Normally, I would never read something like this. No, I am not homophobic (my older brother is gay); but I do get uncomfortable when reading about two men kissing. So, needless to say, I wasn't expecting much from this very short novella.

Let me be the first to say how utterly wrong I was. This novella is not merely about two men who fall in love; it is about love itself. The love story these men share is intense, stormy, beautiful, and heart-wrenching, and I found myself thankful that I have only ever loved one woman my entire life--I duped her into marrying me later--and, therefore, have never had my heart broken.

Put away your preconceived ideas and give this story a chance. If anything, it will only take you a few hours to read. But if you like it, I am sure you will leave this story with a greater insight to what it means to be in love with someone.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

n  Late in the afternoon, thunder growling, that same old green pickup rolled in and he saw Jack get out of the truck, beat up Resistol tilted back. A hot jolt scalded Ennis and he was out on the landing pulling the door closed behind him. Jack took the stairs two and two. They seized each other by the shoulders, hugged mightily, squeezing the breath out of each other, saying, son of a bitch, son of a bitch, then, and easily as the right key turns the lock tumblers, their mouths came together, and hard, Jack’s big teeth bringing blood, his hat falling to the floor, stubble rasping, wet saliva welling, and the door opening and Alma looking out for a few seconds at Ennis’s straining shoulders and shutting the door again and still they clinched, pressing chest and groin and thigh and leg together, treading on each other’s toes until they pulled apart to breathe and Ennis, not big on endearments, said what he said to his horses and his daughters, little darlin.” n

Who’d have known this special movie was based on a short story? Obviously I am late to the party, a common theme with me, but I had no idea. I watched the movie years ago and loved it, and only just realised my work library held the audio CD. I grabbed it quick smart. Excellent and quality narration by Campbell Scott, this is a love story that is never fully realised by our two leading men.

Meeting in summertime, 1960’s, Ennis and Jack meet as ranch hands, their physical attraction immediate. Something catches these two men and summer after summer they try to grab back what they felt that first time. Both marry, and carry on with lives that lack lustre when apart, both joining again for snatches of time in the years to come.

Brutally honest writing as seen in the above excerpt, it is such succinct writing where ridiculous amount of depth is packed into something so small in volume, but so large in everything else.

I loved the scene where two work shirts joined together, unwashed sitting inside each other is a metaphor for a forever love, joined together, never to be parted.

n  "If you can't fix it, you have to stand it".n

I loved it, can you tell?

[The movie is famous and I’ll soon leave a review for the book. All I’ll say at this point is the movie was filmed where I live, I accidentally walked on set during shooting, and we all loved Heath, everyone loved Heath. It broke our hearts to lose him

Annie Proulx is one of the foremost American writers today. Her novel The Shipping News won the Pulitzer Prize, and her latest novel Barkskins seems to have been written in the same vain. As I am drawn to Pulitzer winners in my ongoing personal challenge to read them, I decided to sample Proulx's writing before undergoing the reading of one of her full length novels. Brokeback Mountain set high in the Rockies and later made into a movie of the same name was originally published in the New Yorker. A controversial story of forbidden love, the writing did not disappoint.

Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist were both twenty and looking to embark on their ranching careers. Each came from a distinct background from opposite ends of the state of Wyoming yet wound up on the same summer sheep drive up on Brokeback Mountain near the Montana border. Both young men were classic macho cowboys who could hold his own on the range. Ennis was engaged to be married to a local sweetheart the following December. Yet, one cold night while sharing a sleeping bag, the two men engaged in a forbidden act of love that is all but taboo in the cowboy community. This one event commenced Jack and Ennis' relationship for the next twenty years, one that would hold disastrous for them and their families.

At only fifty five pages in length, Proulx weaved a tragic story of forbidden love. It is a subject matter that I often stay away from yet the writing was so compelling that I read the entire story in mere minutes. Proulx is originally from the eastern United States, but her prose describing rural Wyoming is captivating, and one could see how from this short story, that the scenery could easily transfer to the big screen. It is because of the writing that I stuck with the story. I felt for Ennis' wife who had to hide her husband's secret for years, working to support their two daughters while he pined for Jack. Proulx set the story up so that the majority of readers would sympathize with the cowboys, but I was lead to feel for the supporting cast of characters who were all effected by these two men's decision of continuing a forbidden, clandestine, taboo relationship. Not only were the characters well fleshed out, but Proulx weaved in multiple story lines in this short tale, making the writing engaging from start to finish.

After reading the tragic Brokeback Mountain, I am left uncertain whether I will read Proulx's Pulitzer winning novel. I have heard that her full length books are slow moving albeit attentive to detail and emphasizing character development rather than plot. It is obvious that from this short tale that Proulx can write and I am intrigued to fit her novels into my ongoing Pulitzer challenge. For now, I am left with a bittersweet taste in my mouth after engaging in this short story.

4.5 stars writing
2.75 stars story

This felt way too rushed as a short story and I didn't really get time to love the characters. The idea is definitely good, but I just wish it was more fleshed out.

I don't know how I never knew this was just a very short story. I wish I'd read this years ago. The movie was good, but this was even better. It always amazes me how even a very short story can pull so strongly at your emotions. Thanks so much for the suggestion, Jessica :)

I rarely go to the movies. Truly, the last movie I saw in a theater was Lincoln, in 2012.

But, one day back in 2005, a good friend called and wondered if I'd like to spend that snowy Sunday in a theater with her, watching something called Brokeback Mountain.

Brokeback Mountain? Never heard of it. Sure, I'd go.

Almost no one was in the theater that morning. My friend got popcorn, and I got comfortable. When Heath Ledger appeared on the giant screen, I got sassy, and my friend got uncomfortable.

For those of you who know me, you know I can get very outspoken about my leading men, and Heath has always made my heart beat faster. Before anyone could say “Ledger,” I was making Mmmm, Mmmm yummy sounds and saying things like “Mama like, oh, Mama like.”

My friend slid deeper into her seat and was like, “Rein it in, sister.”

But then Jake Gyllenhaal appeared on the screen and I had never seen him before and I was like, “What's up, Mr. Dimples? Mr. Sparkles? Why don't you come on over here with those shiny eyes?”

I swear I was worse than a 1940s sailor freshly docked at bay.

And just as my eyes were happily feasting on all of that eye candy in Levi's, the weirdest thing happened. . . the Heath character violently grabs the Jake character and they start to have a man-on-man fuck fest. Ain't no other way to describe it, folks.

I remember. . . my hands went numb and I was like. . . WTF? Why are those two hot, hetero guys up there doing that, instead of down here in this row, asking me if I'd like a drink? What is this? I thought we were having a good time, up on that mountain together. (Well, they were, I wasn't).

I was surly after that. Whenever someone asked me if I'd seen the movie, I'd respond with, “Yeah, I've seen the damn movie.”

While other people were getting themselves worked up and quoting scripture. . . I was like, “Why couldn't they have picked less attractive actors?” I didn't have a problem with them being gay, or whatever they were, I had a problem with not being able to imagine them with me. Let's face it, people, you go to a romantic movie, and part of the appeal is imagining yourself in that situation. I wish I had been AWARE of what was going to happen in the movie. I felt. . . taken unawares.

I also wish I had been one of the readers who had known the rather obscure short story when it came out in 1997. I wasn't an Annie Proulx reader yet, but I would become one, in 2013, and fall deeply in love with The Shipping News, too.

If I had read the story, before the movie, it would have been a completely different experience.

Well, anyway, now I have.

I spent last night discovering it, and I can't believe it, but it's one of the best stories I've ever encountered. The writing is stunning, just stunning, and Ennis and Jack's love story pulls you in immediately.

Please, do not mistake me. . . it is NOT a subtle story. The nearly violent interactions between the men in the movie have their basis here, in the original story. . . neither man is a shrinking violet when it comes to his love for the other.

But, oh, it is a love story.

It startled me, stunned me, aroused me, and saddened me. It is truly one of the best works of short fiction I've ever encountered.

And this line: if you can't fix it, you've got to stand it.

To me, this story isn't about being gay; it's about being in love with someone you can't have.

Brokeback Mountain, I got on the book through the movie and I was not disappointed. there are several stories about Wyoming and cowboys. The author, Annie Proulx, uses a lot of strong language, which makes the stories even more emotional and tragic. For anyone who likes serious cowboy stories

"I wish I knew how to quit you."


The movie Brokeback Mountain is one of my favorite movies of all time I literally own three different versions of the DVD and I've been wanting to get my hands on the book for years now. My local library finally had the audiobook available and I listened to it immediately. It took me less than an hour to listen to the whole thing, and damn this story is just incredible. I think I loved reading the book even more after seeing the movie because I already know and love these characters. The only reason I took off a star is because I feel like this book is too short (55 pages) and it could've been so much more powerful and emotional if we had more time to get to know the characters, and if the author had given them more time to develop.

Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist are one of my favorite fictional couples of all time and I adored reading this book so much. The ending made me cry and I couldn't believe how spot on it is with the movie. The dialogue is word-for-word accurate to the movie so as a lover of book to movie adaptations I really appreciate how accurate and true it is to the book. However, I do think this is one of those rare scenarios where the movie is better than the book. I don't know if I would have loved this book as much as I did if it wasn't for seeing Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal bring these characters to life and making me fall in love with their love beforehand.

Either way, I loved this book so much and it makes me want to watch the movie again. I just love Ennis and Jack's tragic love story. BRB, crying forever.

Maybe a 3.5? This was just far too rushed to get the emotional impact of the story.

Review to come.

This is the first time I like the movie more than the book...

This ended up being by far the most depressing freaking story ever. It was sad through and through and Jack was gay and Ennis was just in love with Jack. It’s a complicated thing when you love someone you can’t. Someone who you know can never be yours. I also assumed that the very aggressive middle of the night sex scenes were added to the movie for the taboo aspect of these twos forbidden romance. Reading it was far more stressful and gave me a sense of dread. This is coming from someone who read a prison romance. That was a lot gentler and loving than these scenes.

The descriptions of everything were kind of yucky and even his sex life with his wife made you so depressed you couldn’t wait for all of it to end. I didn’t like Alma. I didn’t care for Jack. I spent ever page worried about Ennis and his insane depression and I loved every moment of this story but I also wanted it to end. It’s a crazy thing but it’s how these romances go for me sometimes. I love when things stay unrequited and unresolved. This ending took me out.

Around that time Jack began to appear in his dreams, Jack as he had first seen him, curly-headed and smiling and bucktoothed, talking about getting up off his pockets and into the control zone, but the can of beans with the spoon handle jutting out and balanced on the log was there as well, in a cartoon shape and lurid colors that gave the dreams a flavor of comic obscenity. The spoon handle was the kind that could be used as a tire iron. And he would wake sometimes in grief, sometimes with the old sense of joy and release; the pillow sometimes wet, sometimes the sheets.
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.