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4.58 AVERAGE
4.58 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
Lonesome Dove is an incredible story about dreams, ambitions, and making the most of life. This book has single-handedly made me a fan of Western stories. The characters in this book are the best that I’ve read. Everyone is unique, interesting, and well-realized. Pieces of many character felt so real that I saw myself, friends, and family in them. Before I realized it happened, I was attached to these characters with all of their good qualities and their flaws.
The first quarter of the book was slow, but engaging since it established many of the characters and masterfully characterized them. There is a whole chapter where the characters argue about putting up a sign, and it is riveting. Once the plot takes shape, it continues unrelentingly. The journey the characters take is set against the backdrop of the West beautifully. Many of the best moments in the book are conversations on horseback under the stars, or staring out across the plains at the sun and the wildlife. The landscape is rendered with just enough detail and time to convey the scope of the journey along with its beauty.
Finally, the messages I took from this book and the things it has me still thinking about may just be life-changing. How these characters move through life and handle their emotions caused me to put down the book several times after a chapter and think. How they face the consequences of actions they think are right or reasonable made me think about actions I have taken. Multiple character’s philosophies or self-doubts were reflective of my own in some ways, and I felt like this was the first time I’ve been able to analyze my own mind from a completely removed third-party perspective.
Because this book has gotten me into a Western kick, I watched The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and in it theres a quote that felt apt for my experience reading Lonesome Dove. Two characters talk about why stories are captivating to people and one says: “Because, well, they connect the stories to themselves, I suppose, and we all love hearing about ourselves, so long as the people in the stories are us, but not us.” I think this is true. I think everyone could connect themselves to some part of Lonesome Dove, and so it’s a book that I’d recommend to everyone who can handle the content. I imagine this book and these characters will stay with me for as long as I know.
The first quarter of the book was slow, but engaging since it established many of the characters and masterfully characterized them. There is a whole chapter where the characters argue about putting up a sign, and it is riveting. Once the plot takes shape, it continues unrelentingly. The journey the characters take is set against the backdrop of the West beautifully. Many of the best moments in the book are conversations on horseback under the stars, or staring out across the plains at the sun and the wildlife. The landscape is rendered with just enough detail and time to convey the scope of the journey along with its beauty.
Finally, the messages I took from this book and the things it has me still thinking about may just be life-changing. How these characters move through life and handle their emotions caused me to put down the book several times after a chapter and think. How they face the consequences of actions they think are right or reasonable made me think about actions I have taken. Multiple character’s philosophies or self-doubts were reflective of my own in some ways, and I felt like this was the first time I’ve been able to analyze my own mind from a completely removed third-party perspective.
Because this book has gotten me into a Western kick, I watched The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and in it theres a quote that felt apt for my experience reading Lonesome Dove. Two characters talk about why stories are captivating to people and one says: “Because, well, they connect the stories to themselves, I suppose, and we all love hearing about ourselves, so long as the people in the stories are us, but not us.” I think this is true. I think everyone could connect themselves to some part of Lonesome Dove, and so it’s a book that I’d recommend to everyone who can handle the content. I imagine this book and these characters will stay with me for as long as I know.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I’m a bit conflicted. I thought it was slow to start and I know it is set in a certain time, but not sure how I feel certain groups of people were represented, mainly Indians. Women and black men were not treated well, but that would be true to the time. And actually some of the smartest, most resourceful and kind characters were women - Clara and Lorena, and a black man - Deets. As the story went on, and you got the perspectives of so many characters, it really built a world that expanded beyond the stereotypes of all these people. They became more than what you expect. But a lot of the characters were also deeply flawed and didn’t really get redemption at the end either. It was very interesting and I came to care for a lot of the characters and worry about what was going to come next. I think that is a mark of a successful story. I will say the ending was pretty anticlimactic and I’m not sure what the author intended the takeaway to be to end the story like he did.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
Overall I enjoyed this book. The depth of characters of the core Hat Creek outfit (Call, Gus, Deets, Newt) was so intricate and well done. I never expected to care this much about a group of cowboys. That being said, I thought the other characters, especially the women, really lacked depth which was jarring in comparison. I almost DNF due to some of the violence against women where the descriptions just kept going on and on. Glad I read it, not sure I’d recommend it to others.
