Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

7 reviews

probablytoolate's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, and Alcohol

stillunderqualified's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

It left me empty like the planes filled with Buffalo bones. 

This book was brutal. It plots along and ends in such a hollow place you can't even cry. I feel angry at it because I don't understand the point but that's just it.  Sometimes you don't and I'm choked up now for all the tragedy and horror and pointlessness of it all. There was beauty in spots and the journey felt so alive at the end but each death was blunt and brutal and shocking. You couldn't love them for they were so flawed but how could you hate them? It felt like a journey of life with patches that felt stable and understandable torn into pieces in moments. 

If I had more of an inkling I'd talk about the brutalist poetic prose or the moral complexity or the hostorical lens but I feel so emptied out by the story that I don't want to anymore. I was so hooked that I couldn't be bothered to stop and write and now here I am without the desire. 
If that doesn't say something about Lonesome Doce I don't know what will. 

P. S. The pigs were my favorite part

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Infidelity, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and War

Minor: Ableism and Drug use

seanml's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

McMurtry gives such a realistic depiction of the characters in the story that they are more realized in three paragraphs than the main character of a series might be in three entire books. Even characters doesn't feel like the right term sometimes because they just feel like people. People that make bad decisions and keep making them, or contradict themselves constantly. McMurtry's writing doesn't follow arcs as much as it does the natural way of things. It only goes to serve the dreary nature of the novel, but at times it does give its little moments of cheer. 9.5/10.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child death, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Blood, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

erynlasbelin's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Infidelity, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and War

graff_fuller's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

As you can see...I really enjoyed this book. The number of notes, how quickly I read the story...all of it. Also, this book is very deep. 

The characters may seem/are stupid or just plain ignorant of the wider world, but they have a strength without worldly knowledge that is oddly translated into wisdom. 

This applies especially to Augustus McCrea. He was NOT perfect. He wasn't sparing with his wisdom, and more so...you couldn't shut him up...BUT he was also a good man.

SPOILERS below 👇

So, throughout the story, the main protagonist...turned out to be Captain Call. Not really, but this is how the story ends...carrying on the story...and burying his friend/enemy (in a friendly way) back to Lonesome Dove, TX...to the garden. Such a waste, in my opinion.

I'm glad that Lori ended up with Clara, July and the kids...that really was the best place...and they will NEVER lack for anything...bc of the generous gift by Augustus to Lori. 

I so wish that Captain could've done more for Newt. I stand with Clara on that decision, plus what she felt should've been done with Augustus' body. What a shame to have made a promise to a dead man...when ALL the people who loved him were in Nebraska and Montana...and NOT in Texas. Ugh.

I also wonder how the story progresses and who the story will follow? So, it will be interesting. I will not read it now, or soon, but I will continue on with this series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Racism and Rape

derschnauzbart's review against another edition

adventurous emotional

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Grief

Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Slavery, and Pregnancy

caitlin_bookchats's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I don't really know how I feel about this yet. Sorry!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Rape, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Medical content

Minor: Ableism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Cannibalism

8 or more characters die in the course of the book, there is occasional use of the n-word to describe black cowboys, there is a lot of talk about fear of specific tribes and American Indians generally, references to the Texas Rangers "civilizing" Texas by chasing all the tribes out, and one particularly brutal outlaw is an American Indian. Two of the four female characters have a background as or spend some time during the book as prostitutes and this is discussed fairly frankly but without flowery language or heavy detail.