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A review by sheepusweepus
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
4.5
if i had to describe this book in one word, it would be melancholy. mood, atmosphere, characters, everything. it's nothing short of masterful how McMurtry keeps the momentum and intrigue going for 857 pages when that's the dominating vibe of the book.
it feels like we start at extremes with the characters and their personalities and work our way inward across the drive. at first glance they all seem so different, and by the end of the book, you see that they're really not. everyone's driven by the same thing, unrequited love. whether it's romantic, platonic, patriotic, paternal, maternal, it's all unrequited. this book is a look into the deep longing that drives us to get up, day after day, and insist in the face of failure that one day, we'll succeed.
the author's note at the beginning says it all: life ain't for sissies! the central theme of unacknowledged paternity reigns supreme. Newt's deep long and deeper frustration/disappointment with his father’s inability to claim him is poignant and clear.
as someone who isn't very into westerns but loves historical fiction, i thoroughly enjoyed it. there are, of course, a variety of racial slurs but it doesn’t feel like author injected bias and is instead an apt portrayal of white cowboy culture of the 1860s/1880s.
it feels like we start at extremes with the characters and their personalities and work our way inward across the drive. at first glance they all seem so different, and by the end of the book, you see that they're really not. everyone's driven by the same thing, unrequited love. whether it's romantic, platonic, patriotic, paternal, maternal, it's all unrequited. this book is a look into the deep longing that drives us to get up, day after day, and insist in the face of failure that one day, we'll succeed.
the author's note at the beginning says it all: life ain't for sissies! the central theme of unacknowledged paternity reigns supreme. Newt's deep long and deeper frustration/disappointment with his father’s inability to claim him is poignant and clear.
as someone who isn't very into westerns but loves historical fiction, i thoroughly enjoyed it. there are, of course, a variety of racial slurs but it doesn’t feel like author injected bias and is instead an apt portrayal of white cowboy culture of the 1860s/1880s.