Lonesome Dove
May 14, 2008
My brother represents all things manly. He’s always got boots in the back of his truck. He hunts and fishes and works hard to keep up his place. “Land oughta look good,” he says. He’s athletic and smart and any one that has the nerve to cross him is surely in for a lashing. And he cries. I know he does. I caught him in the act.
We were both in college, I guess, and I came home late. He was sitting in Daddy’s chair watching a movie and sobbing. I caught a giggle in my throat, but it didn’t go unnoticed. “Any man that doesn’t cry at Lonesome Dove isn’t a man,” he said. And that was that.
When I left home after Christmas, he loaned me Larry McMurty’s Pulitzer Prize winner and told me I should read it. “It’ll break your heart.” Lindsay and Whit recommended it, too, so I couldn’t say no. And those 850 pages were all that a girl dreams cowboys should be and they were gone too quickly and my brother was right. It broke my heart.
It’s the story of the Hat Creek Cattle Company’s journey from a Texas border town to Montana and all that they encounter along the way. Sand storms, strangers, Indians, and bitter memories. Women, regret, and the haunting songs of an Irish cattleman. Death, demons, card games, and great waters. Dreamers, fathers, sons, retired Texas Rangers, two plucky pigs, and a chance at redemption that lies somewhere across the plains.
I think the next time that I move, it might be West.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
This is Texas Boy JP’s absolute favorite book in the whole world. He went on to read just about everything McMurtry wrote. After many years of him hounding me and your wonderful book review, I’ve just determined I’ll add this one to my summer reading list.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
You know that this movie was on my all time movie list. It is a great story and even though I have very little time for reading these days I must try to get this.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
yep, I definitely recommend the west!!! 🙂
May 16th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Whit and I are planning on naming our first dog or child (whichever comes first) “Po Campo”. I don’t care if it fits the personality or not. I. Love. It.
LD is one of my all-time favorite reads. It was one of those books where when I finished I missed the characters so much I couldn’t bare to pick up a different book with different people. I just couldn’t. I think it was the one time in my life when I didn’t read for like a week straight because I felt like I was mourning their death.
And I love the movie too.
May 16th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
I was thinking about visiting New Mexico… I might wanna live there someday. Wan’ come?