I have owned McMurtrey's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Lonesome Dove, for almost 30 years, so I'm glad I've finally read it. I also own, and have watched, the mini-series. The series is by far the better of the two. That being said, it's one book I will keep because it is a signed first edition. Might be worth something some day. This western tale is mythological in its proportions. Almost every character (Augustus McCrae and Clara Allen being the exceptions) is over drawn. The good guys are too good, the bad guys are beyond evil, the dumb guys are laughable and sad. The 3000 mile trail drive was so full of bad luck and bad weather, that I began to expect another death or storm. It became laughable. (However, I must admit that I was somewhat taken aback when Deets was killed while holding the Indian baby.) It was a relief to me that McMurtrey didn't take as many pages to get Captain Call back to Lonesome Dove as he did to get him to Montana.
What I liked about this novel was the colorful imagery. The settings were beautifully described from the saloons and brothels to the rivers, plains, and big skies. McMurtrey's Texas roots were definitely evident throughout.
It's been years since I read it! BUT -- when you mentioned expecting the bad luck on every turn of the page -- I remembered my biggest concern was that there would be MORE SNAKE ENCOUNTERS!!! haha. Glad you stuck with it!
ReplyDeleteI was determined!
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