Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.58 AVERAGE
4.58 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Violence
Moderate: Racism
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Devastatingly good. Highs and lows. Following Gus and Call as they carry Mexican cattle across the country to settle Montana. Some of the boys become men. Some become corpses. The west is not a kind place.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
The rape it is explicit (compared to being suggested or hinted at), but it isn’t described graphically. And it is brief.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An absolute masterpiece. I laughed out loud. I fell in love. I bawled. Reading this book is a heart-wrenching adventure you’ll never forget. Fair warning: you may come away with a hankering to go west.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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:
Yes
Against all the odds, I really liked this book. I usually struggle with novels that are 800+ pages or character driven, and I'm not really interested in westerns either, but this one was great. I even dnf'd this for an hour or so because I didn't think I could do 850 pages of this, but I just had to see it through. The only big thing I didn't like was the POVs of some of the characters that come into the story later, but even those were usually alright once they got going. I just hated July as a character and his entire storyline with Elmira. I also hated Deets' death as well. That was the stupidest death in the entire book, and I think his character just deserved more attention in general. But I did love most of the other main characters.
While western novels are not my favorite genre, and the hard time i had getting into the story at the beginning, this novel has some great characters, great dialogue, funny and sad at times.. captures the absurdity in life perfectly..
after a short reflection i give this book 3.5 stars only because it dragged so much in the beginning..
and some boring parts were very hard to get into, felt a bit like a slice of life anime at times idk
after a short reflection i give this book 3.5 stars only because it dragged so much in the beginning..
and some boring parts were very hard to get into, felt a bit like a slice of life anime at times idk
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
This is a fun read, definitely for a reader who is looking for some adventurous fiction. Don't anticipate it to follow the traditional rules of fiction though; it's filled with a lot of death and it has a lot of unresolved aspects within its plot. These unique characteristics suite the book, though, which is a memoir of the cowboy lifestyle. McMurtry does justice to the cowboy way by not overly romanticizing the Wild West (as so much modern media and literature has). It is very long, so it is not for someone looking for a short read. Also- although the unresolved aspects of the book jive with the unpredictability of the cowboy lifestyle, it can be disappointing for some readers. Some readers may feel a little disappointed with the open ending- especially after taking the time to read nearly 900 pages of text.