Lonesome Dove

Larry McMurtry

June 15, 2010

Lonesome Dove is a 1985 western novel by Larry McMurtry. It tells the story of two aging former Texas Rangers and their epic journey from South Texas to Montana in search of a new life. The novel won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and the William Dean Howells Medail. The novel is set in the late 1870s and centers around two friends and partners, Augustus "Gus" McCrae and Woodrow F. Call. Gus and Call were once Texas Rangers captained by the legendary Rangers' leader, Captain Ranald S. "Bad Hand" MacKenzie. They now run a small cattle-ranching business in Lonesome Dove, Texas. One day, the two decide to take a cattle drive from Texas to Montana in search of greener pastures and a new life.On the way, they recruit several people, including the prospector and barlovento thief Jake Spoon, who has been on the run. The crew must brave inhospitable territory and the elements, battling against hostile Indians, run-ins with grizzly bears and unexpected perils. Along the way, they experience love, friendship, disappointment, heartache and tragedy.Lonesome Dove is an entertaining and heart-stirring portrayal of the American Wild West before it disappeared. Its witty, heartfelt dialogue and vivid descriptions bring to life both the characters and the landscape of the West. It paints an engaging picture of the physical and emotional journeys the two old friends take, conveying its many themes of courage, loyalty, loneliness, friendship, and mortality.