tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post108388095615014924..comments2024-03-28T22:25:23.698-05:00Comments on Western Fictioneers: Favorite Novels Dept.: The Lonesome Dove SagaWestern Fictioneershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683314579075461026noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-61181368393259345442013-08-28T01:26:18.586-05:002013-08-28T01:26:18.586-05:00I love Lonesome Dove immensely. I thought the oth...I love Lonesome Dove immensely. I thought the other three books were really good, but not up to the caliber of Lonesome Dove. <br />I love the movie. Robert Duvall's portrayal of Gus is incredible. Diane Lane did a superb Laurena Wood. Tommy Lee Jones played Call Awesomely.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-22339980032549098412013-07-22T09:38:31.671-05:002013-07-22T09:38:31.671-05:00Cheryl ~~ a tip of the hat to you and to all the l...Cheryl ~~ a tip of the hat to you and to all the ladies who enjoy reading (and writing about) Westerns. It only serves to make this a much stronger genre and an old-cowboy-wannabe like myself truly appreciates your contributions. ~~ On another topic concerning LD, I have found it to be one of the most quoted movies of all time and I find myself "sparing" with good friends to see who can come up with the most "LD quotes" during a conversation. Now that I have let my breakfast get cold ~~ "It'll take a hacksaw to cut those eggs" ~~ PCPaul Connnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-46488644063903385932013-07-22T08:44:17.491-05:002013-07-22T08:44:17.491-05:00Reading the comments is nearly as good an educatio...Reading the comments is nearly as good an education as reading Troy's post. Not good at analyzing stories at all. Need to take some classes from Prof. Troy Smith.ChuckTyrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02609200010767178944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-10943126640198287562013-07-21T23:23:59.719-05:002013-07-21T23:23:59.719-05:00Troy, I know--you make some very valid points abou...Troy, I know--you make some very valid points about Call's personality quirks and lack of emotion. I love studying the characters like this. I just didn't like him because it hurt Newt so much, over and over again. But that's probably because I am a mom and to me it just made me mad to see him do that. LOL<br />CherylCheryl Piersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18116526340220274282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-88452614834956023462013-07-21T23:20:32.848-05:002013-07-21T23:20:32.848-05:00Paul, forgot to say, I did adore Gus. But it only ...Paul, forgot to say, I did adore Gus. But it only served to heighten the awareness of what a good person he was compared to Call that it made me dislike Call all the more. LOL<br />CherylCheryl Piersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18116526340220274282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-13873650047070154882013-07-21T23:13:46.862-05:002013-07-21T23:13:46.862-05:00Paul, there are a lot of women who read westerns i...Paul, there are a lot of women who read westerns in general--not just Larry McMurtry stuff. It's pretty amazing at the following of women of western writers. I started out writing western historical romance, and still do write some of that, but found myself reading more and more "regular" westerns as time went by and not so many WHRs as before. I read both, and write both, and there are a ton of other women out there who do, too. It's truly a readership that needs to be cultivated and looked at as far as sales!<br />CherylCheryl Piersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18116526340220274282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-40958666916629567672013-07-21T22:15:19.840-05:002013-07-21T22:15:19.840-05:00Fabulous explanation. I have the DVD and have not ...Fabulous explanation. I have the DVD and have not watched it yet, but no matter. I had heard the story a bit and figured I needed to read more in the genre first to appreciate it. Thanks for exploring the series, in order!Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10734148270217773194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-46842935870582986922013-07-21T21:34:22.177-05:002013-07-21T21:34:22.177-05:00.. that is another valid point, Troy. Famous Shoes... .. that is another valid point, Troy. Famous Shoes is an outstanding character, Kickapoo, if my memory hasn't failed me. The man was a walking or running Atlas Map. The story of Buffalo Hump and Blue Duck added much to the saga, as the entire Comanche tribe did as well. And, I believe, it was Kicking Wolf, who was the greatest of all horse thieves, and kept the Rangers busy chasing him on so many different occasions. Great additional insight, Troy.Paul Connnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-47713719106586019692013-07-21T21:23:03.207-05:002013-07-21T21:23:03.207-05:00I think that Larry McMurtry writes some of the bes...I think that Larry McMurtry writes some of the best Indian characters of any non-Indian writer out there. He can present their spirituality and worldview in such a way tha he clearly shows it is different, and often incomprehensible to the white characters, without lampooning them. I'm thinking of Famous Shoes in particular.Troy D. Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07744762061580915223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-78318873137661468952013-07-21T21:08:58.569-05:002013-07-21T21:08:58.569-05:00Troy .. wonderful insight into the writing of Larr...Troy .. wonderful insight into the writing of Larry McMurtry and the incredible saga which is .. Lonesome Dove. His character development is of another level and it is probably the use of humor that makes this a strength of his writing. Whatever it is .. it works!! Another fact that sometimes goes unnoticed is the strong female following (and I do understand your protests, Cheryl) that LD has built over the past 25 years. Again .. I don't know if it is due to the novel or the TV mini-series, but I find most women will overlook Woodrow because they adore Gus so much!! Regardless ~~ it is a story that is well worth reading and watching. And in my opinion, McMurtry is an absolute legend!Paul Connnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-9505351507555277522013-07-21T20:11:46.599-05:002013-07-21T20:11:46.599-05:00I loved Lonesome Dove. What a wonderful story of f...I loved Lonesome Dove. What a wonderful story of friendship and loyalty. They recently did a dicumentary on the History Channel about the real story behind the story and I was glued to the TV. <br />Like heryl, I was always disappointed by Call's disregard of his son, yet his extreme loyalty to his friend. It just seemed like a slap in the boy's face.Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-2857467597435649562013-07-21T16:28:41.245-05:002013-07-21T16:28:41.245-05:00Of course, you could look at it that Call refused ...Of course, you could look at it that Call refused to acknowledge his own son because he believed that his relationship with Maggie -whose love he also never acknowledged -was a weakness on his part, and that any emotion other than anger was weakness as well. And Newt was a personification of that "weakness," his love for Maggie. You could also argue that the love he refused to acknowledge was his truest self; that he saw himself in Newt; and it was his own true nature he refused to look at. Until near the end of his life. A lot of men in that era, and since, have felt that way about emotion- part of it is the Northern/Western European culture, and part of it is unique to each person's circumstances. It makes you wonder what happened to the child Woodrow that made him put up that wall. I believe that both Gus and Woodrow were cast adrift at a young age, due either to death or intentional abandonment, and each man chose to apporach it differently... one by putting up a wall, and one by having no walls whatsoever. There is no question that Gus is the likeable, even loveable one... but ultimately it is Woodrow who changes, making him the focal character and Gus part of his catalyst. His deep friendship for Gus, for most of his life, was probably the only emotion he was able to express. Troy D. Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07744762061580915223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-3955802301960038932013-07-21T14:26:35.504-05:002013-07-21T14:26:35.504-05:00Troy--I, for one, love everything about Lonesome D...Troy--I, for one, love everything about Lonesome Dove, the miniseries--I never read the novel.<br />However, readers either love or can't stand Larry McMurtry. I've tried to read some of his books...but did not succeed.<br />But when Bill Whitliff wrote a screenplay for a tv series, to me he wrote the best mini-series ever. Lord, I've watched that series I don't know how many times, even once in the interior of Mexico. Tv down there was pitiful, but at night in our lodge, we watched the series, dubbed in Spanish. I still loved it!<br />Bill Whitliff contributed gobs of money to Texas State University here in San Marcos, TX, and in return, the university set up a permanent display in the enormous Alkek Library. The display has some of the actual costumes and many other artifacts from the series, plus the original screenplay that Mr. Whitliff wrote.<br />Have you seen it? Please do visit if you ever come to San Marcos. And if you do, you'd better call me!<br />P.S. The fact that Call and Woodrow were patterned after Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving makes the story even more intriguing.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16272417114895975742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-70911534448405664292013-07-21T14:15:45.128-05:002013-07-21T14:15:45.128-05:00Oh yeah. No doubt about it! It's rare that I&#...Oh yeah. No doubt about it! It's rare that I'm that much at odds with a story--I agree the writing was just superb and it was like watching a train wreck about to happen all the way through. I wanted to put it down because I didn't like the main character. But I had to finish it. Even though I was mad and disgusted with his character, I still had to finish the book.<br />CherylCheryl Piersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18116526340220274282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-3147291414474176982013-07-21T14:11:39.870-05:002013-07-21T14:11:39.870-05:00And well-written, or it wouldn't have made you...And well-written, or it wouldn't have made you so mad ;-)Troy D. Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07744762061580915223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-66332411109197719042013-07-21T12:52:39.198-05:002013-07-21T12:52:39.198-05:00LOL Troy--you're probably right. I think a lot...LOL Troy--you're probably right. I think a lot of women might tend to think that way. The other thing I thought of was that with Michael Corleone, he started out naively wanting to do the right thing and keep out of the family business. It's more understandable for me to see how he could have gotten sucked in and drawn down into it rather than it is understandable for someone like Call arbitrarily choosing not to acknowledge his own son. I just wanted to kick his butt. But it was an interesting story all the same, or I couldn't have finished it.<br />CherylCheryl Piersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18116526340220274282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-17380062213953961582013-07-21T12:35:45.402-05:002013-07-21T12:35:45.402-05:00Cheryl, sounds like you have the exact same opinio...Cheryl, sounds like you have the exact same opinion of Call that Clara did!Troy D. Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07744762061580915223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-50912774475998646892013-07-21T12:31:12.883-05:002013-07-21T12:31:12.883-05:00Thanks for that analysis, Troy. I need to get down...Thanks for that analysis, Troy. I need to get down to some reading here. This post has been very helpful.<br /><br />As for The Godfather, I think it is one of the greatest stories.Keith Souterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15206349930107528691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-33651443707989990932013-07-21T12:22:13.230-05:002013-07-21T12:22:13.230-05:00Troy,
Superlative article.
CharlieTroy,<br /><br />Superlative article.<br /><br />CharlieCharlie Steelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16992330591519249699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-13758771991376604732013-07-21T11:31:04.376-05:002013-07-21T11:31:04.376-05:00Good post. Lonesome Dove is my favorite Western bo...Good post. Lonesome Dove is my favorite Western book and mini-series, but I was less impressed with the remainder of the series. Lonesome Dove was a buddy story. Even in death, Gus was part of the story as he was dragged back to Texas for burial. For me, Woodrow couldn't carry a story on his own.James D. Besthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01032090031039316569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-71281271469899310262013-07-21T11:15:25.854-05:002013-07-21T11:15:25.854-05:00Troy, I'm glad you went on to talk about the o...Troy, I'm glad you went on to talk about the other novels in the saga. I read Lonesome Dove and did not like it. The writing was wonderful, the characters were good, but I could not like Woodrow Call for the life of me. And I found myself getting madder at him as the story went on, until it turned into disgust for him. I finished the book, but never read another one of McMurtry's stories. No matter what else he did in his life, the unrequited yearning of Newt to know that Call claimed him as his son overshadowed everything else for me. And it wasn't as if he didn't see it or know what was going on. To me he just wasn't man enough to accept the responsibility and do the right thing. So, to me, he could not be a hero of any kind. I realize this is probably just my own opinion about it, and I can recognize the writing ability of McMurtry, I just don't like this particular story and the way the main character reacted.<br /><br />I agree with you about The Godfather. Michael did come full circle and what a story those books told! <br /><br />Great post, btw, and great explanations. I enjoyed this! <br />Cheryl Cheryl Piersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18116526340220274282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-73081754682204590212013-07-21T11:14:28.934-05:002013-07-21T11:14:28.934-05:00Even if you have read the series, this breakdown g...Even if you have read the series, this breakdown gives something more to the story that when you re-read you will be watching. If you haven't read the series, it will make you want to. DorisRenaissance Womenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09045401344374224512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-25034857326135980832013-07-21T08:18:50.148-05:002013-07-21T08:18:50.148-05:00Excellent breakdown of a top-notch series of novel...Excellent breakdown of a top-notch series of novels, Troy. And I agree about McMurtry's use of humor. It's my favorite aspect of his writing. Matthew P. Mayohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15078400556536047544noreply@blogger.com