A review by booksrockcal
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-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

5.0

I read Lonesome Dove as part of the Conquer a Classic read along with the Bookshelf in Thomasville, GA, led by owner  Annie B. Jones and her friend Hunter McClendon. The group started this book in January but i was doing a read of the Iliad as a slow but steady, and by the time I finished I’d moved on to reading books in prep for our trip to Scotland. While people raved about this book, it was hard for me to get excited about a story of cowboys taking a herd of cattle to Montana from Texas. Just when I thought I might never read it, in late August, with my husband in recovery from heart surgery, I decided to start and at least catch up with the group. Two chapters in I was hooked. I could not stop reading-only work and caring for my husband stopped the forward trajectory of finishing the book. This is truly an epic story that has it all- drama, action, love, heartbreak, death, birth, friendship, loyalty, and honor - all set in the the world of the 1885 West, with settlers moving in and Indians being displaced. the central characters are two legendary Texas rangers who decide to leave their Texas town in the banks of the Rio Grande to drive cattle north. In Texas and Montana and along the way they encounter a wide range of complex and interesting characters whose lives cross and intersect in ways that keep the reader engaged and interested. i could not do this as a slow read. Once I started I was hooked. The varied and well drawn characters, the sweeping setting, the themes of loyalty, love and friendship- this book has it all. I thought that I would not enjoy a western- i was wrong. what a book. So grateful to the Bookshelf gang for getting me to read it. i’m sorry i didn’t follow the directions and read it too quickly but oh did i love the book and oh my did it bring me comfort as I worried over my husband’s procedure and healing. An epic story and a book that will stay with me for a long time