Lonesome Dove is a 1985 novel by Larry McMurtry which won the Pulitzer Prize that year. Although the book is only 40 years old, I’m still considering this a classic book and fits nicely into my longer term goal to read more classic fiction.
A Short, Spoiler Free Summary of the Story
Former Texas Rangers Call and McRae assemble a herd of several thousand cattle under their Hat Creek Cattle Company brand and head north from South Texas to the unsettled Montana frontier in the 1870’s. The story follows this epic journey, and other characters come and go throughout the story, interfering with and impacting the journey.
Handy Statistics
Started reading May 25, 2026
Finished reading June 19, 2026
11 pages of reading notes
857 pages
Reading Methodology
I tried to keep a regular schedule for reading since the book is long and it has multiple characters and scene changes. After every few chapters, I wrote about 6 lines of notes to summarize key actions by characters, important plot points, and guesses on what would happen next. I found that this approach kept me engaged in the story.
Reading Goals
- Uncover broad themes in the story
- Collect interesting quotes by the author or by the characters
- Try to understand why some believe that this is their favorite novel
Broad Themes
- Loyalty/friendship, especially between Captain Call and Gus McRae
- Perseverance towards a goal, even with unexpected obstacles along the way
- Differences between love and lust, and how either can blind our behavior
- How a sense of community (by members of the Hat Creek Cattle Company) can emerge even when comprised of members from broken homes or families
- We may dream of “going home”, but it’s never the same when we arrive after a journey
A Few Quotes
- “you’re the only man I know whose brain don’t work unless it’s in the shade”
- “the candle of knowledge he had set out with had burned down to a sorry stub”
- “so perhaps that was the way of the world: women scolded, and men kept quiet and stayed out of the way as much as possible”
- “I doubt it matters where you die, but it matters where you live”
- “Better by far for never to have known the pleasure than to have the pain that followed”
- “My main skills are talking and cooking biscuits…..and getting drunk on the porch”
- “Life works out peculiar”
- “Once started, love couldn’t easily be stopped”
Is this a Favorite Novel?
I found the book to be an enjoyable read, but I can’t tell yet if it is a favorite novel. I do think it is worth rereading in the future. The elements of a favorite novel are all there: unforgettable characters, expressive dialogue, multiple plot twists, and cinematic descriptions of people and places. On a second read I would be spending less effort in learning the story (which I already know) and more effort in uncovering themes which would help deepen my analysis and appreciation of the book.
You can see more of my classic fiction reads here and here and here.
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