Reading the Chunksters discussion
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Lonesome Dove
Archived 2012 Group Reads
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Lonesome Dove 01: Chapters 1-4
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Personally I'm loving Gus and Call...they are so dissimilar in temperament that I can't wait to see how they get along. The hands are all pretty interesting, but Gus and Call are the best so far.
I love how the author really introduces you to the characters intimately with offhand comments. He creates a world where you get to know them faster because they mean what they say and think and dont have time to waste on anything less. The narrative really seems to invoke the temperament of a Texan plain to me, its sparse but powerful.I dont know how Call and Gus work together! They are completely different.
I have to agree about the characters of Guss and Call thus far they are my personal favorites. And part of it has to do with how different they are from each other, they set each other off nicely, and both of them have aspects which are appealing. And there is some humor in their bickering and the differences between them. This is really my first time reading anything in the Western Genre, and so I was uncertain at first, while a part of me of curious I was not quite sure if in fact I would like it, I am so so on Westerns in general, some of them I enjoy, but it is not a particular interest of mine. But thus far I am enjoying the book. I do like that sort of atmosphere that it creates of the Wild West. I also do enjoy that straight forwardness and frankness of the characters, and the vastness of the landscape.
I don't think I have read a Western before so this is going to be interesting! I liked all of the characters. Gus and Call seem to be a great partnership, Lorena is an interesting character and I had a special soft spot for young Newt.I think what I like best about it so far is the way that he evokes the landscape and the climate with the heat and the snakes. It's hard for me to imagine living in country like that, especially with none of the transportation and communication options that people there would have now.
As it has already been mentioned by some chunkster readers, this is my first foray into the world of Westerns, so I strongly feel it will be a very educative reading experience. The first chapters of the book as I have expected have a very strong feeling of the wildness, although the the events did not take place long ago, and definitely there are some big places with the refined culture (or at least there are several reference), but the pioneer feeling of Wild, Wild West persists.
Lorena, known as 'the sporting woman' could possibly be classified as a tart with the heart, and you can actually feel her desires to be loved and comforted, but unfortunately her lot is different - she has to sell her body to earn her living. It is just the beginning of the story, and hopefully she will be a different woman at the end of this epic. It is also pleasant to see that there is still a child in her soul, the one who gets excited every time she wins when she plays cards or when Gus allows her to win just to see this child-like behavior.
The fabric of the first chapters is full of humor and humanism. And it is not only the comical relationships and interplay between the characters, it is first and foremost the narrator's attitude towards his characters. It is both loving and 'pranky'.
So far, the novel has defied my expectations. Looking forward to reading the next section!
Not knowing much about the book, and being only vaguely familiar with the movie, I do not believe I have ever seen it, perhaps only fragments of it some time ago, I really did not know quite what to expect, but I have to say I was surprised by the humor of the book. I had thought it would be perhaps more of an epic drama. I quite enjoy how comical the relations are made between the different characters, and how comical many of the characters are themselves. I find that Lorena is an interesting character, and I agree that she does seem to fit into that sort of stereotypical role of the hooker with the heart of gold. I also think it is interesting that many of the men who come to see her I also in their own way just looking for love and companionship. It gives an idea of the loneliness and the isolation in which they are living in.
Perhaps in a way that is also what brings, and keeps Gus and Call together, though they are so different, they are driven together by the harshness of the land they live in, and that simple need for companionship of another.
I am curious to find out more about Call in his own view of women. He dislikes Gus talk about whores. I wonder if this is just because being with women does not fit into his work ethic, and is just seen as another luxury and waste of time, or if there is some deeper reason for his reaction.
In regards to Call, I was struck by how lonely and trapped he feels, though I don't think he'd ever use those words himself. I think that there is a part him that wishes he could be more like Augustus and able to relax, but he is the leader, the captain, and that will always set him apart. Granted, in some way, this gives him contentment and ease, because he is doing what he thinks is his job, but thats not all someone can be.
Finally getting around to this! I, like many others above, am really surprised at how much I am enjoying this so far. I wasn't sure what i would think of a "Western" novel -- though I watched a lot of TV Westerns with my dad when I was a kid -- but I'm really enjoying it! I think a big part is the writing, though. The author has done a great job of introducing us to the characters and the landscape, and (as others have said) I really enjoy the down-to-earth say-it-like-you-mean-it attitudes of these people.I am enjoying the interaction between Call and Gus as well, but I think my favorite character so far is Lorena. She has such a sad history and background, and I do like that she still has a bit of childishness in her despite having to grow up so quickly. Plus, I anticipate some problems between Gus and Newt due to her.
Can't wait to see what will happen next.
So, what did you think of the opening chapters? Any favorite characters yet??
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Bonus question
Anyone recognize who this pic could be of?? (Hint: not the rider...)