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A review by bigandy21
Texasville by Larry McMurtry
2.0
I love Larry McMurty and Archer City (the small town Texasville is based on) holds a special place in my heart. I admired The Last Picture Show and I had wanted to continue to see how those teenage characters lives played out.
But wow, this book killed that desire. The change in tone from Last Picture Show, a drama, to Texasville, a broad comedy was jarring. Last Picture Show seemed to have story progression and character action that had impact and consequences. That all seemed missing in Texasville.
The book meanders, chapter after chapter, of characters driving to a location, getting out to make the same small quips and jokes, the characters get mad and/or drepressed, and then they drive off. Rise and Repeat. For 500 pages. If McMurty would have edited the novel down to a leaner 250 pages, not unlike Last Picture Show, this could have been way more impactful.
But wow, this book killed that desire. The change in tone from Last Picture Show, a drama, to Texasville, a broad comedy was jarring. Last Picture Show seemed to have story progression and character action that had impact and consequences. That all seemed missing in Texasville.
The book meanders, chapter after chapter, of characters driving to a location, getting out to make the same small quips and jokes, the characters get mad and/or drepressed, and then they drive off. Rise and Repeat. For 500 pages. If McMurty would have edited the novel down to a leaner 250 pages, not unlike Last Picture Show, this could have been way more impactful.