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4.58 AVERAGE
4.58 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a shortened version of my full review, as I felt mean to critique it so much and share that publicly.
Lonesome Dove is clearly a masterpiece of the Western genre, but if (like me) you’re not already invested in cattle drives and cowboy fatalism, it’s meh from a substance perspective. The prose is strong, the atmosphere immersive but the hollow philosophizing, lack of dynamic characters, and the underwritten support cast left me underwhelmed. Recommend? Only if you love Westerns.
Lonesome Dove is clearly a masterpiece of the Western genre, but if (like me) you’re not already invested in cattle drives and cowboy fatalism, it’s meh from a substance perspective. The prose is strong, the atmosphere immersive but the hollow philosophizing, lack of dynamic characters, and the underwritten support cast left me underwhelmed. Recommend? Only if you love Westerns.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Man. Just one of those books that exceeded the hype. I feel like the story is just getting started for some of these characters. Gus maybe the best novel protagonist of all time
An adventure, yes. It is also a nearly peerless character study - unusually, of both the men and the women in the book - and an impressive evocation of a time and places that are both long gone and still present. A must read.
If I were to fault the book it would be only that some details laid out in the prequels don’t quite match up with this book, but I’m willing to overlook that.
If I were to fault the book it would be only that some details laid out in the prequels don’t quite match up with this book, but I’m willing to overlook that.
I wasn't in the mood for fiction. One day I may pick it up and try again.
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-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
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
If Cormac McCarthy had humor, more words, punctuation, and slightly less graphic depictions of violence and sex.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism