Honey In The Horn

HONEY IN THE HORN
by Harold Davis

 Award: Pulitzer Winner 1936

 Date Read: February 4, 2018

 Honey In The Horn is the saga of Clay Calvert's life as he homesteads in the fledgling Oregon Territory. Clay is a sheep hand on the ranch of his stepfather's father and, somewhat accidentally, helps his stepbrother, Wade, escape from jail. This turns Clay into a fugitive and he escapes to the wilderness where Clay joins forces with a horse-trader and his beautiful daughter, Luce. Clay instantly falls for her and they are shortly married.

 Clay and Luce eventually join up with a group of travelers who are planning to homestead in Oregon. Believing their fortunes lie in Oregon, Clay and Luce set out. When Luce falls ill during the journey, Clay leaves her to go find help and when he returns, she is gone and from what Clay can determine, she has joined her father again. After a particularly harsh winter, Clay moves back west, uniting with Luce again along the way.

 While I can understand why this won the Pulitzer when it did, this was not one of my favorite novels of this project. I found the actions of Clay mystifying and his relationship with Luce strange. I have been shocked by liking other novels I've read that I would consider of the "western" genre. This was not one of them.

 Looking Forward: Winds Of Morning

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