Book Review – Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Back in the spring I asked social media to give me everyone’s favorite audiobooks that were over thirty hours. I’m a huge fan of reading physical books, but sometimes, a book is too long for me to read that way – and my wrists don’t like holding books that heavy either. I’m looking at you, The Count of Monte Cristo. One of the books that was mentioned most often when I asked for long audiobooks was Lonesome Dove. I do love a good western and this would give me the opportunity to watch the miniseries that has been on my watchlist for years as well. As an added bonus, the audiobook is narrated by Will Patton who you’ll recognize from a decades long career in film and television.

The story follows Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call, retired Texas rangers, who decide they want to start a cattle ranch in Montana. This means stealing cattle from Mexico and driving the herd from southern Texas to Montana through land occupied by poisonous snakes, bears, outlaws, and Native Americans. During their journey, some die from the snakes and others from the Native Americans and outlaws. Others die from their own violent, stubborn stupidity or by sheer dumb accident.

What I found so interesting in this book wasn’t the main characters or their undying friendship, though it was certainly enjoyable to listen to. It was what happened to the women in the story that I found myself obsessing over. Elmira, the unhappy wife of July Johnson, leaves their hard life behind in search of another man she loves. She travels dangerously with a group of men who manage to not do her harm, but when she falls ill and has her baby – yeah, she was also pregnant – she leaves the baby behind in search of a man who isn’t her husband and dies in the process. Elmira leaves her baby with Clara who has a long history of refusing to marry Gus and now lives on a horse ranch in Nebraska. Clara, still grieving three dead sons and trying to raise two daughters while her husband lies in a sickbed, is a blunt as they come. Strong in spite of her grief. She also takes in Lorena, a young former prostitute who puts her trust in the wrong man to take her to San Francisco. She ends up a prisoner of women very bad men who do very bad things to her and is delivered to Clara by Gus who somehow manages to earn her trust after the worst of the worst is done to her.

These three women carried this story for me for through them, the men around them seemed to get where they were going. If not for these women, the men may have given up entirely or ended up in Colorado or some other place. I don’t know if that was the author’s intention since these women were not the two main characters, but so much time was spent with them – especially Clara who seemed to be the center of the world there in Nebraska – that I cannot imagine making it through the book without them.

That brings me to the miniseries which further proved that the story needed those women. While the miniseries is great as a sweeping western and as an adaptation of this book, it sugar coats much of what happened to Clara, Elmira, and Lorena. It leaves out much of Clara’s grief for her dead sons and worry over her braindead husband. The love between Gus and Clara is also not as prevalent, as regret is one of the main themes of the story. It downplays how horrible Lorena’s experience was which makes her recovery thanks to Gus seem less impressive. Elmira’s illness during and after the birth of her son is an afterthought and barely mentioned. I’m sure this was done because it concentrates on the men’s side of things for the miniseries. From a female perspective, those women are as much the heart of the story as the friendship between Gus and Woodrow. And the miniseries needed more of them.

If you love a long, sweeping western and haven’t read Lonesome Dove, I highly recommend it. I can’t wait to listen to the next book in the series, though it’ll have to wait until I finish up some other audiobooks. Will Patton’s narration was perfect, so if you’re on Audible, check it out. I’m still thinking about this weeks later, which is why it took me so long to write this. It was a lot to take in and that is the highest form of compliment. It’s going to stay with me for a long time.

4.5 out of 5 stars.