Review of the Range

Great distances, unforgiving spaces, vicious winters, searing summers and barren soil are characteristics of the violence of the Wyoming environment. These are the same ingredients that spawn the loneliness of its inhabitants. But to suggest that the ruthless environment is solely responsible for shaping her characters is a trite oversimplification of her concept of fate. Annie Proulx is so much more complex than that.

These qualities of violence and loneliness, however, are centerpieces of many of the stories. Her characters are drawn from bars, rodeos, ranches, and their stories draw upon the traditions and folk tales of Wyoming, the day-to-day details of ranch work, and their characteristic toughness and persistence in the face of adversity, set against the values of the new West.
Two of the stories, "The Blood Bay" and "The Half-Skinned Steer" leave you with the same reaction that O. Henry does. All leave you with profoundly differing emotions…from awareness of the hopelessness of uphill struggles to understandings of obsession, or the wrong types of love. Proulx's imagery is incredible, and she uses it not only to capture the essence of her characters but also to tie her stories together...

This web site gives an indepth review of Annie Proulx Close Range. It helps break down the book, giving you detail about why the book was written, what it is about, and what life was like living in Wyoming.
The reviw suggests that Most of the stories not only tie in together but also with her own emotions, commenting on how incredible her imagination is.



The huge empty landscape of Wyoming is a vivid presence in this book, the stage for great and small human tragedies. The stories are full of vivid, gritty details about contemporary western life;