Lonesome Dove, By Larry McMurtry 

How you feel about a book is often influenced by the circumstances of reading it. I picked up this big book a week before the pandemic started, and for those first few “uncertain times” it was a big warm blanket that kept my thoughts focused on things besides viruses and shut-downs and disease tracking apps and “why does my throat feel scratchy?!” 

Lonesome Dove is an epic western about two old cowboys who take a herd of cattle from Texas to Montana. You may be shocked to learn the journey isn’t easy. But unlike a lot of big books, the story is very straightforward – the crew must go from Point A to Point B. 

What elevates this simple story is the writing. McMurtry’s descriptions, dialogue, tone and characters are three steps above perfect. And he makes it look so easy. Every sentence feels natural and true. He’s a master worder! 

That said, you need to give the book a chance. It’s a slow burn. But if you hang in past the first 100 pages, and get to the part when they set out on the grand adventure, you’re in for a treat. 

Also, growing up I assumed, perhaps based on the title, that Lonesome Dove was some weepy Hallmark romance story. It is not. A better title may have been, “Cowboys Keep It Moo-ving!” or “Best Western.”  

This might be my favorite book of all time, and I’m not just saying that because it kept me sane as the world was ending.

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