Stand Proud

by Elmer Kelton

Book Overview

In "Stand Proud," one of his most controversial novels, legendary Western writer Elmer Kelton takes on a character who is not as easy to like as he is to admire. Frank Claymore is cantankerous,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812561619
• ISBN13: 9780812561616
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Forge
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.3" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Too Proud To Like

Maybe it is the type of character Elmer Kelton displays in this book that I do not like. One too proud. From the blurb on the back cover of my first edition Bantam paperback from 1986: "Frank Claymore is more than a man--he is a legend....His trouble is, always has been, that he's too determined, too honest, and far too tough for his own good. He has rubbed folks the wrong way, gained a crowd of enemies and made precious few friends. Now those enemies are out to get him. But no murder charge will make Frank Claymore run, or yield what he build from blood, sweat and sorrow. He's too cussed stubborn for that." Enough said.

This is Literature

I've read 20 Elmer Kelton books in a row. Of all of them, this is the book that I would consider true American literature. Stand Proud should be judged next to "The Grapes of Wrath" in American fiction. Incredibly acurate and true to both time and space. Elmer Kelton is an artist who is available to all who dare pick up this book.

An Epic Tale Of Change

Story of Frank Claymore, Texas cattleman, and the settling of America's western frontier. It spans roughly fourty years, beginning during the Civil War, and subtly shares morality lessons throughout. It paints generational change, both on a personal level and that of greater society's mindsets and needs. Touching and epic, it isn't monumental. In barely three hundred pages, Elmer Kelton takes the reader on a fascinating ride through the fight for and taming of West Texas land as seen through the life of Frank Claymore. The story has an understated tone, yet tugs emotions at deftly plotted moments. Kelton writes to the beat of the human heart. His characters are so real, they could be your neighbors, your family, yourself. I saw a bit of Claymore in myself and am not proud to admit that fact. Claymore isn't a typical hero. He's a rough, difficult, keep-your-emotions-in-check business man. He has high expectations of himself, is a tireless worker, and expects the same of every one else. He's an "A" personality to the nth degree. He has few, but extremely loyal, friends. They're loyal because he is to them. Because he had proven to be a decent, though contentious man, who would put his life on the line and keep it there. Kelton keeps the breadth of this epic to a comfortable size by alluding to many events and stories rather than expositing first hand on every scene. Most of the story is told in flashback sequences which work well with the style Kelton used to tell this tale. By the end of the book, you understand Claymore enough to admire him and feel deeply sorry for him. It's a story of pride, determination, want, and humanity's stoic, unrelenting nature. Elmer Kelton is a writer with tremendous talent. He's a journalist who doesn't write like one. He's loaded with imagination and Stand Proud is one of finer efforts. I didn't give it five stars is because the book didn't take my life over to the degree of being compelled to read it in one sitting. That is a rareity for me to do, so, the books that compel me that way deserve five stars. Stand Proud deserves four and a half.

KELTON SHOULD "STAND PROUD"

I had read a lot of Kelton books and if I remember right they have all been pretty good. "Stand Proud" is one of the best. It is the story of Frank Claymore. A man who has nothing but his love for a woman. Does he get the woman?? NO way. This make him a bitter man. The story takes him from the Civil War, to fighting Indians to building a hugh cattle ranch. He finally gets married to another woman but is unable to tell her his true feelings. The story line is very good. Lots of action and true to life cowboy adventures. He is brought before a Judge and jury for killing a man. He did not do it but he cannot make anyone believe he did not. He is now an old man and not in good health. The book goes back and forth between the courthouse and his life as he lived it. The ending is great and very good. Kelton writes so in your mind you can see the valley he calls home. Would like to be there myself. If you like stories about the west of long ago and the hard times people had, you will like this book. A very good western read.

Kelton at his best!

I have had the good fortune to read most of Elmer Kelton's books, however, "Stand Proud" has somehow eluded me until just recently. I have often said that, in my humble opinion, "The Man Who Rode Midnight" was Kelton's finest. Now, I'm not so sure.