Lonesome Dove (1985)

Fifth reread of summer ( )

This book is wonderful. I picked this to stretch my reading a bit into a genre I don't usually read (westerns). What I found was an epic story with characters who felt so real and meaningful to me that I didn't want this book to end (and it's a big book, so that is something). The ending is perfect and unsatisfying, all at the same time, which pretty much also describes the rest of the story. The story follows a group of men on a cattle drive from Texas to Montana, but really it's about friends, and family, and the deep characteristics that make each one of the men tick. No one is perfect, no one is evil, they just all have their strengths and flaws, and the struggle against themselves and each other and the often harsh landscape is fascinating reading. ( )

This was one of my favorites for many years. Years later when the two prequels came out, however, I downgraded Lonesome Dove. The articulation between the prequels and Lonesome Dove is not tight and some of the aspects of the story no longer make sense. ( )

A story that grows on you as it goes a long. Before too long you don't want to leave the story or the characters. A beautiful novel all in all. ( )

Lonesome Dove has been on my to-be-read list for over twenty years. A classic western and a Pulitzer prize winner, I've started it at least three times. I've even successfully avoided watching the Lonesome Dove TV miniseries all these years because I knew I wanted to read the book first. So when I was creating my list of 50 Classic Books in 5 Years for My 50th Birthday, this was one of the first books I put on it. I felt it was time to get the monkey off my back.

Was it worth the wait? Definitely.

Lonesome Dove is a truly epic story with memorable, well-drawn characters. McMurtry really knows how to bring a story to life. Despite the novel's massive length, none of the story felt like filler. The book is full of moments of beauty, sadness, humor, and action that unfold organically. I don't remember a single event in the book that didn't ring true. Not that it was perfect, however.

My biggest complaint about the novel is the lack of a satisfying conclusion, at least for me. There were several ways McMurtry could have ended the novel that would have been more emotionally satisfying for me, especially regarding one of the main antagonists. But I assume he chose to go more for realism than for the conventional ending, and I can understand that.

Overall, a terrific novel, and I look forward to finally being able to watch the TV miniseries. ( )