Lonesome Dove (Lonesome Dove, #1) in James Mustich's 1000 Books to Read Before You Die

Feb 08, 2015 Matthew rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own, 2018, favorites, classic, western

Are you looking for the most Western book ever? If so, Lonesome Dove better be in your search!

This was a fantastic epic journey! I am glad I took this one slowly over the course of several months so that I could savor it. You may look at this and say, “Matthew, you took exactly four months to read an 858 page novel? That must have been a chore!” But, it was not. Every chapter was a story in itself, every page added to the characters, atmosphere, drama, etc. No filler. No boring parts. Everything Are you looking for the most Western book ever? If so, Lonesome Dove better be in your search!

This was a fantastic epic journey! I am glad I took this one slowly over the course of several months so that I could savor it. You may look at this and say, “Matthew, you took exactly four months to read an 858 page novel? That must have been a chore!” But, it was not. Every chapter was a story in itself, every page added to the characters, atmosphere, drama, etc. No filler. No boring parts. Everything in Lonesome Dove is there for a reason and helps to make this one of the best Westerns ever.

The Story – The American West was not clean. The American West was not forgiving. This book does not pull any punches when it comes to setting the mood for what life was really like as the American West was settled. Cowboys, bandits, whore houses, fur trappers, buffalo hunters, Native Americans, etc. – all there and not romanticized. I think it did a great job of touching on sensitive topics (women’s role in the old West, Native American treatment, etc.) and keeping it real without making the reader uncomfortable. Those things did happen, so when telling stories about them, it is easy to do it wrong and make a book uncomfortable to read. I did not feel that was the case here even when things were at their most shocking in this story.

The Characters – So many wonderful and interesting characters! I love that McMurtry took the time to flesh all of them out and make sure that even some of the minor characters have more heart and soul than some of the main characters in other books. And, part of what is great about this is how real the characters are; they are not written so we think all the good guys are perfect or all the bad guys are bad. You soon realize that anything is possible for any character and nothing feels forced to make a point. The movement of all the lives together is very organic. Needless to say, a very satisfying character study.

The Atmosphere – You want to feel like you are in the Old West. Read this book. Period!

Summary – I am sure by now you can tell this book blew me away. I would highly recommend it, but it may not be for everyone. If you are not a fan of Epics, it is probably not for you. If you have a hard time with real, raw, and often not pretty scenes in books, this also may not be for you (not quite as bad as Cormac McCarthy in Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West, but still pretty intense!). If you are fans of books like Gone with the Wind by Mitchell or Centennial by Michener and you have not read this book, you must! You really, really, really must read this book! ...more

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Jul 31, 2009 Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance rated it it was amazing

Shelves: on-the-road, the-great-american-read, must-read, west, relationships, favorites

Look at the title. Take a look at that cover. Read the synopsis of the plot. Nothing about Lonesome Dove appeals to me. Yet I've read its 858 pages ~~three~~ four times. It may be my favorite book.

What is it about this book?

Here, then, are ten reasons I love Lonesome Dove:

1. My second-best-friend Karen and I don't agree on much ("You say tuh-may-tuh, I say tuh-maw-toe"), yet we are both crazy about Lonesome Dove.

2. I personally know three teens who were converted into readers by reading this book. N ...more

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