Lonesome Dove

// Lonesome Dove //

800 plus pages read from August to November, this book was a journey! Definitely in the top spot of this years books read.

From the excerpts in front...

"If you read only one western novel in your life, read Lonesome Dove." & "A compelling & memorable epic."

I do find of the prizes to be won, Pulitzers for me tend to be a sign of a good read. This one was also in my copy of "A 1000 Books to Read Before You Die" - also a good sign. A Pulitzer winner from 1986, I found Lonesome Dove to be engaging & amusing with memorable characters ~ every time I picked it up I found myself surprised by something. That said, there's some heavy content & a few disclaimers before I'd selectively recommend it, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed & gave it five stars! I finished the last chapter on a beautiful Saturday morning in November(!) by the patio fire. A lovely & memorable end. 

This book also wins a Favourite Character Award of the year, if not of all time? The award goes to: Augustus McCrae. You're the man, Gus.

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A few memorable scenes/quotes...

"I read the Good Book in the morning & the evening, when I can be reminded of the glory of the Lord. The rest of the day I'm just reminded of what a miserable stink hole we stuck ourselves in. It's hard to have fun in a place like this, but I do my best." (Gus)

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"It struck him that he had forgotten emptiness such as existed in the country that stretched around him... But here there was no sound, not any. The coyotes were silent, the crickets, the locusts, the owls. There was only the sound of his own horse grazing. From him to the stars, in all directions, there was only silence & emptiness. Not the talk of men over their cards, nothing. Though he had ridden hard he felt strangely rested, just from the silence."

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"She felt a dread she couldn't get rid of... it was beyond her control. Gus put his arms around her. 'Well, it's natural to worry. This is a chancy life. What's the main thing that worries you?' 'I'm feared you'll die,' Lorena said. Augustus chuckled. 'Dern right, I'll die,' he said. 'What else worries you?'

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"He rode the dun into Lonesome Dove late on a day in August, only to be startled by the harsh clanging of the dinner bell, the one Bolivar had loved to beat with the broken crowbar. The sound made him feel that he rode through a land of ghosts. He felt lost in his mind & wondered if all the boys would be there when he got home." (Call)

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It took me a while to figure out, but this is actually the third book of four, though it was written first. Next up: Streets of Laredo!