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Larry McMurtry1 book reviewed
Lonesome Dove
by Larry McMurtry
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for: Readers of epic, character-driven historical fiction willing to commit to a long novel — including Western skeptics, fans of the 1989 miniseries curious about the source, and anyone wanting the original before the announced Netflix adaptation.
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- Is it worth reading?
- Yes — LuvemBooks' assessment is that this is one of the rare epics that lives up to its reputation, and for lovers of character-driven storytelling on a vast canvas it is close to required. The original reception singled out McMurtry's ability to keep the story mythic without forfeiting a grain of the characters' sympathetic power or the book's considerable suspense. The honest caveats are matters of form, not quality: 864 pages, a deliberately slow first movement before the drive gets underway, and frank frontier violence and period language.
- Similar books
- Readers who want more McMurtry should continue with the sequel Streets of Laredo or try Terms of Endearment for his contemporary-fiction side. For the West at its darkest, Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian is the essential counterpoint; for a tighter, funnier frontier voice, Charles Portis's True Grit. Paulette Jiles's News of the World offers a post-Civil War Texas journey in a gentler register, and James McBride's The Good Lord Bird brings comparable humor and sweep to the John Brown era.
- Who should read this?
- First, readers of epic historical fiction who have somehow never gotten to it — it rewards the commitment the way few long novels do. It is equally suited to admirers of the 1989 miniseries curious about the source, to Western skeptics (its humor and characterization routinely convert them), and to anyone anticipating the forthcoming Netflix adaptation who wants the original first. It is a poor fit only for readers wanting a quick genre read or a gentle one.
- Tell me about the adaptations
- The novel was adapted in 1989 into an acclaimed television miniseries starring Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall that won both critical and popular acclaim. Netflix has since confirmed a new ongoing series adaptation from co-showrunners Zoe Kazan and Jeb Stuart, with Diana Ossana — McMurtry's longtime creative partner — among the executive producers. The miniseries is faithful in spirit, but the book's interiority, humor, and slow-built momentum are distinctly novelistic pleasures.
- Where should I start with the series?
- Publication order is the standard recommendation: Lonesome Dove was published first (1985) and stands fully alone, with Dead Man's Walk and Comanche Moon arriving later as prequels and Streets of Laredo as the sequel. Internal chronology is different — Lonesome Dove sits third in the saga's timeline — so newcomers do have to choose, but starting with Lonesome Dove itself means meeting Gus and Call as generations of readers first did.
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Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Ages 16+
Reading level
Adult
3 content notes · who it suits
Content to know about
Best for: Adults / mature teens 16+ — frank frontier violence and period attitudes and language rendered without sanitizing
Skip if you want a quick, fast-starting genre Western — this is 864 pages and earns its momentum slowly by design
Editorial Review
Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer Prize–winning Western follows two retired Texas Rangers driving a herd from south Texas to Montana. It was a bestseller, inspired an acclaimed 1989 miniseries, and remains the benchmark of the modern Western.
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