All America lies at the end of the wilderness road, and our past is not a dead past, but still lives in us. Our forefathers had civilization inside themselves, the wild outside. We live in the civilization they created, but within us the wilderness still lingers. What they dreamed, we live, and what they lived, we dream.This is an epic novel, and the quotation by T.K. Whipple which I provided above is indeed an appropriate epigraph. It's interesting that Larry McMurty originally devised it as a screenplay in 1972 - but the project never went through. Luckily for us the man did not scrape the idea, and decided to turn it into a book. He finally published the complete novel in 1985 to great acclaim, which culminated in it being awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1986.The titulary Lonesome Dove is a small town at the very end of south Texas, near the Mexican border. It's 1876 - just eleven years after the end of the Civil War, and a short while since the Mexican-American war which ended up with the U.S. annexation of what is now New Mexico, California, Nevada, and Utah, and parts of Arizona and Wyoming. The U.S. annexation of Texas in 1845 provoked the war - Mexico still considered Texas as a part of its territory, despite Texas revolving against the Mexican government and becoming an indepentend republic in 1836. As a result of the war, Mexico lost about half of its national territory, and the U.S. gained an enormous amount of land which now forms the American Southwest, with the Rio Grande becoming the national border. This was a great loss for Mexico, considering the discovery of silver in Nevada and the fabulous gold mines of California with its gold rush, along with the rich agricultural potential of the region. The war also had a tremendous psychological effects on both nations - the U.S. confirmed its vision as a continental empire, stretching from coast to coast, a land of rich and plenty. For Mexico, the war was a tragedy - as the country has just won its independence from Spain in 1821 the indignity of having its capital occupied and losing half of its territory to the enemy was a deep blow, from which it never really recovered.Big as it may be, Lonesome Dove is not a political novel. The Mexican-American War and the Civil War are relevant to both the setting and timeframe - but never overtake it. The town of Lonesome Dove is populated with Texas Rangers, who used to guard the border against a possible Mexican invasion - and are not getting bored, since the invasion is question is less and less likely to happen. One of the characters mentions that Lincoln freed Africans, not Americans - and that's about it for the politics of Lonesome Dove.Set in a border town, Lonesome Dove seems to be more focused on the shrinking border between civilization and wilderness. The novel opens with the image of two pigs eating a rattlesnake. They are holding it together, by the neck and the tail, "having a fine tug-of-war with it, its rattling days were over". This image - of two domesticated animals swallowing a wild one - is an accurate representation of man's progress in the West: the western expansion of civilization, resulting in expulsion and extermination of natives to pave the way for the settlers - wilderness and nature literally being swallowed by civilization.Lonesome Dove is also a road novel - which I would consider a particularly American branch of fiction. The sheer physical size of the country is irresistible for people who dream of a long journey of exploration and discovery, both of the country and themselves; novels such as On the Road are a testament to that. However, the journey is not always motivated by such desires - sometimes it is a forced journey of desperation and escape, such as the one taken by Oklahomans to California in 1930's after the Dust Bowl, which John Steinbeck chronicled in The Grapes of Wrath. After the Civil War, Texas was almost overflowing with cattle for which there was no local market - but there was a demand all the way up in the northern region in the country. Cowboys herded the cattle and went on cattle drives to Kansas, from where their cattle was shipped to Chicago stockyards via rail. In Lonesome Dove the cattle trail stretches from the border in southern Texas all the way to another border in northern Montana - a truly epic journey, considering the fact that a large part of the trail would have to run through what was still then Indian Territory, with many hostile inhabitants. Indians would not be the only hostile inhabitans as the deserts were full of bandits waiting for easy prey, and the country itself provided plenty of natural obstacles - scorching heat and thunderous storms, deceitful rivers and swarms of insects, the impenetrable darkness of the night.(the expansion of the railorad system eliminated the need for such long cattle drives - notice that none of the characters see any railroad track in the whole book).McMurty manages to walk on the delicate line which divides the romantic from the ridiculous: The West is full of dirt and scorching sun, and the work unpleasant and pays low; the civilization is still in its infancy, its cities and megacities are a vision of the distant future. Still, there is a dreamlike aura hovering around it, pointing our attention to the beautiful bonds and friendship formed between the cowboys and the beauty of their life on horseback on the vast, empty plains, and the bravery of the people who came to settle them, conquering hard conditions which welcomed them with their own hard labor. Sometimes it must have felt like they were the only people on earth, with the vast emptiness of the great plains stretching around them in all directions. But more and more people came, and eventually the land had to give in - as much as they could make it.The novel excels at characterization, bringing to life some of the most memorable characters in Western fiction. Of particular interest are two former Texas Rangers, Augustus McCrae and Call Wood: One is loves a good talk and moving around, and the other is taciturn and still. Augustus is the owner of the two pigs who eat the snake in the opening scene. When Gus is preparing a sign which will advertise their horse trade - which he has no problem stealing from Mexico on night-runs, despite hanging people for the same crime in America - he makes sure to emphasize that the pigs are not for rent.Then, as another afterthought, he had added, “We Don’t Rent Pigs,” which occasioned yet another argument with Call.“Why, they’ll think we’re crazy here when they see that,” he said. “Nobody in their right mind would want to rent a pig. What would you do with a pig once you rented it?”“Why, there’s plenty of useful tasks pigs can do,” Augustus said.The rest of the cast is also beautifully drawn. The novel is not solely focused on the characters of Gus or Call, and features an ensemble cast, where even the minor characters are given an unique voice and characters; it's easy to forget that they are constructions made of words, as they sound real, act real, and all but jump off the page.I found myself thinking about the meaning of the title - (view spoiler)[McMurty says that he thought of Newt as being the Lonesome Dove: an innocent, young and lonesome man, never recognized by his father. But I think that basically all characters are unable to form a relationship - Call refuses to acknowledge that Newt is his son because and give him his name, and is "afraid to admit that he's human"; Lorena is a dreamer, captured by the vision of San Francisco, refusing to pay attention to the feelings of men in the town of Lonesome Dove; Gus is unable to settle down anywhere and have a meaningful relationship with anyone; he was rejected by Clara because of that. Clara is unable to have a son as they all died early; her husband also dies, leaving her alone on the prairie with their two daughters. Even the Mexicans, Bolivar and Po Campo are alone - Bolivar is separated from his family in Mexico and has a strained - putting it mildly -relationship with them. Po Campo is a loner, who keeps mostly to himself. It is perhaps the reason why these characters form a bond, and reach out bravely for the unexplored frontier, hoping for it to be the land of happiness, where their dreams would be realized. (hide spoiler)]
I will play the parrot and repeat what other readers noticed when coming across this one: “If you only read one western novel in your life, read Lonesome Dove.” – USA Today I have myself read more than one western novel, some simplistic, some literary gems (“Angle of Repose”, “Butcher’s Crossing”), but there is something special about Larry McMurtry, a combination of epic adventure, personal tragedy, humour and philosophy that entertains and disturbs, that touches both the squalor, the danger and the exhilaration, the sense of wonder of leaving the comfort of home and setting out into the unknown. I can think of nothing better than riding a fine horse into a new country. It’s exactly what I was meant for, and Woodrow too. Home is nothing to brag about for the two elderly former Texas Rangers, Captain Augustus McCrae (“Gus”) and Captain W.F. Call, who are out of a job as the state is largely pacified after the Indian Wars and the Civil War. After a life spent in the saddle chasing bad guys and administering summary justice, the two friends are trying their hand at business in Lonesome Dove, a rundown settlement on the banks of the Rio Grande. The Hat Creek Cattle Company and Livery Emporium sells cattle and rents horses, but they don’t sell pigs, especially not the two blue ones that Gus keeps as pets and snake hunters around the yard.For a pair of former lawmen, Gus and W.F. (Woodrow, but few people use the familiar form of address) act at the start of the novel more like a pair of bandits and outlaws. The cattle and the horses they sell are ‘liberated’ from across the border in Mexico during night time raids. Their only excuse is that the Mexicans are doing it too, and that’s how things get done on the frontier. At least it is something to relieve the boredom of a settled life. The other avenue of entertainment is to visit the local ‘sporting’ lady, a very popular young whore named Lorena, living above the only gambling and drinking establishment in Lonesome Dove. Of the two Captains, only one avails himself of the services, setting up right from the start the dynamic of the relationship and the source of much of the novel’s claim to a higher understanding of human nature. Gus and Woodrow are like oil and water, hold opposite views on life, their friendship is highly improbable and is most probably the result of the long years fighting side by side and mutual respect for each other’s skills. But there are few things they agree upon. Gus is a lazy epicurean who enjoys women, good food, drinks and gambling. Woodrow is a workaholic and a stoic who denies himself every pleasure in life, expects to toil from sunup to sundown and demands equal hard work from his team. My best analogy comes from the days of the Roman Empire, since I picture Gus as Petronius and Woodrow as Seneca, even in their physical appearance: the libertine and the stoic. -tAugustus: A man that sleeps all night wastes too much of life. As I see it the day was made for looking and the nights for sport. or, A man who wouldn’t cheat for a poke don’t want one bad enough. -tWoodrow: For years Call had looked at life as if it were essentially over. Call had never been a man who could think of much reason for acting happy, but then he had always been one who knew his purpose. His purpose was to get done what needed to be done, and what needed to be done was simple, if not easy. Their epic journey to Montana, driving a huge herd of cattle to settle the pristine land, will pit the two belief systems against each other: Gus pleading with us to enjoy life while we can, Woodrow driving us to reach beyond ourselves and achieve greatness. The cost of Woodrow’s crusade is high though, and the reader is advised not to get too attached to any of the characters in the novel: the West in the second half of the nineteen century was filled with dangers, both natural and in human guise. The Hat Creek Cattle Company will encounter all of them at one point or another of the drive: stampedes, lightning storms, hail, thirst, poisonous snakes, grizzly bears, Indians, outlaws, rogue cavalry soldiers, high street brawling, hangings, and many more. It’s a fine world, though rich in hardships at times. concludes Gus McCrae, adding that he wouldn’t have missed it for anything in the world. Neither marriage nor luxury could compete in the hearts of the hard men with the call of the wild, with the siren song of distant lands away from a civilization that has no longer need of gunslingers. They were people of the horse, not of the town; in that they were more like the Comanches than Call would ever have admitted. They had been in Lonesome Dove nearly ten years, and yet what little property they had acquired was so worthless that neither of them would have felt bad about just saddling up and riding off from it. How many of us living in the big asphalt jungles of today are reading about the endless grass sea of the prairie and about starry nights by the campfire with envy, ignoring the bad food, the hardships and the dangers that go hand in hand with adventure? How many would throw away civilization and go live in an abandoned bus in Alaska or on a desert island in the Pacific? The mirage of the unspoiled paradise waiting for the strong hearted and the daring is as old as the US, as old as civilization for those of us living outside the States. Gus and Call dream of the green grass of Montana to replace the parched mesquite hills of Texas, others searched for Xanadu or for Eldorado It seemed to Newt that the sky got bigger and the country emptier every day. There was nothing to see but grass and sky. The space was so empty that it was hard to imagine that there might ever be towns in it, or people. Newt Dobbs is a teenager with a secret backstory that everybody in the Hat Creek Cattle Company is aware of, yet no one is ready to bring it out into the light. For the author, Newt is the key to the story, the proof that the self-denying and ascetic Call is human and fallible, that we have to find a way to compromise between our ideals and our human need for companionship and understanding. (view spoiler)[ Newt is the son of Woodrow, but his father refuses to unbend and to acknowledge him, despite insistent urgings from Gus and from other members of the crew. (hide spoiler)]
What do You think about Lonesome Dove (1999)?
Hands Down my Favourite Book in 2014First of all the physical; the book I see looking up at me from my coffee table. It looks worn, well thumbed, well read, pages and cover alike, beginning to curl up, and soiled by use. Well that and all the casual (I take books with me) acquaintances, to the one, they all had to pick it up, look it over. It may look well rode, but it still feels soft, warm and pliant in my hand. The stars twinkle up at me from the cover and I wish, I wish, I wish it wasn’t over. I long to go back…….When Augustus came out on the porch the blue pigs were eating a rattlesnake – not a very big one. It had probably just been crawling around looking for shade when it ran into the pigs. They were having a fine tug-of-war with it, and its rattling days were over. The sow had it by the neck and the shoat by the tail. “You pigs git” Augustus said kicking the shoat. “Head on down to the creek if you want to eat that snake.” It was the porch he begrudged them not the snake. Pigs on the porch just made things hotter and things were already hot enough. He stepped down into the dusty yard and walked around to the springhouse to get his jug. The sun was still high, sulled in the sky like a mule, but Augustus had a keen eye for sun, and to his eye the long light from the west had taken on an encouraging slant.And so it begins. I have read a number of different reviews; many of which discuss how long it took for them to get invested in the story. Not so for me, I gotta say that I latched on to Augustus McCrae pretty early on and even though I can feel, quite acutely, Captain Call’s presence every time he crosses the page with Hell Bitch, it is Gus’s company I seek on this trail. Makes sense I guess, I met him first, back in 1876 in Lonesome Dove, Texas. It has been quite a journey. Make no mistake; I spent time with all of the Hat Creek Cattle Company, not just the ex-rangers, as they drove their herd out of Texas and across the Great Plains, bound for Montana. I pined with Dish, listened to the Irish sing, and the remuda nicker and whinny. I ate dust with Newt on the heels of the herd and scouted for water and crossings with Deets. I was there for the water moccasins, the grizzlies and the cloud of grasshoppers, not to mention Blue Duck, one of the most frightening, sinister men ever; he made the hair on the back of my neck, my arms and everywhere else stand, stock still at attention. I seethed at Jake, swam with Pea Eye and felt Lorena’s despair way down deep in my bones. I am just skimming the surface here, there are others with tales to tell, like July Johnson, the painfully shy sheriff from Arkansas, searching for his wife and Clara, the dark haired beauty with the scorching tongue in Nebraska, who may just sear you with her words.But back at the fire I would curl up and listen to Gus talk, reassured by his very presence, as we have a drink, play a hand or two and prepare to bed down. Amid all the words, in all the books, on all of the pages I have ever travelled, never before have I met a man so damn finely crafted, so carefully rendered, so agonizingly authentic as Augustus McCrae. It is as though I know him for real. Honestly. I enjoy his company and even now, miss his conversation. Yes, I want to go back……….. Ride one more time with the Hat Creek Cattle Company, who don’t rent pigs.I god, folks, seriously, what is happening here? I do not read westerns. Fact is, were I not a member of this wonderful on line community of book lovers, chances are pretty good that I would never have read this book. Do not make that mistake and yes, I Thank You one and all!
—Arah-Lynda
All the Stars “If you only read one western novel in your life, read Lonesome Dove.” – USA TodayIt’s right there in bold print, on the back cover. And while I’m fairly new to the genre, I would wholeheartedly agree. This is a quintessential American tale. Really what’s more American, than striking out into parts unknown to make a fresh go of it? This country was founded by explorers, thrill-seekers, risk-takers; it’s in our DNA, our blood & bones. And what better place to tackle, than that last, vast, unsettled, western frontier? This story, for the most part, is much more of a character study, than a purely plot driven narrative. Often conveyed at a leisurely pace, with some nice touches of humor sprinkled throughout. There’s also the occasional shocking switch from that mellow laid back adventure to scenes of graphic & brutal violence which made my blood surge, pulse race, hair stand on end. I had the good fortune to be joined on this adventure, by a few of my compañeros from that super-secret, off the record, on the Q.T. and very Hush-Hush organization, whose name must not be spoken. At times it felt as though they were riding along, right there with me. So to round out this character study, I figured what better tribute, than to insert ‘em right here into our story. Let’s do a little casting call, shall we?For the role of Augustus McCrae, who better than Kemper himself? Granted, these are some mighty big boots to fill; however, ole Kemper might just have a large enough ego & dry wit required to pull it off. Augustus, or Gus as his friends call him, is a former legendary Texas Ranger who, along with his crew, have cleaned out all them pesky Indians, paving the way for them bankers & homesteaders to move on in. So you’ll have to pardon his lazy attitude, and loud mouth, cause he’s paid his debt, and there’s a hell of lot more to life than work. His main agitation these days, besides that blazing hot sun, is the fact that the rest of the outfit’s a damn bunch of dull witted mutes. Hell, he’s so bored at times he'd argue with a stump. And the only thing bigger than his mouth & ego, is his insatiable thirst for whiskey, women, and cards. In the role of Clara Allen how about Kemper’s GR foil, Trudi? One of the only women cagey enough to outwit ole Gus, and spurn all most of his affections. Hell, she plumb run off halfway across the country and married some dullard, just to get his goat. She's suffered thru many hardships, over the years, and more than her fair share of heartbreak, but her spirit remains unbroken. She's as tough as nails. Opinionated & outspoken, but boy ain't she got a sass mouth? That'll leave Becky with the sporting role of Lorena Wood. *Ducks* Hey, there's only so many roles for women here, sorry. I'm sure you’re probably better suited to the role of Janey (slinging rocks, and chasing down varmints), but sadly her screen time was rather limited. So you gotta work with me here, and fear not, we won't judge you based on your line of work. Look, you made the best of a bad situation. What's a girl to do? Plus, check out all those dumb cowpokes ogling ya over yonder. Don’t worry, most them boys is too nervous to even approach you, let alone try & set their post. And I know you've grown weary of gardening, but can't you at least find the heart to let a few of them boys bury some carrots?As Gus's right hand man, and fellow Ranger, it’s none other than our stoic captain Woodrow Call, played by the rather stoic Dan version 1.0. He ain't much like other men, he don't suffer the same weaknesses & vices. And he damn sure won't admit to having made no mistakes. He’s content to keep to himself; keep the rest of the world at arm’s length. And who can blame him, with all that relentless needling & pestering Gus doles out. All work & no play makes Call a dull boy, but with that dullness comes natural born leadership. You best not get on his bad side neither, cause trust me when I say, it won't end well for you. He must have one hell of a constitution to tolerate 30 yrs of Gus's incessant babbling. To top it all off he's the most loyal, and honorable friend any man could ever hope for. Sadly, it appears I've shoehorned myself squarely into the role of Newt Dobbs, the pup of the Outfit. All wide eyed, and full of youthful exuberance, ready to grab the world by the tail. Wishing & hoping for the day when I’m finally old enough to go on one of them horse thieving trips with the Captain. I’m just eager for that grand new adventure, hell anything to get me out of this desert wasteland. I sure wish Ma was still alive, or I at least knew who my old Pa was, but it's a safe bet 1.0 won't be claiming me any time soon. Damn, sometimes I’d liked to shake the shit outta him and yell, “USE YOUR WORDS CALL!” But sadly it looks as though 1.0’s missing that Empathy chip. Feeling…Feelings…Does not compute. Oh lookie here, I see one last straggler bringing up the rear. My Lord, if it ain't old Richard, in the role of Po Campo. Just in time Po, seeing as how we’re in need of a new cook. I think our last one’s gone down to Mexico to shoot his wife! Po here’s wise beyond his years, and that's saying something cause he appears to be old as dirt. He sure don't miss much, walking along back of the wagon with them pigs. Seems to know a bit about everything too, and rankles Gus with all that wisdom, and masterful cooking. He's for dern sure one hell of a cook, but I think I'll have to pass on them grasshoppers. I see we run outta compañeros here, with still plenty of choice roles to fill. So why don't you do yourself a favor partner, and mosey on down to Lonesome Dove. We got a nice little snake ranch, out here in the sun-scorched, dusty, chaparral lands of south Texas. We’re just a hair north of Old Mexico. We might even sell you some horses or cattle, but we don’t rent pigs! We could always use a few more good hands to round out our crew. Hustle up now, cause we’ve got to get a move on this cattle drive. Look for the Hat Creek outfit; don't worry you can't miss our sign. Tl;dr - Sorry for you. And what no gifs? Aw *sad face* But do enjoy the theme song.5 Stars: For once a book lived up to the hype.
—Dᴀɴ 2.☢
This is a book worth reading. It's simple yet complex, it's beautiful but cruel, and it's filled with the type of characters that are real and flawed and human. There's a bleakness to this book that is interspersed with life and humor at the most necessary of times, which was surprising and delightful. It was long, and I traveled far in this book, but now that I'm done with it, I kinda just have the urge to cry because I'm not sure I wanted it to be over. I kinda loved this book. Gus and Call are two of the best characters I've read about in a long time, and their interactions were both awkward and familiar. Throughout the whole book, I loved Gus. I love that there's a depth to him, but he's honest and forthcoming in his way about it, and is confident enough in himself that he sees no reason not to be. And he certainly doesn't put up with bullshit. It's refreshing to see someone so comfortable with who they are. At the same time, I wasn't quite sure what to make of Call. He's the strong, silent type, a man who sees work to be done everywhere, and does it because someone has to. He is not a typical man, and has no regard for the things that men of his acquaintance enjoy - drinking, playing cards, and whoring. He holds himself apart because it's more comfortable for him in the quiet where he can think, and also NOT think. For he's not an introspective man. He has his regrets, sure, but he would rather ignore them and not analyze his life down to the nuts and bolts. He does what needs to be done, and that's that. But somewhere along the way, maybe around the time that they hit Nebraska, I started to understand Call. Well, maybe not to understand him... I'm still not sure I could claim that, but I did accept him and relate to him in some ways. I think it was Clara's harsh opinion of him that solidified it for me. I felt bad for him, so at a loss as to how to even talk to her to buy horses, and she so sure that he was condescendingly waiting for her to lower her price. I just wanted to shake her and ask why she could accept everyone else and give them the benefit of the doubt... but not him? And their second meeting... Oh my. She's a hard one. So cruel. He's a hard man to understand, and I'm quite sure that he would be a hard man to live with, but when they make Montana but lose so much in the process... it just broke my heart for him. I loved him in the last moments he had with the people he lost. It was hard for him to speak, and to say that things that anyone else would have said, but he felt them. And his loyalty is beautiful to me, even though it's completely unappreciated and scorned by everyone else. And now I'm sitting here crying over this as I type it, because dammit, he deserves better than that!But, as Gus says, "It's a fine world, though rich in hardships at times." So true. I loved the descriptions of the country and the towns, and reading this felt less like looking at a page than living on the plains with these men. I could feel the grass, and the wind, and the dust in the air when it kicked up. I could smell the rain, and hear the grasshoppers and the cows and the horses whinnying. I was fascinated by the sky - a sky I have only seen without airplanes in it one time - and how open the world beneath it was. I felt the thirst of riding for days without water, and I enjoyed the freedom of possibility and risks of danger through these men. I'm sorry to let this world go, honestly. It wasn't easy to ride with the Hat Creek outfit, but I loved every minute of it.
—Becky
