Thanks to this book I have started to like The Westerns and cowboys. Of course not those terrible movies. 
 Thanks to this book I have more understand what American spirit is. My understandings has started with books of Gwen Bristow and Nancy E. Turner. Owen Wister is a next step. This mixture of pride, freedom, independence, hard-work, sense of justice and law. And first of all, those differences between various states, territories. 
 A second great level of this book is a love story. It is so amazing and simple. Some scenes I will remember very long. I love this kind of story telling about love. 
 There isn't much a melodrama (I mean this "over-drama", when an author makes all to make you cry). But there are sadness and difficult moments and decisions. 
 Again, I think that quotes from book will say more than my awkward attempts to explain ;-) 
 ****** 
 Added later. 
 I have forgotten to add, that there are funny and brilliant actions, for instance with hen Emily or with exchanging the children. I love it. 
 ****** 
 "the letter means nothing until the spirit gives it life" 
 "I would mind it less," said Mrs. Westfall, "if you looked a bit sorry or ashamed." The Virginian shook his head at her penitently. "I'm tryin' to," he said" 
 "I don't think I like you," said she. "That's all square enough. You're goin' to love me before we get through" 
 "They're pretty near the color of your eyes." "Never mind my eyes." "Can't help it, ma'am. Not since South Fork" 
 "Go on so! I don't reckon yu' know what you're sayin'. Yu' might as well ask fruit to stay green. If the way we are now can keep bein' enough for you, it can't for me. A pleasure to you, is it? Well, to me it is--I don't know what to call it. I come to yu' and I hate it, and I come again and I hate it, and I ache and grieve all over when I go. No! You will have to think of some other way than just invitin' me to keep green" 
 "It was through the Declaration of Independence that we Americans acknowledged the ETERNAL INEQUALITY of man. For by it we abolished a cut-and-dried aristocracy. We had seen little men artificially held up in high places, and great men artificially held down in low places, and our own justice-loving hearts abhorred this violence to human nature. Therefore, we decreed that every man should thenceforth have equal liberty to find his own level. By this very decree we acknowledged and gave freedom to true aristocracy, saying, "Let the best man win, whoever he is." Let the best man win! That is America's word. That is true democracy. And true democracy and true aristocracy are one and the same thing. If anybody cannot see this, so much the worse for his eyesight" 
 "Am I to understand that these--a--cow-boys attempted to mutiny, and were discouraged in this attempt upon finding themselves less skilful at lying than the man they had plotted to depose?" 
 "He looked pleased. "I reckon," he said, "I couldn't be so good if I wasn't bad onced in a while" 
 "She spoke in accents light and well intrenched. "I wish to say that I have never liked any man better than you. But I expect to!" He must have drawn small comfort from such an answer as that. But he laughed out indomitably: "Don't yu' go betting on any such expectation!" 
 "Who is he?" "Nobody!" cried Molly, with indignation. "Then you shouldn't answer so loud," said the great-aunt" 
 "But I'm never goin' to quit till 'next time' is no more, and it's 'all the time' for you and me" 
 "I promised you should love me," he sternly interrupted. "Promised that to myself. I have broken that word" 
 "You are speakin' low like me," he answered. "But we have no dream we can wake from" 
 "Well, he took dying as naturally as he took living. Like a man should. Like I hope to." Again he looked at the pictures in his mind. "No play-acting nor last words. He just told good-by to the boys as we led his horse under the limb" 
 "Now back East you can be middling and get along. But if you go to try a thing on in this Western country, you've got to do it WELL. You've got to deal cyards WELL; you've got to steal WELL; and if you claim to be quick with your gun, you must be quick, for you're a public temptation, and some man will not resist trying to prove he is the quicker. You must break all the Commandments WELL in this Western country, and"