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stevemcgarrett

Joined: 24 Mar 2006
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 7:46 pm Post subject: The Little Lonesome Dove |
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This is my little happily self-indulgent tobacco spittin' thread for discussing maybe the greatest Western novel ever written, I reckon.
That would be Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove for all you slow pokes on the prairie.
Now I ain't supposin' many of you have read this here book, so if you're a mite curious, you can ask away.
But if you've read it, why sit yourself down for a spell.
Myself, I like the gritty humor, especially from Gus McCrae. Yes, he tosses out a discouragin' word now and then in his home on the Texas range but he mostly don't mean no harm by it. Salt and vinegar and a touch of whiskey in his words is all.
My favorite part, though, is when Roscoe sets out from Fort Smith, Arkansas to git July, the sheriff, only to be corraled by some widow trying to farm the land by herself. The conversation over cornbread where she tries to convince him to get hitched is hilarious, don't ya reckon?
I can't recall the last time a book took me away more gloriously from the nonsense of modern life to a time when straight talking wasn't considered too rough by the common folks.
Makes me think of all the years I spent in Texas backcountry, especially Laredo, Amarillo, Big Bend, and yes of course San Antone. Never had finer Mexican fixins than at Mi Tierra, that little cafe servin' up green chili chicken enchiladas with good goat cheese on freshly rolled flour tortillas, a side of homemade refried beans and a little salsa and a mug of Corona on tap with a lime slice in it.
But back to the book. What y'all make of it who bothered to sit back, kick your boots off and read it? |
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mj roach
Joined: 16 Mar 2003
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2007 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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Guess it's time to dust off my tattered copy and re-read it for the umphteenth time. Maybe watch my well worn video of the TV series afterwards. |
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endo

Joined: 14 Mar 2004 Location: Seoul...my home
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2007 7:15 pm Post subject: Re: THE LITTLE LONESOME DOVE SHOOT-THE-BREEZE SALOON CORNER |
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stevemcgarrett wrote: |
This is my little happily self-indulgent tobacco spittin' thread for discussing maybe the greatest Western novel ever written, I reckon.
That would be Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove for all you slow pokes on the prairie.
Now I ain't supposin' many of you have read this here book, so if you're a mite curious, you can ask away.
But if you've read it, why sit yourself down for a spell.
Myself, I like the gritty humor, especially from Gus McCrae. Yes, he tosses out a discouragin' word now and then in his home on the Texas range but he mostly don't mean no harm by it. Salt and vinegar and a touch of whiskey in his words is all.
My favorite part, though, is when Roscoe sets out from Fort Smith, Arkansas to git July, the sheriff, only to be corraled by some widow trying to farm the land by herself. The conversation over cornbread where she tries to convince him to get hitched is hilarious, don't ya reckon?
I can't recall the last time a book took me away more gloriously from the nonsense of modern life to a time when straight talking wasn't considered too rough by the common folks.
Makes me think of all the years I spent in Texas backcountry, especially Laredo, Amarillo, Big Bend, and yes of course San Antone. Never had finer Mexican fixins than at Mi Tierra, that little cafe servin' up green chili chicken enchiladas with good goat cheese on freshly rolled flour tortillas, a side of homemade refried beans and a little salsa and a mug of Corona on tap with a lime slice in it.
But back to the book. What y'all make of it who bothered to sit back, kick your boots off and read it? |
huh?
Quit putting all your thread titles in caps jackass! |
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stevemcgarrett

Joined: 24 Mar 2006
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2007 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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mj roach:
Mine's so dog-earred even the Kiowa renegades want to eat it.
endo wrote:
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Quit putting all your thread titles in caps jackass |
I'll see you a jackass and raise you petty obsessing, cowgirl.
Now scamper off and pick some more of those magic mushrooms. Maybe get Janey to help you. She's good at finding things in the ground when she's not chasin' after varmints. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 12:42 am Post subject: |
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Is there a good reason you need to use caps? Were your parents killed by a lowercase letter? It is a useful complaint looking at your post history. |
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swetepete

Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Location: a limp little burg
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 12:50 am Post subject: |
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I never read McMurty but I hear he's good.
The only westerns I've ever read are Cormac McCarthy. They rule, but are a little bit...uh...heavy. Not the kind of stuff that makes people look back fondly on the days of yore. |
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cwemory

Joined: 14 Jan 2006 Location: Gunpo, Korea
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 12:59 am Post subject: |
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Lonesome Dove's good. But my choice for the greatest western novel would be Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses. The writing styles great, omitting most puctuation, just like real cowboys would . |
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Richard Krainium
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 1:15 am Post subject: |
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RACETRAITOR wrote: |
Is there a good reason you need to use caps? Were your parents killed by a lowercase letter? It is a useful complaint looking at your post history. |
Ha! Look at your username and ask yourself that same question!
endo wrote:
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Quit putting all your thread titles in caps jackass! |
Dude! This still pisses you off?  |
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Julius

Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 5:28 am Post subject: |
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cwemory wrote: |
Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses. The writing styles great, omitting most puctuation, just like real cowboys would . |
Yeah I read that. It didn't leave a lasting impression though somehow, for all its lyrical eloquence.
Actually its kinda surprising the books that do. I mean the ones you find yourself thinking about years later.
Best American novelists i ever read were kerouac and Nabokov (although the latter was Russian born of course).
Christopher Isherwood and Graham greene also not bad. |
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Fresh Prince

Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Location: The glorious nation of Korea
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 5:55 am Post subject: |
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For all the green horns out there, the greatest western writer this side of El Paso I reckon, is Louis L'amour.
All suppose I'll have to take a gander at this here fellow Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove. |
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stevemcgarrett

Joined: 24 Mar 2006
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 9:28 pm Post subject: |
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Julius wrote:
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Yeah I read that. It didn't leave a lasting impression though somehow, for all its lyrical eloquence. Actually its kinda surprising the books that do. I mean the ones you find yourself thinking about years later. Best American novelists i ever read were kerouac |
Somehow this doesn't surprise me if you find On the Road the pinnacle of American literary heritage. But then I wouldn't expect a Leftist to appreciate a good Western.
Fresh Prince wrote:
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For all the green horns out there, the greatest western writer this side of El Paso I reckon, is Louis L'amour. All suppose I'll have to take a gander at this here fellow Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove. |
I used to feel the same way. But McMurtry is magnificent, and not just in this novel. I've never seen any other Western writer develop and nurture such rich characterization, especially of women, and his wry humor is unmatched. |
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kimchi_pizza
Joined: 24 Jul 2006 Location: "Get back on the bus! Here it comes!"
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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Fresh Prince wrote: |
For all the green horns out there, the greatest western writer this side of El Paso I reckon, is Louis L'amour.
All suppose I'll have to take a gander at this here fellow Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove. |
There. You. Go.
As a 14-16 year old kid, I devoured his books beginning with Bendigo Shafter, the Sacketts, man.....SO many....~
I will give Lonesome Dove a try! |
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mj roach
Joined: 16 Mar 2003
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 9:50 pm Post subject: |
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stevemcgarret - have you read Dead Man's Walk, Comance Moon or Streets of Laredo? |
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swetepete

Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Location: a limp little burg
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:00 am Post subject: |
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stevemcgarrett wrote: |
Julius wrote:
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Best American novelists i ever read were kerouac |
Somehow this doesn't surprise me if you find On the Road the pinnacle of American literary heritage. But then I wouldn't expect a Leftist to appreciate a good Western.
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I don't figure politics come into it with westerns. I'm a 'leftist' I suppose, but many of my favorite books are not.
Dunno about you all, but I don't read fiction to confirm my political sentiments; I read to be entertained, or to have my eyes opened to times and places I'm unable (or unwilling) to experience for myself. McCarthy's politics are basically inscrutable, to me, and I don't really care whether he or I would have anything to agree about or not. He describes the land, and the people, really well; that's all I want from a western.
Maybe I relate more to the politics of Greene or Twain or Amis than I do to Clancy or Grisham; in the end though, I prefer the first three not because they reinforce my opinions, but because they're great writers. |
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stevemcgarrett

Joined: 24 Mar 2006
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:56 am Post subject: |
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sweetpete wrote:
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I prefer the first three not because they reinforce my opinions, but because they're great writers. |
Fair enough--and reason enough. And come to think of it, I don't especially enjoy reading Clancy. I still think Red October was his best. Now he cranks them out formula-style. Not for me.
I do tend to think that a diehard leftists wouldn't like McMurtry's take on Indians like Blue Duck. They'd probably say he's justified in being a renegade and scalp hunter because of what happened to his people, blah, blah. Maybe you're not as Left as you think?
mj roach:
Nope, I haven't. I plan to read them chronologically after this: first Dead Man's Walk, then Comanche Moon, then Streets of Laredo, the last installment. I really want to go straight to the last one, the sequel, but don't want to backtrack so much later. |
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