The Homesman

An atypical Western, I loved its unusual, yet believable plot.

A drifter, George Briggs, is hired to bring four women, maddened by the bleakness of the Nebraska plains, east to civilizational care.

Briggs fulfills his contract, guiding them through the threat of Indian attacks and other challenges to safety. A feeling pervaded the story that Briggs had been given one shot at elevating himself above an otherwise unremarkable life and he came through. This is a feature that I love in almost any story–the idea of redemption.

I love to believe that potential exists within me.

Novelists eternally search for or try to develop a unique story idea that could only occur at one point in time, place, and circumstance. Swarthout succeeded. And it’s a gem. 

Set in the 1850s, The Homesman takes place on the barren flats of prairie land with winds that swirl constantly, sending women to the ends of their sanity. Berserk with loneliness, hardships of life, personal losses of children, these women are transported across Nebraska in boarded-up wagons, fitted out with restraints, to insane asylums in the east. 

One lone woman takes charge of a wagon. A man, looking to purchase… show more.

Great account of the lonely life on the plains in the mid 1800s…Swathout’s wording and writing are beautiful and it conveys a great sense of place. It is basically a story of women who went insane due to isolation combined with other factors. It is an entire facet of pioneer life that I had never considered. As most know, a movie was made from this book, and it follows the story well. However, I prefer the book. It was an interesting/disturbing/fascinating read.