Lonesome Dove (Lonesome Dove, #1) in Retro Chapter Chicks

Sep 04, 2017 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own, favorites

Update: Finally able to talk about the book.

This book touched my heart, made me laugh so many times, made me mad and made me cry.

There are a lot of books I would never have read if it wasn't for my Goodreads friends, but the two most memorable and that have made it to my favorites list are:

The Conte Of Monte Cristo and Lonesome Dove

I loved so many characters in this book and I feel like I have been on that journey with them. I kept wishing they would have stayed in Texas or at least stopped ...more

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Jun 08, 2017 Brina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: pulitzer-winner, long-reads, classics, western

Larry McMurtry is considered one of America's master story tellers. His novels include Terms of Endearment and The Last Picture Show, as well as the screenplay to Brokeback Mountain, which later became award winning films. A revered author in Texas, he was invited by former First Lady Laura Bush to be a special guest speaker at the first annual Texas Book Festival. It seems fitting that I began his definitive work, Pulitzer winning Lonesome Dove, on his birthday, June 3. A story of Texas Rangers Larry McMurtry is considered one of America's master story tellers. His novels include Terms of Endearment and The Last Picture Show, as well as the screenplay to Brokeback Mountain, which later became award winning films. A revered author in Texas, he was invited by former First Lady Laura Bush to be a special guest speaker at the first annual Texas Book Festival. It seems fitting that I began his definitive work, Pulitzer winning Lonesome Dove, on his birthday, June 3. A story of Texas Rangers and winning the western frontier, which later encouraged McMurtry to create a tetralogy, Lonesome Dove is considered the foremost work of American western fiction.

Augustus "Gus" McCrae and Woodrow F. Call ride as Texas Rangers for nearly thirty years, keeping the new state safe from Indians, Mexicans, and ruffians following the completion of the Civil War. By the time of the volume's opening, however, Mexicans decided to stay on their side of the Rio Grande and most Indians had cleared out of south Texas, leaving the area to law abiding citizens. Even though the two never tired completely of rangering, they founded the Hat Creek Outfit, a stables outside of Lonesome Dove, a settlement close to the Mexican border. It is here that McCrae and Call got their team of Rangers back together for one final adventure before they ride off into the sunset.

Creating a large cast of characters and multiple storylines that eventually meet up, McMurtry creates a western novel that is more than the story of cowboys and Indians. Former ranger Jake Spoon, a good guy turned outlaw, convinced Call to move thousands of cattle and start the first ranch north of the Milk River in Montana. At the time unexplored territory, Call is up for the challenge and assembles a team of cowboys to make the journey north. The group, full of colorful personalities, got more than they bargained for on the trip. Most thought it was to be a journey, get paid, and then return home to Lonesome Dove. They did not sign up for river crossings, sandstorms, and skirmishes with Indians and grizzly bears. Yet, Call desires to conquer virgin territory and make a name for himself as one of the pioneers of the Montana land grab.

McCrae signs up for the journey as a last hurrah with his lifelong friend. Yet even he gets more than he asked for on the trip. A carefree persona happy to sit back with a glass of whiskey and a deck of cards, McCrae would rather be outside a saloon in Lonesome Dove than on a two thousand mile journey north. Yet, the thought of seeing the love of his life Clara Allen at the midway point of the trek, spurs McCrae to join up. Along the way, he saves a whore named Lorena from a vile Indian named Blue Duck and becomes her guardian, only to find himself when he meets with Clara once and for all. This story line tugged on my emotions the most as McMurtry weaves multiple characters' stories together to form a nexus at Clara's ranch. It is here that both the cowboys and their loves must make key decisions that are vital to the duration of the novel.

McMurtry makes Lonesome Dove more than just a story of cowboys by informing his readers of key events that have taken place to change the course of the American west. He touches on the plight of the Indians who in the 1870s are still fighting off the cavalry and cowboys for control of the great land grab. The army, settlers, and Indians all think that the land belongs to them, setting the stage for epic battle scenes, none as brutal as those involving Blue Duck. He also has the cowboys in their dialogue describe how if they are not careful all of the buffalo will be gone soon, so the men enjoy watching and running with the great creatures while they are still able. McMurtry also touches on the place of women in society as he describes in detail the characters of Lorena, Clara, and a wandering soul named Elmira. All three are limited in choices between marriage and whoring, and in the end Clara desires a brighter future for both Lorena and her two daughters.

While I enjoyed the multiple story lines, the place of women, the character studies, and history, the journey from Texas to Montana is what kept me reading this volume. At 750 pages in length, the novel is fast reading as I desired to see the resolution of this complex story that McMurtry has created. Now that I have completed and left behind Lonesome Dove, I am ready to return again as the writing was captivating and held my attention throughout. As I attempt to read through the Pulitzers, I view Lonesome Dove as one of the best. I hope to return to the tetralogy at some point, but I would like to savor this 5 star read for awhile first. ...more

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Jun 16, 2010 Book Concierge rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adventure, historical-fiction, book-club, movie, nature, concierge, library, friendship, pulitzer, favorite

5***** and a ❤

The quintessential Western – but also a love story, an epic adventure, a buddies’ road trip and a look at a time in American history that is long gone and available to the current-day citizen only through reading.

Augustus “Gus” McCrae and Woodrow (W. F.) Call are former Texas Rangers who have settled on the Hat Creek near the small town of Lonesome Dove on the Rio Grande. It’s a hardscrabble life, but it suits their independent natures. A former colleague shows up one day – the ch 5***** and a ❤

The quintessential Western – but also a love story, an epic adventure, a buddies’ road trip and a look at a time in American history that is long gone and available to the current-day citizen only through reading.

Augustus “Gus” McCrae and Woodrow (W. F.) Call are former Texas Rangers who have settled on the Hat Creek near the small town of Lonesome Dove on the Rio Grande. It’s a hardscrabble life, but it suits their independent natures. A former colleague shows up one day – the charming Jake Spoon – and tells a tale of Montana. Call decides they should get a herd and go to the promised rich land of Montana and so the adventure begins.

The sweeping saga of their months-long trip from the Rio Grande to far northern Montana is more than just a Western, however. We meet Lorie (Lorena Wood) … a young woman who has been led to the “sporting” life by circumstances beyond her control, but who harbors a dream of San Francisco and cooler temperatures. Her fierce desire to move on leads her to decide to go along on the trail drive, and eventually to the horrors of being kidnapped by the infamous Indian bandit Blue Duck. And we meet the love of Gus’s life – Clara, who has now made her life on the Nebraska plains with her husband and children.

There are hundreds of characters, some with just a brief mention, others central to the tale. And there are equally important non-human characters. The horses and other animals – Hell Bitch, Mouse, Sugar, Old Dog, the Texas Bull, Greasy, etc. And perhaps most prevalent are the inanimate “characters” – the vastness of the landscape, and the weather.

Gus is the philosopher of the group … always having something to say, but doing little of the work. Call is the taskmaster, a man who is running from his thoughts and who can never admit a mistake. Together they constitute a formidable team.

I had seen the mini series but had never read the book, so I couldn’t help but picture Tommy Lee Jones as Call and Robert Duvall as Gus. But the descriptions in the book are somewhat opposite. Call is short and stocky; Gus is tall and wiry. ...more

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Jun 10, 2014 Tasha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own, historical-fiction, favorites-2016

Amazing.

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Sep 10, 2020 Celia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020-read, ten-year-challenge, historical-fiction-read, pulitzer, 2020-btc, western, kindle-unlimited-former

I know I will not be able to do this EXCELLENT book justice, but I am going to try.

Cowboys, cattle and whores are the main characters in this book. Sometimes the book is sad, sometimes it is funny. Not everyone gets out alive.

Lonesome Dove is a small town in Texas. The Hat Creek Boys are the cowboys. They are led by Captain Woodrow F. Call. He is a man who lives to work. His latest project is to drive 3000 cattle to Montana.

Other Characters and there are MANY, all memorable. From Wikipedia:
Capt ...more

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Jan 29, 2021 ˜”*°•.˜”*°• Sheri •°*”˜.•°*”˜ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, history, retro-chicks-group-read

So much has been said and written about this novel, there's not a lot left to say.

It's a meandering tale about two retired Texas Rangers, who struggle with the outside forces of life but mostly struggle within themselves. It’s not a story that’s full of mystery, suspense, or excitement. It’s true to what I imagine the way of life would have been during 1870. It is male centric and sometimes crude, which I imagine was also true during their day.

I liked both the main characters. Augustus loves to ...more

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