Dern. This here is a tragedy. An epic tragedy, I reckon. Come to think of it, I don’t think anyone said “reckon” in this 858 page tome. Oh, and this may be an unpopular opinion, but I really, really did not like the character of Lorena…
Lonesome Dove (Lonesome Dove #1)
Author: Larry McMurtry
Pages: 858
Format: Paperback
Published: January 1, 1985
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
View on Goodreads
Date Completed: August 13, 2024
My rating: 
Thoughts
It’s taken me some time after finishing this book to sit down and write this review. I’m not really sure why because I can emphatically say that I loved this book.
If you’re a fan of westerns, read this book. If you’re a fan of Louis L’Amour and his ability to put you into the scenes with him, read this book. If you’re not a fan of either, I would still recommend reading this book.
The basic premise is that two former Texas Rangers, Call and Gus, get themselves some cattle (i.e., they steal a herd of cows from Mexico), a remuda of horses (also stolen), and head for the uncharted territory of Montana. And there is a LOT that happens along they way.
Not a character is wasted in this book either. Call and Gus are both really well-defined characters. I haven’t seen the TV movie, but I can tell just from reading that Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall were perfect cast as Call and Gus, respectively. Their banter is funny, but you can tell from the first page to the last that they love each other in their own way.
Newt is a bit of a sad character. He’s basically an orphan, although it’s obvious that he’s Call’s illegitimate son. Call just won’t acknowledge that – even if he really wants to.
I couldn’t stand Jake Spoon, which was probably the point. But Lorena was probably my least favorite character. She’s a whore that takes up with Jake after he promises to take her to San Francisco. Now, you and I both know that Jake didn’t mean that. But she really wanted to believe. And Jake causes her nothing but trouble. And when she stands up for him to Newt, she ends up getting captured by Indians and beat near to death. So what does she do then? She latches on to Gus, forsaking all others. Including poor Dish, who has quite the unrequited love for her.
July Johnson was another sad character. There’s lots of guys out there like him, but how the hell did he get to be sheriff of Fort Smith anyway? It was probably thrust upon him, since he doesn’t do anything of his own volition anyway. And his wife – what a b… very uncool person…
By the end of the book, some people get what’s coming to them, others get the short end of the stick, and still others have to go on living in a world still being tamed.
I saw this book recommended all over the place, including on YouTube channels dedicated to fantasy book reviews. And I was so not disappointed. This was one of the easiest 5-star ratings I’ve ever given. Now I need to go read more from McMurtry and more in the Lonesome Dove universe. The Lonesome Doviverse. The McMurtry-verse. Something like that…
