a sex scene that belongs in a Harlequin. Just sex. The feelings come later, but still without touching up, without airbrushing.There was no epic here - it could very believably have been labeled a true story. And if it had been, it wouldn't have been the dramatic, popular story that the Titanic became. Because, fundamentally, this book is quite normal. Jack and Ennis are everyday men with ordinary, average lives. One would probably be inclined to say, in fact, that their lives were more than a bit mundane.But underneath this violent, hardened world that the reader is drawn into, lies, somewhere, a love story.It is not an obvious love story, or an amazing love story - it is simply a love story.Does it need to be anything else?"Brokeback Mountain" and Annie Proulx are without doubt saying that no, it didn't.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The best story I've ever seen about the experience of gay men in America, written by a straight women. Who would have figured. But it's extraordinary.Great film, too.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Brief, and the characters use very few words, but quite touching and powerful nonetheless. Left me wanting more. Sadly, I haven't seen the movie.I always wish these types of stories were a bit happier in general, but it was still good without it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Annie Proulx did an excellent job of capturing the voice of a rough edged loner caught up in a relationship he can't publicly embrace, but still refuses to let go. This was a heartbreaking story about prejudice, homosexuality, and a loving relationship that spans years. The imagery was gorgeous and the story was tight and sharp.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is my favorite short story ever. Proulx always delivers a good narrative, but this tale ripped me into. The movie was such a gorgeous rendering of an already powerful tale, and I know that's partly because Proulx helped write the screenplay. I recommend both.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Wow. This is an intense book, powerfully written. I felt very strange after reading it - as though I'd been ruled by another master for the time it took to read, and it was a tough job coming back to myself. A harsh but necessary modern classic. Read it yourself and see.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This short novella packs a punch. Jack and Ennis, two young ranch hands, meet one summer while herding sheep on Brokeback Mountain. An intense affair develops between them; both insist that they're not "queer," but neither is able to form attachments that rival what they share together. They see each other occasionally, popping in and out of each others' lives, but Ennis is unable to commit to anything more serious than what they already have. Like I said, the novella is quite short (my copy has 55 pages), but the author doesn't need to fluff up the story. She develops two characters locked in a heartbreaking struggle, and the ending is a gut puncher. Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I wasn't sure how I'd get on with this, I loved the film but I've never managed to finish an Annie Proulx book before. I'm impressed by how close the film adaptation was to the original text. Very pleased that I've read it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I read Annie Proulx's novella, Brokeback Mountain. All fifty-eight pages of it. I know the film version has had great reviews but I think I'll give it a miss. The book was too good. Muscular prose so carefully crafted you can almost smell the two cowboys, their horses and stock, their vehicles and their passion. Must be a landmark fiction, and film - if it is true to the novel - deconstructing, as it does, the West that gave us the myths of John Wayne and the Marlboro Man, leaving in its wake a couple of country gays in a cold and hostile landscape.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Devastating.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was pretty good! It's a very short story but it doesn't feel like that! Proulx is a very talented writer and manages to pack a whole lot of plot into 54 pages. The characters feel very real and the plot was well though out and told in a precise, clear manner. There really is no need for this story to be any longer- it all fits in just fine like this which I think shows a lot of skill on Proulx's behalf. Overall it was a good and memorable book and I'm glad I read it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a great book about love.It is very different bewteen this book and the others. because this book describes two guys' love. I am extremely like its plot. I have some new minds about the love when I have read it. some people said that the end of this book was too sad. but, in my opinion, it is not sad for me. it is very important that they love each other! So, love is to need courage.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Annie Proulx gives us this story of two cowboys who became more than friends. It is an interesting exploration of the social and often dangerous consequences of being gay at the time the story takes place. Times have changed but it is important to continue to explore the problem. This 55 page novella was originally in a short story collection, republished when the movie "came out". I think it would be great if the author expanded the story into a full length book.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    That book was disappointing since I love the movie so much. It reads like a concept for a screen play. The writing style and dialog is just awkward. Even though it only took a few hours to read I felt it was a waste of time.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    "There was some open space between what he knew and what he tried to believe, but nothing could be done about it, and if you can't fix it you've got to stand it."Can I just say, "Wow!" This short story packs a powerful punch. It's heartbreaking. It breaks it and then it rips it out and throws it on the ground and stomps on it a bit, and yet still you think, "Thank you Annie Proulx." Because she makes you think about life in a way that stops your heart for a beat. Or two. It feels like holding your breath for just one moment too long. So much revealed and yet left unsaid in such a short story. Life is like that. We are shaped by our choices and defined as much by what we don't say as what we do. If you haven't already done so, I beg you to read this story which is short but not small. "...Ennis was back on his feet and somehow, as a coat hanger is straightened to open a locked car and then bent again to its original shape, they torqued things almost to where they had been, for what they'd said was no news. Nothing ended, nothing begun, nothing resolved."

Book preview

Brokeback Mountain - Annie Proulx

Praise for Annie Proulx’s Short Stories

Geography, splendid and terrible, is a tutelary deity to the characters in Close Range. Their lives are futile uphill strug kgles conducted as a downhill, out-ofcontrol tearaway. Proulx writes of them in a prose that is violent and impacted and mastered just at the point where, having gone all the way to the edge, it is about to go over.

—Richard Eder, The New York Times Book Review

Annie Proulx is a genuine character—a true original. She has a shrewd understanding of people, a strong feeling for landscape . . . and a wry sense of humor rather like Mark Twain’s.

Los Angeles Times

With her biting, invigorating prose, Annie Proulx evokes the expansive landscape her characters hold dear.

O, The Oprah Magazine

Ms. Proulx writes with all the brutal beauty of one of her Wyoming snowstorms.

—Michael Knight, The Wall Street Journal

It’s the prose, as much as the inventiveness of the stories that shines and shines. Every single sentence surprises and delights and just bowls you over.

—Carolyn See, The Washington Post Book World

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Brokeback Mountain

ENNIS DEL MAR WAKES BEFORE FIVE, WIND ROCKING the trailer, hissing in around the aluminum door and window frames. The shirts hanging on a nail shudder slightly in the draft. He gets up, scratching the grey wedge of belly and pubic hair, shuffles to the gas burner, pours leftover coffee in a chipped enamel pan; the flame swathes it in blue. He turns on the tap and urinates in the sink, pulls on his shirt and jeans, his worn boots, stamping the heels against the floor to get them full on. The wind booms down the curved length of the trailer and under its roaring passage he can hear the scratching of fine gravel and sand. It could be bad on the highway with the horse trailer. He has to be packed and away from the place that morning. Again the ranch is on the market and they’ve shipped out the last of the horses, paid everybody off the day before, the owner saying, Give em to the real estate shark, I’m out a here, dropping the keys in Ennis’s hand. He might have to stay with his married daughter until he picks up another job, yet he is suffused with a sense of pleasure because Jack Twist was in his dream.

The stale coffee is boiling up but he catches it before it goes over the side, pours it into a stained cup and blows on the black liquid, lets a panel of the dream slide forward. If he does not force his attention on it, it might stoke the day, rewarm that old, cold time on the mountain when they owned the world and nothing seemed wrong. The wind strikes the trailer

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