Literary Life: A Second Memoir (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
Let me start by saying that Larry McMurtry could rewrite the phone book and I would probably read it. He is one of my favorite authors. I love his books, while most people are familiar with hi from "Lonesome Dove", it is his other genre of books that I love. He has such great characters, rich, raw and loaded with flaws but likeable and relatable. I recommend anyone who tries to read Larry McMurtry the his Texasville, Rhino Ranch, and Desert Rose a try. Now for this book, it is just a great insight into his literary world and career as a writer, an autobiography into that aspect of his career. It follows up on his other autobiography stories, "Books" and "Roads". So for anyone a fan of Larry McMurtry or literature this is a " good read". About as limp and half-finished a book as you could ever believe they'd allow out into the wild. Almost no insight into his novels or his creative process, instead all soapsy dish like detailing his pal Susan Sontag pissing people off right and left and then when it comes to his writing, you get grating revelations like Larry's decision to stop writing intros to Pocket Books reissues of some of his novels because they decided to stop paying him $1000 for each effort, and there are at least two instances of his pouting over why the east coast book reviewers have never paid him enough attention. Boo. Fricking. Hoo. I wonder how much Simon and Schuster paid Larry and Michael Korda - his editor - also mentioned in the book for filler material purposes - to squeeze out this colossal dud.I wish I could go back in time and unread the handful of McMurtry's books I've spent time with. In 170 pages he manages to paint the hyphenate writer-Texan-and-book collector species as a gray souled worm that can't go extinct fast enough. Maybe that's harsh. Me, I'd settle for licking the tips of my fingers and swiping them down the front of his glasses.
What do You think about Literary Life: A Second Memoir (2009)?
Good, if halfheartedly written, read from Larry McMurtry.
—ramu
