Brokeback Mountain

Written by Annie Proulx

Narrated by Campbell Scott

The film tie-in edition of the story by Annie Proulx, now a movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Randy Quaid, Anne Hathaway and Heath Ledger.

Winner of four BAFTAs 2006, including Best Film, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Screenplay – Adapted and the David Lean Award for Direction

Winner of four Golden Globe Awards 2005, including Best Screenplay, Best Motion Picture and Best Director

Winner of the Golden Lion Award for Best Picture, 2005 Venice International Film Festival

Jack Twist and Ennis del Mar live hard and lonely lives as ranch hands in the wild, unforgiving landscape of Wyoming. They are 'country boys with no prospects, brought up to hard work and privation, both rough-mannered and tough-spoken', glad to have found one another's company where none had been expected. But suddenly companionship becomes something else on Brokeback Mountain: something not looked for, something deadly …

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Mar 3, 2006
• ISBN: 9780007240067

Annie Proulx

Annie Proulx is the author of nine books, including the novel The Shipping News, Barkskins and the story collection Close Range. Her many honors include a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award, the Irish Times International Fiction Prize, and a PEN/Faulkner award. Her story ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ which originally appeared in The New Yorker, was made into an Academy Award-winning film. She lives in New Hampshire.

Reviews for Brokeback Mountain

[joririchardson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have wanted to see the movie fashioned after this book for awhile, but put it off until I read the book.Now, years later, I came across this slim little volume while browsing the shelves of a used bookstore.I read it in about half an hour, but was surprised that such a little amount of time had gone by.At a mere 64 pages, "Brokeback Mountain," which is actually a short story, doesn't look like a laborious read. I began reading it flippantly, skeptical about the idea of an epic romance being contained in under 100 pages.However, this book wasn't what I expected.First of all, it wasn't an "epic romance." I had imagined it being much like a man version of "Titanic." And secondly, I certainly didn't see Proulx's powerful writing coming. In such a small amount of paper, the author covers 20 years, and pulls it off more than successfully. "Brokeback Mountain" may be a short story, but it impacts the reader like a full-fledged novel that you've been reading and loving for weeks.Sure, Proulx could have written this tale as a detailed, long, volume. But her writing clearly points out for itself that she doesn't need to.Her simplistic, to the point prose was a bit hard to get used to, but after a few pages, I was thanking her for it. She includes minor little "supporting" details without ever going into them, giving you a picture of a character in a sentence when other writers would take a chapter. Her writing is short and sweet - or, better put - short and unsweet.Because if there is a word that does not describe this book, it is sweet. Annie Proulx writes with unabashed, realistic, often dirty prose. Her tale is straight black coffee - cowboys didn't have fancy espresso machines, whipped cream, and sugary sprinkles, after all.I was impressed at the way she handled the two main character's relationship. There was no "gazing into his beautiful brown eyes" business. There was no romanticizing it, no beautification. It was a solid, honest story about two men. Their relationship begins with unromantic, unfeeling sex, for example. Not passionate sex, or a sex scene that belongs in a Harlequin. Just sex. The feelings come later, but still without touching up, without airbrushing.There was no epic here - it could very believably have been labeled a true story. And if it had been, it wouldn't have been the dramatic, popular story that the Titanic became. Because, fundamentally, this book is quite normal. Jack and Ennis are everyday men with ordinary, average lives. One would probably be inclined to say, in fact, that their lives were more than a bit mundane.But underneath this violent, hardened world that the reader is drawn into, lies, somewhere, a love story.It is not an obvious love story, or an amazing love story - it is simply a love story.Does it need to be anything else?"Brokeback Mountain" and Annie Proulx are without doubt saying that no, it didn't.

[cassiewinters-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this pretty quickly and enjoyed it. While the movie is immensely better than the story it was still great to see the original source material for the movie. I liked this book and would recommend it to anyone that wants to compare the script to the original. Also there are some phenomenal essays by other people that were involved with the movie in this particular edition as well.

[thomaspluck · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best short stories in English language.

[dono421846 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Difficult to read this short story without picturing the scenes from the movie. In many ways I found the movie more emotionally evocative due to Heath Ledger's performance, showing the anguish of being a closeted man torn between his loves and his social conformity.

[roxiet-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Short, but a well written book.

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Touching and lovely and awful.

[lydiasbooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Wow. This is an intense book, powerfully written. I felt very strange after reading it - as though I'd been ruled by another master for the time it took to read, and it was a tough job coming back to myself. A harsh but necessary modern classic. Read it yourself and see.

[serenayates · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was chosen for me in the 'pick it for me challenge' in the m/m romance group here on goodreads. It's a classic (or should be), I saw the movie years ago, and I was amazed how short the book is.

This is one of the most well written stories I have ever read. In places, it is more like a sketch than a painting. And yet it describes the main characters and their awful dilemma and, ultimately, suffering in such clear pictures that it broke my heart all over again.

This is one of the few "tragedies" that gets 5 stars from me. It is an amazing book which should be required reading for everyone.

[tonifgmamtc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is super short and straight to the point. No floweriness and fillers. I was shocked by how much it made me feel with just these few pages. The way it's delivered makes it so real.

[ameise1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ennis and Jack drive 1963 flock of a sheep farmer to the pastures on Brokeback Mountain and guard them there one summer. They discover their passion for each other. Only after four years, they meet again. Both have now married and started families. Without their wives to tell the truth, they agree to meet regularly from then on. Jack dreams of divorce and to begin a new life with Ennis.the story shows the difficulties with homosexuality to live and how the rejection of the environment, shapes the lives of men.

[jwood652 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Annie Proulx gives us this story of two cowboys who became more than friends. It is an interesting exploration of the social and often dangerous consequences of being gay at the time the story takes place. Times have changed but it is important to continue to explore the problem. This 55 page novella was originally in a short story collection, republished when the movie "came out". I think it would be great if the author expanded the story into a full length book.

[daniellemd-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Devastating.

[bonniemarjorie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

‘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.’Brokeback Mountain is the well known story, written by Annie Proulx, about two Wyoming ranch hands that fall in love one summer in 1963. The two inevitably separate and continue on with their lives, both marrying and starting their own families. Their affair continues though for the next twenty years and is a constant source of both anguish and bliss for both parties.This story is a short one, just 64 pages, but Proulx’s writing manages to still fully express the tenacity of Ennis and Jack’s bond with one another. While that tenacity was fully expressed, I did still wish for more of an in-depth look at the two of them by the final page. Their ending came much too soon. I had never seen the movie before, only knowing it as the movie about the gay cowboys. Admittedly, sure, it is about two gay cowboys but setting aside that unnecessary description, what this story truly is at heart is a story about passion and longing. It’s about finding that one person that you can’t get enough of. That one person that without them, your life is missing a vital piece of the puzzle. It’s a touching and heartbreaking story that will leave you wishing for even half of that type of passion in your life.In 2005, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas returned a 3 million dollar donation rather than submit to that donor’s request that Brokeback Mountain be removed from the list of optional reading for twelfth graders.

[conniejo_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brief, and the characters use very few words, but quite touching and powerful nonetheless. Left me wanting more. Sadly, I haven't seen the movie.I always wish these types of stories were a bit happier in general, but it was still good without it.

[borhap-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

says a lot with very little words

[crazymamie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"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."Can I just say, "Wow!" This short story packs a powerful punch. It's heartbreaking. It breaks it and then it rips it out and throws it on the ground and stomps on it a bit, and yet still you think, "Thank you Annie Proulx." Because she makes you think about life in a way that stops your heart for a beat. Or two. It feels like holding your breath for just one moment too long. So much revealed and yet left unsaid in such a short story. Life is like that. We are shaped by our choices and defined as much by what we don't say as what we do. If you haven't already done so, I beg you to read this story which is short but not small. "...Ennis was back on his feet and somehow, as a coat hanger is straightened to open a locked car and then bent again to its original shape, they torqued things almost to where they had been, for what they'd said was no news. Nothing ended, nothing begun, nothing resolved."

[casabooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Hadn't seen the movie.
Have read some Annie Proulx and have more of here books on my bookshelf.
Didn't know all the "brokeback" references in today-speak.
Now I do.
Quick read and well-portrayed.
Read in 2011.h

[juniperjungle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wasn't sure how I'd get on with this, I loved the film but I've never managed to finish an Annie Proulx book before. I'm impressed by how close the film adaptation was to the original text. Very pleased that I've read it.

[nicola26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was pretty good! It's a very short story but it doesn't feel like that! Proulx is a very talented writer and manages to pack a whole lot of plot into 54 pages. The characters feel very real and the plot was well though out and told in a precise, clear manner. There really is no need for this story to be any longer- it all fits in just fine like this which I think shows a lot of skill on Proulx's behalf. Overall it was a good and memorable book and I'm glad I read it.

[schatzi_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This short novella packs a punch. Jack and Ennis, two young ranch hands, meet one summer while herding sheep on Brokeback Mountain. An intense affair develops between them; both insist that they're not "queer," but neither is able to form attachments that rival what they share together. They see each other occasionally, popping in and out of each others' lives, but Ennis is unable to commit to anything more serious than what they already have. Like I said, the novella is quite short (my copy has 55 pages), but the author doesn't need to fluff up the story. She develops two characters locked in a heartbreaking struggle, and the ending is a gut puncher. Highly recommended.

[becky221_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A concise, evocative story of thwarted love between two cowboys complicated by the time and place of their relationship. Loved the book, but felt saddened by the fact that society often constrains us and that doing the courageous thing sometimes results in tragic consequences.

[varwenea · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this little book in the same evening that I brought it home in one sitting, never got up. It’s short, gripping, descriptive, poignant, heartfelt, simple, tragic, lovely, moving, and shakes you up a bit. To be fair, I’m a huge fan of the movie too. The book and the movie do justice to each other.Jack and Ennis, two men who met as sheep herders for a summer, never identified themselves as gay and don’t know how to label themselves either. “I’m not no queer,” and “Me neither. A one-shot thing. Nobody’s business but ours.” Their love and bond for each other was un-quit-able. (See quote below.) In a mere 53 pages of printed text, Ms. Proulx very powerfully convinces the reader of their eternally attachment in their 20 years of long distance relationship and beyond. Along their journey, also enjoy the author’s simple, yet beautiful and crisp descriptions: lavender sky emptied of color, copper jean rivets hot, etc.Some quotes:Made famous by the movie is the last sentence of this quote.“Try this one,” said Jack, “and I’ll say it just one time. Tell you what, we could a had a good life together, a fuckin real good life. You wouldn’t do it, Ennis, so what we got now is Brokeback Mountain. Everthing built on that. It’s all we got, boy, fuckin all, so I hope you know that if you don’t never know the rest. Count the damn few times we been together in twenty years. Measure the fuckin short leash you keep me on, then ask me about Mexico and then tell me you’ll kill me for needin it and not hardly never gettin it. You got no fuckin idea how bad it gets. I’m not you. I can’t make it on a couple a high-altitude fucks once or twice a year. You’re too much for me, Ennis, you son of a whoreson bitch. I wish I knew how to quit you.” This scene in the movie hit me like a ton of bricks, relating to the shirt Ennis found in the now deceased Jack’s closet still with the blood from their fight. The book does too:“The shirt seemed heavy until he saw there was another shirt inside it, the sleeves carefully worked down inside Jack’s sleeves. It was his own plaid shirt, lost, he’d thought, long ago in some damn laundry, his dirty shirt, the pocket ripped, buttons missing, stolen by Jack and hidden here inside Jack’s own shirt, the pair like two skins, one inside the other, two in one. He pressed his face into the fabric and breathed in slowly through his mouth and nose, hoping for the faintest smoke and mountain sage and salty sweet stink of Jack but there was no real scent, only the memory of it, the imagined power of Brokeback Mountain of which nothing was left but what he held in his hands.” The final sentence of the book – that summarizes their situation:“… if you can’t fix it you’ve got to stand it.”

[technodiabla · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

That book was disappointing since I love the movie so much. It reads like a concept for a screen play. The writing style and dialog is just awkward. Even though it only took a few hours to read I felt it was a waste of time.

[hotwolfie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Annie Proulx did an excellent job of capturing the voice of a rough edged loner caught up in a relationship he can't publicly embrace, but still refuses to let go. This was a heartbreaking story about prejudice, homosexuality, and a loving relationship that spans years. The imagery was gorgeous and the story was tight and sharp.

[smiler69 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I listened to the audio version of this short novel, which took me through a walk with my dog and the preparation of a simple dinner—just one hour, but that hour was filled to the brim with emotion and gorgeous prose and imagery so vivid that I'm sure I would have imagined a movie in my head even had I not seen the film adaptation already. This story of two young men who let time and circumstance steal by and who never get a chance to fully express their love for one another is incredibly poignant, and speaks to all of us who've experienced loss and missed connections. Great narration by Campbell Scott.

[aleahmarie_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brokeback Mountain recounts the love of Jack Twist and Ennis del Mar, a couple of "high school dropout country boys brought up with no prospects." Both are looking for work wherever it can be found. During the summer of 1963 the work brings them together on the summer range of Brokeback Mountain. What begins as a casual relationship evolves into the most important thing in both men's lives, but the strength of their feelings for one another isn't enough to protect against the dark shadow of intolerance.Again I'm mesmerized by Annie Proulx. She tells a story exactly the way I want it to be told and then adds a little something extra. Brokeback Mountain is, of course, heart breaking -- but not gratuitously so. It's a quick read (originally published in a book of short stories) and I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't read any Proulx yet. Have a tissue handy.

[mrn945_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am a huge fan of the movie version of Ms. Proulx's short story, however there was something quite hauntingly beautiful about reading the story behind the script.The imagery was amazing - you could easily picture all the events occurring in a sweeping landscape. Of course, it might help that I live in the prairies.More importantly, the love story between these two men is what sticks with you long after you finish reading. Days later, I was still turning some of their conversations over and over in my mind, torn up inside that they could never be in love with one another. There was something about their quick recoil from the label of homosexual that made me terribly sad. They were both so closed up inside that they couldn't even come to terms with their sexual orientation, because admitting it would be detrimental to their social image. What should have been a beautiful love affair become something dirty. The times and their inability to come to terms with their sexual orientation resulted in their life long unhappiness. Nothing upsets me more than that.If you enjoyed the movie or are interested in a short social commentary, take the time to read this story. I promise it will stay with you long after the last page is turned.

[hengyi_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great book about love.It is very different bewteen this book and the others. because this book describes two guys' love. I am extremely like its plot. I have some new minds about the love when I have read it. some people said that the end of this book was too sad. but, in my opinion, it is not sad for me. it is very important that they love each other! So, love is to need courage.

[shireling · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I guess I'm not the only one that saw the movie before I read the novella-but this is a rare thing: I liked both equally much.Heartwrenching, beautiful!!My thanks to both Ms. Proulx and Mr. Lee!!

[stefano_18 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This collection of stories turned out to be an unexpected treasure. It turns out that not only the title short story 'Brokeback Mountain' is in many ways better than the movie (which is itself already moving to the extreme) but not even the best story in the collection. Or rather, many of the stories in the book have moments that rival if not exceed in beauty those found in the title story. Proulx' prose is a marvel to be studied: the language is economical and taut but at the same time extremely precise (for example in the description of cattle, ranching tools and technologies, vegetation, weather,...) and relentlessly attuned to the experience of life on vast and unsympathetic expanses. Human passions of all sorts are described unsentimentally with a raw, brutal precision that rings true to experience through its complete lack of rhetoric. And then there's the language of the ranchers salted with outrageously funny and/or moving metaphors, often anchored to the sense of sublime that comes from feeling very small in a place that is very, very big. Altogether, an amazingly well written book. The kind you plan to re-read to appreciate more in depth.