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4.58 AVERAGE
4.58 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
so completely the opposite of the kind of book i love and yet i loved every second of it. new all time favorite
So good! I don't normally read "westerns" but I'm so glad I read this one. Part 1 is pretty dry, but it's worth it to get to part 2 & 3! Character development was excellent!
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a slow burn at the beginning. Once the action takes off, it takes off. You get to take your time getting to know the characters and let them win your heart. An epic adventure and emotional journey
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I'll be straightforward with you: "Lonesome Dove" is probably one of the greatest American novels ever published. I place it among the greats of American literature like "The Grapes of Wrath," and "The Great Gatsby." My only regret is that I did not read it sooner.
In the preface, McMurtry acknowledges the influence "Lonesome Dove" had upon Westerns and, more importantly, the American psyche. Americans have a long, obsessive relationship with the "Wild West" that pre- and post-dates "Lonesome Dove." In fact, this novel's entry is relatively late. The "Western" was enormously popular between the 30s and the 60s and "Lonesome Dove" was not published until 1985. It may be tempting to discount its influence, but I agree with Nasrallah Mambrol, who wrote in 2019: "What McMurtry did was to reinvent the Western novel by taking its basic elements and elevating them to the level of epic."
"Lonesome Dove" is epic in both size (960 pages) and scope. It boasts at least ten characters whose points-of-view are explored and no fewer than seven more whose personalities readers have ample time to explore. The cast rivals George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" in size and diversity. The plot appears simple on the surface, but in reality it is deceptively complex (like the lands and peoples explored in the text): Gus and Call, a famous pair of erstwhile Texas Rangers, drive several thousand cattle from southern Texas to northern Montana with the help of about a dozen hired hands. Throughout the book, the readers encounter themes like loss, love, old age, luck, and strength (both masculine and feminine). McMurtry did such a fantastic job writing the characters that sometimes I felt like they might have been real people. Much of this is accomplished through spellbinding--and occasionally hilarious--dialogue.
I would argue that the main characters, Gus and Call, whose points of view are most often explored, are not the true protagonists. No, the real star is the terrible, beautiful, dispassionate American wilderness. It gives and it takes away with total disregard for the fates of the men and women whose lives it dictates. Living in the 21st century, it is easy for us to forget how fickle the world felt before we sheltered ourselves against it. Rivers, which we now view with disinterest bordering on disrespect, once represented barely surmountable barriers capable of both nourishing and killing. They do not care if we live or die, yet we are wholly dependent upon them. Without the nurturing waters of the Colorado, for example, several great American cities--and their millions of citizens--would shrivel and die. The power of the Earth is beyond our ability to comprehend and it is portrayed in raw, terrible beauty in "Lonesome Dove."
I could not possibly do this great novel justice in a review. I am no author. You owe it to yourself to explore the novel yourself. It is a significant investment, but it is one well worth your time and money. Run, don't walk, to get yourself a copy.
In the preface, McMurtry acknowledges the influence "Lonesome Dove" had upon Westerns and, more importantly, the American psyche. Americans have a long, obsessive relationship with the "Wild West" that pre- and post-dates "Lonesome Dove." In fact, this novel's entry is relatively late. The "Western" was enormously popular between the 30s and the 60s and "Lonesome Dove" was not published until 1985. It may be tempting to discount its influence, but I agree with Nasrallah Mambrol, who wrote in 2019: "What McMurtry did was to reinvent the Western novel by taking its basic elements and elevating them to the level of epic."
"Lonesome Dove" is epic in both size (960 pages) and scope. It boasts at least ten characters whose points-of-view are explored and no fewer than seven more whose personalities readers have ample time to explore. The cast rivals George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" in size and diversity. The plot appears simple on the surface, but in reality it is deceptively complex (like the lands and peoples explored in the text): Gus and Call, a famous pair of erstwhile Texas Rangers, drive several thousand cattle from southern Texas to northern Montana with the help of about a dozen hired hands. Throughout the book, the readers encounter themes like loss, love, old age, luck, and strength (both masculine and feminine). McMurtry did such a fantastic job writing the characters that sometimes I felt like they might have been real people. Much of this is accomplished through spellbinding--and occasionally hilarious--dialogue.
I would argue that the main characters, Gus and Call, whose points of view are most often explored, are not the true protagonists. No, the real star is the terrible, beautiful, dispassionate American wilderness. It gives and it takes away with total disregard for the fates of the men and women whose lives it dictates. Living in the 21st century, it is easy for us to forget how fickle the world felt before we sheltered ourselves against it. Rivers, which we now view with disinterest bordering on disrespect, once represented barely surmountable barriers capable of both nourishing and killing. They do not care if we live or die, yet we are wholly dependent upon them. Without the nurturing waters of the Colorado, for example, several great American cities--and their millions of citizens--would shrivel and die. The power of the Earth is beyond our ability to comprehend and it is portrayed in raw, terrible beauty in "Lonesome Dove."
I could not possibly do this great novel justice in a review. I am no author. You owe it to yourself to explore the novel yourself. It is a significant investment, but it is one well worth your time and money. Run, don't walk, to get yourself a copy.