Books We're Thankful For: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry is so much more than your typical Western. These characters will live in the back of your mind. You'll find yourself reflecting often on their words and wisdom.
After reading this book, you'll go throughout your day hearing Gus say, “If a man won’t cheat for a poke, he don’t want one bad enough.” When you’re going through hard times, you’ll hear Captain Call whisper, “All you gotta do is live through it.” If you’ve ever wondered what was here before us and how we became “civilized” look no further. Whores, bandits, and people that didn’t fit in anywhere else, like it or not, that’s who built America. Do they regret it? If they could see our world today, I bet they’d fight for the savages.
I’m not only thankful for this book because of the golden bits of wisdom sprinkled throughout the chapters but also for crafting an image of what was before. Before the constant dinging of notifications, starvation for instant gratification, fleeting attention, and empty shining lights. Lonesome Dove is a small Texas town with a saloon that’s got a whore living upstairs and the sharpest gamblers around. Lorie Darlin’, all the cowboys are in love with her. All she wants to do is get to San Francisco, and she’s willing to ride the roughest and toughest cowboys to get there. Even if that means a detour to Montana.
The cowboy outfit has a plan to cross the border, steal Mexican cattle, and drive them up to make the finest ranch in Montana. Crossing snake-filled rivers by day and camping in Indian country by night. It’s a rough time to be a woman, a tricky time to be a cowboy, and the last time to be a free Indian. You’ll meet characters that will make you feel real emotion, making them unforgettable. Jake will make you want to reach in the book and slap him, Gus will make you fall in love and Captain Call will have you wondering where the real men are.
This is a story where everyone has something to prove, and at the top of the list is the Indian Blue Duck. Born out of the Comanche tribe and child of the last great warrior chief, Buffalo Hump, and a Mexican captive. The outfit and Lorie Darlin’ come across him on their way to Montana where unspeakable acts arise. In the end, you’ll be asking yourself, who really saved who in this book? Who was right and who was wrong? Is anything ever black and white? A story to ponder.
This is the first book in a four-book series. It’s been turned into movies, a mini-series and audiobooks. But there’s no better way to meet these characters than sitting down and reading their story for yourself. Letting your imagination paint their faces and give voices to the people you’ll soon come to cherish and think back on fondly.
Lonesome Dove is available through Simon & Schuster