Larry McMurtry (1961)
Reading this book is like taking a trip to rural Texas. A beautifully written tale of the modern West, narrated in a strong first-person voice by Lonnie Bannon, the seventeen-year-old grandson of a cattle rancher. McMurtry concisely sets up the routine of life on the ranch and in 170 pages unravels the lives of everyone concerned, ending with a devastating and affecting finish. (FYI, this book was the basis for the movie Hud, starring Paul Newman.)
