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243rd out of 381 books
—
160 voters
The Berrybender Narratives (The Berrybender Narratives #1-4)
Larry McMurtry'smajor four-volume seriesfollows theBerrybender family—aristocratic, English, and fiercely out of place—ontheir journeyto see the American West as it begins to open up.
Sin Killer
It is1830,thedawn of a new era in America's growth,whenLord and Lady Berrybenderembark on a journey up the Missouri River to explore the frontier and to broaden the horizons of th
...moreebook, 0 pages
Published
June 1st 2010
by Simon & Schuster
(first published May 29th 2010)
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This book is a compilation of the four Berrybender novels. I think they work together as one long novel like this. It just seemed like too much of a broken up story when they came out in short installments. Nobody writes westerns like McMurtry. Action, adventure, humor, gunslingers, Indians, whores, he's got it all. I recommend reading this only after reading his entire Lonesome Dove series (a classic). I wish McMurtry would write more stuff like this before he dies.
This is a highly entertaining book. This is the story of a wealthy English family who travel with their parents up into the heart of the American wilderness on a steamship. At least, that's how it begins. The cast of characters is varied and interesting. It provides an fresh look at the brutal nature of life in the American West just at the cusp of being tamed. Warning- there is a lot of "fornincatin'" but it certainly isn't graphic.
McMurtry's epic story of a family's trek across 1830s American frontier. This is excellent historical fiction. His ability to create believable characterizations and blend interweaving storylines is Dickensian. Entertaining on the surface, the narrative is a vehicle to paint a portrait of the American West in the early days of westward expansion, beginning from the office of Captain Clark himself.
McMurtry has never failed me. His characters become so real to me. These stories are about a Wealthy English family traveling through the old west for sport and adventure. They came to see the Indians and shoot the buffalo, and they are all crazy. It was shocking the way this family behaved. Yet, it was probably more historically true than all the American history books I had ever read.
As with most McMurtry stories, no character is immune to getting maimed or killed and when you least expect it. I love that about his books. This series has caused me to read "Prairie Fever", a historical book British aristocrats who roamed the American plains in the 1800's.
Larry McMurtry is my guy. He casts a spell here with an incredible cast of eccentric characters from the Sin Killer to sad Pomp to the naughty Petal. Travel with the Berrybender clan as they make their way across the rugged west and encounter every type of calamity known to man!
Read all four in short order! What can I say? It's Larry McMurtry!
Sorry when the Series came to a conclusion!!
I love some of Larry McMurtry's books. This one was not his best. I think Lonesome Dove is one of the best books I've ever read. The Texas Rangers, Capt. Call, Gus McRae, Deets and Dobbs and all the other guys were so flawed and wonderful. I just loved them all. His indians were vicious and scary and easy to hate. The characters in The Berrybender Narratives while flawed were not loveable at all and the indians were kind of dull. Certainly not vicious and scary. I was hoping for another Lonesome...more
Loved these books:-)
LOVED this tetralogy!
awesome series
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Great fun
More great reading from Larry. The whole set is really great with the beginning "Sin Killer".
I am amazed at McMurtry's skill at portraying the Old West with each additional page I read. His characters are quirky individuals, sometimes funny, sometimes pathetic, but always real. HIs descriptions of the action of the untamed West are not to be equalled--brutal, breath-taking, and again, very real.
This book is a treasure - humorous, tragic, zany, sweet...I was skeptical of reading Larry McMurtry but I immensely enjoyed this - great historical fiction with real life characters interspersed with dysfunctional family members!
A mosaic of characters immersed in the west during that time when American Indians still ruled but the whites are on the way ....
As good as Lonesome Dove, and that's saying something.
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| why so under rated? | 3 | 2 | Feb 01, 2013 04:22pm |
Among many other accolades he was the co-winner of an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Brokeback Mountain in 2006.
Larry McMurty was born in Wichita Falls Texas in 1936. His first published book Horseman, Pass By was adapted into the film "Hud".
McMurty went on to publish many more novels, a number of which went on to become movies as well as a TV mini-series.
More about Larry McMurtry...
Larry McMurty was born in Wichita Falls Texas in 1936. His first published book Horseman, Pass By was adapted into the film "Hud".
McMurty went on to publish many more novels, a number of which went on to become movies as well as a TV mini-series.
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