Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Lonesome Dove (the book)

Just finished the (audio) book. I've listened to a lot of books and probably this is my favorite. The television series is good but the book, as almost always is the case, is so much better. Half the book or more is thoughts of and commentary about the characters. Each one is known intimately.

Big picture? Bama aint so bad, believe I'll stay here. Women are freaking crazy and a man's carrot makes him do stupid things.

I have the regular type book. The movie is good, but the book is really good

We listened to the audio book many years ago…..friggen awsome! The movie was good…..the book was great! memtb

One of my favorite movies of all time.

I read it about a year before the movie came out. Really good.

Million thoughts go thru my head trying to read a fuggin book

I should clean out the freezers
I should rig electrolysis and clean the rust off my tools
I should sharpen the chains on all of my Stihls
Am I a queer for reading
I need to change my oil in 7 vehicles
Damn, I need to take the backhoe dig out those stumps
That creek crossing is getting rough, need some rock in there
I gotta paint the fuggin house this summer
Yes reading is gay
Damn starlings are getting behind that floodlight
Need to respool all of my catfish rigs

Most of what Larry McMurtry wrote is worth reading.

He also didn't give a chit about history, or using historic figures to entwine HIS perception of what they were...

I read it over a winter. Long story.

One of my favorite books and favorite movies/tv series. His other books are good, but none compare to this one.

I think Comanche Moon was the best book of the series.

I have almost all of McMurtry's books in my library. I have read them all and will go back and read all of them again. Loved that movie too......

Read all 4 in the Lonesome Dove series back to back while sitting in a National Forest I'm my RV.

Great story, best read in order 1 through 4.

1.Dead Man's Walk, 528 Pages, set in the early 1840s.
2.Comanche Moon, 816 Pages, set in the 1850–60s.
3.Lonesome Dove, 864 Pages, set in mid-to-late 1870s
4.Streets of Laredo, 589 Pages, set in the early 1890s.

Yep. One of my favorite authors. Wonder if any of his kids are running his book store in Archer City now that he’s passed away in 2021 ?

In one of his books he has a young Gus and Call watching over a river crossing from Mexico with their Winchesters IN THE 1850s.

I read the book before the first series came out. I thought the series was great and the book was better.

I believe that's true since Lonesome Dove was based on the Loving-Goodnight cattle venture which led to Loving's death. Loving and Goodnight weren't going to Montana, and the attack which led to Loving's demise took place on the Pecos River rather than in Montana but the parallels are not coincidental. McMurtry made one hell of a great story out of a real event.

The prequel, I believe, was Comanche Moon. I think that one is purely fictitious, but some of the places described can be recognized. One such place is present day Monahans. That was a great read as well.

I read recently that Chip Gaines, the home restoration celebrity, bought McMurtry’s bookstore and intends to reopen it.

McMurty pondered this very thing through the character Clara and her dream of becoming a writer. She pondered how to create a character, should they be based on someone you know and their story? Clara decided if she should ever write a book it would be based on her Mexican hand, Cholo.

Almost becomes a hall of mirrors, doesn't it? Tickles the brain.

I finished the audiobook last week. It was a great listen. I agree that the more intimate details expressed in the book shines a new light on the series.

I will give credit that the movie was not as far from the book's storyline, as is with most movies that are based on books.