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A review by pippinator
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A book firmly ensconced in its setting - a broad journey through the western genre. Some tough characters, some haunted, some you want to slap upside the head.
With many storylines that cross and intertwine, it still felt clear and easy to sort out who is who. The opening scene with the debate over the sign was one of my favorite parts of the book.
As kids we always played our pretend frontier skirmishes with indigenous folks winning the day in the end and ngl a bit of that rose up in my heart while reading. McMurtry does hint at some of the negative impacts of western expansion on both the decline of bison herds and occasional sympathetic encounter with displaced tribes, but it is more firmly seated in the western perspective. He doesn’t shy away from the uglier sides of the western story, whether from unpleasant events, perceptions, terms/names, etc.
If you can take a bit of trail grit in your coffee, pad your saddle and settle in for a long adventure.
With many storylines that cross and intertwine, it still felt clear and easy to sort out who is who. The opening scene with the debate over the sign was one of my favorite parts of the book.
As kids we always played our pretend frontier skirmishes with indigenous folks winning the day in the end and ngl a bit of that rose up in my heart while reading. McMurtry does hint at some of the negative impacts of western expansion on both the decline of bison herds and occasional sympathetic encounter with displaced tribes, but it is more firmly seated in the western perspective. He doesn’t shy away from the uglier sides of the western story, whether from unpleasant events, perceptions, terms/names, etc.
If you can take a bit of trail grit in your coffee, pad your saddle and settle in for a long adventure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Xenophobia