It's time to change the recommended reading in the sidebar, so I thought I'd go with something completely different from the last book.
I'll just say right up front that this is the best western novel I have ever read. Clair Huffaker (1926-1990) was an author of several books, and also wrote for many 1950s and '60s movies and TV series (such as Rawhide, Bonanza, and The Virginian).
When I first read this book, I assumed it was written by a man who had a name that sounded like a woman's name. I assumed Huffaker was male because it was a western, and I had never heard of any female western authors. Also because, even if a woman did write westerns, she wouldn't write them like this. Feel free to accuse me of sexism if you wish. When I first wrote this review, I wanted to make sure my assumption was correct, so I did some Googling and every reference I found said that Huffaker was female. I was recently contacted by another fan who read my review who gave me some information that shows my initial assumption was correct: Clair Huffaker was a man. He lived in Santa Monica, California, and his wife's name was Norma Lee Fink. Here is his picture:
I first read this book in junior high, when I friend of mine found a copy and loaned it to me. Many years later, I was lucky enough to stumble across an identical paperback edition in a used book store, and was nearly giddy with delight at finding it.
The Cowboy and the Cossack is about a village in Siberia that needs cattle, so they buy a herd of 500 head from a Montana ranch. The cowboys from the ranch drive the cattle to the coast where they are loaded on a ship, then take them across to the Siberian coast where they are met by a group of independent cossacks employed by the village. The book begins just as they are about to make port in Siberia. The cossacks make it quite plain that the cowboys' job is finished, and that the cossacks will take the herd from there. The cowboys are just as adamant that their job isn't finished until the herd is delivered to their customers. Eventually they decide to accompany each other into the Siberian wilderness to deliver the cattle. At first they generally distrust each other, but as time goes by deep friendships are formed. This is the kind of book that can make you laugh on one page and cry on the next.
The story is told in first person by a young cowboy named Levi Dougherty ("Ma wanted Levi and Pa wanted Strauss. Ma won.") He is the youngest, and seemingly according to his own opinion, the least experienced of the group. During their journey, they encounter hostile and barbaric Tartars, Imperial Cossacks who work for the government and are therefore enemies, and a variety of dangerous and hostile wildlife. The cowboys come to have a deep respect for the dedication and skill of the mounted, sword-bearing cossacks; likewise the cossacks come to respect the horsemanship and marksmanship of the Winchester-armed cowboys. It also becomes clear that Levi isn't as incompetent as his self-effacing manner makes him out to be. The leader of the cowboys always chooses Levi to perform especially difficult and dangerous tasks, and he always seems to succeed.
It seems that every book by Huffaker is out of print. Even used copies command a high price online. If you happen across a copy of this book in a used book store, you should buy it. Don't even think about it, just buy it.
I think I should also mention for some of my readers: this book has language that some may find objectionable. Just so you know.
