Lonesome Dove - McMurtry
It took me nearly a week to get through this 857 page epic.
The cover proclaims "Lonesome Dove" as the winner of the 1986 Pulitzer Prize. The edition the library had to offer is a special S&S Classic Edition with a special introduction by the author. It is in this introduction by McMurtry that I find the best description of this novel. "I thought I had written about a harsh time and some pretty harsh people, bu, to the public at large, I had produced something nearer to an indealization; instead of a poor-man's Inferno, filled with violence, faithlessness and betrayal, I had actually delivered a kind of Gone With the Wind of the West, a turnabout I'll be mulling over for a long, long time."
This book came highly recommended by Bearca and then several others that I spoke with at the library and bookstores. As the winner of the Pulitzer and the special edition copies, I presume many people have enjoyed this book thoroughly and recognized a greatness inside beyond the norm. I, however, must admit, it will not sit on my shelf of favorite books.
Perhaps it is the truth of the wilderness of the West at one time in our history; that it was filled with such violence, faithlessness and betrayal. Perhaps the romance and passions of life were few and far between. Perhaps relationships were based on little if anything and commitment and love were beyond the scope of most people. Perhaps, sucked into the mundane that dictated the scope of life, people seized moments of absurdity as truth and followed them for no other reason that to say that they did.
Lonesome Dove tells the story of a group of men, haphazardly assembled to lead a herd of more than two thousand cattle from south of the Texas border into unsettled Montana territory. A journey filled with death, isolation, drink, prostitutes and violence fills each and every page of this novel. Through to the end, there seemed to be no redeeming qualities in the characters described. One cannot admit to the mistakes in his past long enough to claim his own son for his own and give him a life of honor and respect. Another, a man quick to follow any whim at any time cannot commit to his own choices in life, but is blown by the wind on the insistence of those around him, his life shaped by the choices of others, leaving behind a trail of unaccomplishment. Another, a lawless man, convinced he has no responsibility in his own bad luck, leads a careless life without a second thought to anyone around him. The women in the novel are as unredeeming as the men. True to the end, we find no redemption, no heroic moments of grace or love or compassion. Even the last act of the book, the fulfillment of a promise made from one lifelong friend to another, is tainted with absurdity and insignificance.
Perhaps this was the West. Perhaps this is more our history than I care to embrace. Perhaps this dark novel is merely a truth-telling of how our nation shaped itself into the country it is today. Perhaps it is a reminder of the past we don't want to repeat.
In any case, it is not a novel I recommend. I have read many westerns in my time and have enjoyed all others far more than this one. I do think McMurtry is correct, however, in his description of it being a Gone With the Wind of the West. It's no wonder I never enjoyed the weak-willed and incompetent characters of GWTW either.
The cover proclaims "Lonesome Dove" as the winner of the 1986 Pulitzer Prize. The edition the library had to offer is a special S&S Classic Edition with a special introduction by the author. It is in this introduction by McMurtry that I find the best description of this novel. "I thought I had written about a harsh time and some pretty harsh people, bu, to the public at large, I had produced something nearer to an indealization; instead of a poor-man's Inferno, filled with violence, faithlessness and betrayal, I had actually delivered a kind of Gone With the Wind of the West, a turnabout I'll be mulling over for a long, long time."
This book came highly recommended by Bearca and then several others that I spoke with at the library and bookstores. As the winner of the Pulitzer and the special edition copies, I presume many people have enjoyed this book thoroughly and recognized a greatness inside beyond the norm. I, however, must admit, it will not sit on my shelf of favorite books.
Perhaps it is the truth of the wilderness of the West at one time in our history; that it was filled with such violence, faithlessness and betrayal. Perhaps the romance and passions of life were few and far between. Perhaps relationships were based on little if anything and commitment and love were beyond the scope of most people. Perhaps, sucked into the mundane that dictated the scope of life, people seized moments of absurdity as truth and followed them for no other reason that to say that they did.
Lonesome Dove tells the story of a group of men, haphazardly assembled to lead a herd of more than two thousand cattle from south of the Texas border into unsettled Montana territory. A journey filled with death, isolation, drink, prostitutes and violence fills each and every page of this novel. Through to the end, there seemed to be no redeeming qualities in the characters described. One cannot admit to the mistakes in his past long enough to claim his own son for his own and give him a life of honor and respect. Another, a man quick to follow any whim at any time cannot commit to his own choices in life, but is blown by the wind on the insistence of those around him, his life shaped by the choices of others, leaving behind a trail of unaccomplishment. Another, a lawless man, convinced he has no responsibility in his own bad luck, leads a careless life without a second thought to anyone around him. The women in the novel are as unredeeming as the men. True to the end, we find no redemption, no heroic moments of grace or love or compassion. Even the last act of the book, the fulfillment of a promise made from one lifelong friend to another, is tainted with absurdity and insignificance.
Perhaps this was the West. Perhaps this is more our history than I care to embrace. Perhaps this dark novel is merely a truth-telling of how our nation shaped itself into the country it is today. Perhaps it is a reminder of the past we don't want to repeat.
In any case, it is not a novel I recommend. I have read many westerns in my time and have enjoyed all others far more than this one. I do think McMurtry is correct, however, in his description of it being a Gone With the Wind of the West. It's no wonder I never enjoyed the weak-willed and incompetent characters of GWTW either.
Comments
I did enjoy GWTW - the book - a whole lot more than the movie. I felt like it explained Scarlett's motives a bit more. But as for most of the characters... I just wanted to get in there and sort their lives out!
I guess that's the last time you'll take one of my book recommendations! :)