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noonjinx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
McMurtry obviously loves his subject: the book is full of western tropes but he manages to undermine the myths by showing how harsh and unforgiving frontier life was, and how survival depended on luck as much as judgement and skill.
The action is nicely paced. The characters are all deep, beautifully drawn and uniquely flawed, so you end up loving and admiring them but wanting to slap some sense into them too. The book is funny as well as exciting and sad. It’s worth reading for Gus’ hilarious monologues alone.
Some of the plot lines depend heavily on coincidence. Characters run into each other all the time and at one point McMurtry tries to explain this away by telling us there was only one road. The last few chapters are tragic and pretty bleak, but worse than that, the introspection goes on too long and gets a little boring.
I also wish the author had been a little braver in his myth busting. There’s a lot of frontier justice in this book and McMurtry can’t help justifying every lynching. I think it would have been more interesting and Captan Call had occasionally got the wrong guy.
Still a great book to read.
Graphic: Rape, Death, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
shirtypantser's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexism
Minor: Gore
martyrdomx5's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Sexual violence
skitch41's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Torture, Rape, and Kidnapping
Minor: Racial slurs
krysley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Now that that's out of the way: I loved this book so much.
Honestly, it was more than I ever expected it to be and brought out all the emotions, from anger and despair to heartbroken. These characters live in my head rent free and I'm glad to share the space with them. This book simply captivated me. Actually, it was more than that - I wanted to nerd out over this book, write a paper about the female characters and how McMurtry handled each one, and discuss every little nuance. It has been a long time since a book has effected me in such a way and I can't wait to read this again.
For a book written in 1985 about the 1870s, I was expecting heaps of misogyny, racism, and all the other hateful things that often spawn from those time periods combining. But . . . that wasn't what I got. Yes, there was misogyny and racism, but it was in the context of the time period (that didn't stop me from angrily crossing out the n-word in my personal copy every time I read it - some things I don't need to read over and over).
Moderate: Sexism, Animal death, Death, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Violence, Gun violence, Physical abuse, and Rape
deadeye's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Colonisation, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Vomit, War, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Violence, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, and Torture
Moderate: Pedophilia, Abortion, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicide, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
nadspowell's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Murder, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Grief, and Colonisation
katjoyphil's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
literarypaiges's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Racism, Racial slurs, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual violence and Sexual content
Minor: Vomit
derschnauzbart's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Child death, Murder, Racism, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexism, Rape, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Grief, and Animal death
Minor: Slavery, Child abuse, Alcoholism, and Pregnancy