Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Fiction - Western
2017 Phoenix Books (first published in 1985)
Narrated by Lee Horsley
Finished on September 14, 2023
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
I finally did it! I read Lonesome Dove!
As mentioned in the publisher's blurb, Lonesome Dove has a little bit of everything: cowboys, horse thieves, Indians, whores, ranchers, and two former Texas Rangers, not to mention gunfights, snake bites, dust storms, grasshoppers, and blizzards. It took a long time before I got hooked (well over my usual 100 pages cut-off point), but I stuck with it since so many readers have raved about this book. (My sister-in-law has encouraged me for at least two decades to read the saga.) I listened to the audio for over 5 weeks (it runs just shy of 37 hours!) and was happy when I finally got to the point in which I started looking forward to my daily listen, eager to find out what adventures were in store for Gus, Call, and the Hat Creek Outfit.
Lee Horsley does a fine job with the audio narration of Larry McMurtry's epic, although I was a little put off by Horsley's reading during the first hour or so; once he stopped breathing directly into the microphone, I could enjoy his vocal characterizations of each individual. While some listeners have complained about the volume Horsley uses for Gus McCrae's character, I didn't mind his loud voice, which reminded me of Calamity Jane's voice in the HBO series, Deadwood. It's all just part of Gus's colorful personality.
Westerns are not my usual choice of fiction, and I can only think of four that I've read in the genre: Whiskey When We're Dry (John Larison), All the Pretty Horses (Cormac McCarthy), News of the World (Paulette Jiles), and These Is My Words (Nancy Turner), all of which I loved. I might consider reading the other books in McMurtry's tetralogy, but I'd just as soon re-read Lonesome Dove, it was that entertaining. I laughed out loud and felt sad when lives were lost. It will be a long time before I forget Gus, Call, Newt, Lippy, Dish, Pea Eye, Lorie, and Clara. Now to watch the miniseries.
Highly recommend.
My dad and mom both were readers. My dad only read westerns though so he might like have liked this. His favorite author was Louis L'Amour.
ReplyDeleteVicki, I've never read anything by L'Amour, but I might try one someday. This was such a pleasant surprise!
DeleteWestern novels are so not my thing, but everyone I know who has read this book raves about it.
ReplyDeleteHelen, they're not really my thing either, but I sure enjoyed this one!
DeleteI'm glad you decided to stick with it! The audio was really hard for me to get into, too... initially I hated Gus's loud voice, but later came to love it. What a colorful character! I might consider continuing the series next summer, but would also be happy rereading Lonesome Dove at some point. The group read aspect added to my experience, too, probably lifting it from 4.5 to 5 stars.
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, I'm glad I stuck with it, too. Thanks for the encouragement! I'm not sure if I'll read more in the series. Maybe I'll wait to hear your thoughts on those books.
DeleteLonesome Dove is one of my all-time favorite reads. I love the characters like they are family.
ReplyDeleteThe other western that I enjoyed greatly was True Grit. Completely unexpected.
Deb, I read your wonderful review on Goodreads and love all the details you shared about why you enjoyed it. I may have to give True Grit a try someday. :)
DeleteI'm glad you finished this mammoth and lived & enjoyed it to tell the tale! I still plan to read the print edition someday -- when I'm not in a hurry. Lately I have liked Westerns which surprises me since I don't like the genre in movies and usually not in books either. But lately yes! It depends the writer ... and I'm sure McMurtry is one of the very best. My brother in Montana has loved this tale ... so I must read before I reach 6-0 .... ha LoL.
ReplyDeleteSusan, I'm really happy that I stuck with it! I'm seriously considering a second reading in another year or so. Like you, I don't care for Western movies, but I have read several novels in the genre that were excellent. Yes, you should definitely try to read it before you reach 60! :)
DeleteOh my goodness if I listened to this one it may take me a whole month of driving back and forth to work! haha... I have always heard that this is a great series and maybe one of these days I will check it out.
ReplyDeleteIt took me longer than a month to listen to, Iliana! But I don't mind, especially since I came to care about the characters. Hmmm. Maybe I should give Moby Dick a try on audio. I've never been able to get through that book.
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