For many years, I've been a huge fan of the movie Legends of the Fall. Only recently did I learn this epic story of guilt, remorse, and the love of brothers was based on a 1970s novel. . .actually, an 83-page novella. The author, Jim Harrison, was unknown to me, but no longer; having finished his riveting LEGENDS OF THE FALL, along with two other novellas in this volume, I will be looking for more titles of this marvelously gifted writer. To say Harrison's prose is unique is an understatement; his writing is fluid and cerebral, boldly introspective, and has virtually no dialogue. I'm rather widely read, but I've never come across writing like this.
The title novella appears last in this volume. The first novella, 'Revenge', tells the story of an Arizona tennis pro who has an affair with a mafia chief's wife--and pays a hefty price when the lovers are discovered in a remote cabin in Mexico. He is left for dead on the side of the road; she is disfigured and left to suffer in an isolated convent. The story conveys how the protagonist recovers, aided by a doctor in another mission, and how he plots his revenge on the men who have so savagely beaten him--and how he can find and rescue his lover. He does have his revenge, and finds his lover, who is terminally ill--yet he is also able, in the end, to forgive his main antagonist.
The second novella, 'The Man Who Gave Up His Name', is the ultimate midlife crisis story. A fortysomething man suddenly has an epiphany, and walks away from a remarkably successful professional career while giving away all his assets--to the consternation of his daughter, ex-wife, and recently widowed mother--and winds up as a cook in a diner in a tiny coastal Florida tourist trap. And during this eye-opening journey, the protagonist literally gets away with murder.
Which brings us to the novella LEGENDS OF THE FALL, the story of the three Ludlow brothers--Alfred, Tristan, and Samuel--who leave their father's north Montana ranch to ride into Canada to enlist in World War I. Alfred is solemn and serious, Samuel hopelessly romantic, and Tristan is a free spirit who has come along with his brothers only to watch over Samuel, the youngest. Those familiar with the story know how Samuel is killed in the war, and Tristan curses God and is overcome with grief--and guilt. He abandons his betrothed, Susannah, and for many years travels the world aboard his grandfather's schooner--yet his primary journey is to find inner peace. When he returns to Montana he discovers Alfred and Susannah have been married years before, his father's health is failing, and Isabel, the daughter of ranch hands when he left, is now a woman in full blossom. He marries Isabel, and his inner peace is found while he helps the ranch make money by smuggling whiskey into the country, an effort that attracts some very dark elements. And like the inevitable fall of dominoes, the darkness invades Tristan's life again, and he embarks on yet another journey of revenge--and a longing for peace. The novella ends beautifully and poignantly, but not happily.
If you enjoyed the film you'll appreciate the novella; the movie is based very closely on this story. Again, Harrison is a gifted writer who operates at the pinnacle of his craft; LEGENDS OF THE FALL is a riveting tale very difficult to put down.
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