Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

12 reviews

quackquackbich's review against another edition

adventurous funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Racism, Rape, and Sexual violence

Minor: Child death and Miscarriage

carojust's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I understand why this book is so loved and lauded. It's an enormous read that encourages you to dedicate a lot of patience and heart to its slow-moving narrative. My inner voice currently has a Texas accent -- that's how much it embeds itself in your imagination.

The book follows Texas rangers Call and Augustus as they decide to make money driving cattle to Montana, across risky terrain full of bandits, wild animals, rivers and dry plains. Larry McMurtry takes great care in fleshing out the contrasting personalities of the two main characters, as well as their moments of heroism and loss. The fight scenes, especially, were so well imagined, and make your heart race. 

What held me back was how one-dimensional the secondary characters were, particularly how Native Americans and women were portrayed. Violent or starved, a whore or a mother. And I don't think this was done in any kind of pursuasive way, it was just convenient to stereotype, and serve as ornamental means to manhood.

Nevertheless, you'll enjoy this if you're in the mood for adventurous plots, a large cast of characters, and rooting for heroes. Please consider the content warnings, too.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

caribbeangirlreading's review

adventurous emotional funny sad slow-paced

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

4.75

4.99 stars, because I HATED that last line. (And NO, you are not allowed to skip to the last page. You have to read the whole thing to understand because if you read it out of context, it will seem funny.)

This book, and its characters, will live rent free in my head for the rest of my life. When I finished reading it a week ago I told my book club friends that I was going to need bereavement leave from work so that I could properly mourn both the end of this book, and the loss of so many characters in the story. When you first look at this 850 page book, it can seem overwhelming, let alone listening to 36 hours of an audiobook. And yet, every.single.day, when I got in my car to drive to work, I could not wait to find out what adventures (or misadventures) would my Lonesome Dove friends get into next. I laughed, I gasped, I got ANGRY, I cried. Larry McMurtry is a master storyteller. I'm now off to watch the mini-series so I can spend more time with my friends because I miss them so much.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Minor: Genocide and Fire/Fire injury

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.

---

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

byrdy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Once I got to page 400 (out of 852), it really started to pick up. Worth a read, but you are probably going to have to force yourself to read especially at the beginning.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Rape, 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

---

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

seseymore's review

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, and Alcohol

gracieanna21's review

adventurous slow-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Abortion, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

bluejay21's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Blood, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

vampireph4ze's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

i think i'm actually going to have to sit down at my computer one day and write an essay or at least a blurb about this whole book and it's insane effect on me. it is a wonderful story and one that made me cry countless times not only because of its sadness from the expected deaths on a long journey in the wild west but also because of its humanity. i have never been so moved by a story simply from its existence. there were times i found myself crying when i least expected it and times i sat stone faced when i thought i would cry (and i say these both as positives — it makes me question "why?" and evokes a deeper search into answering that). the characters of Lonesome Dove are all three-dimensional and incredibly interesting to pick apart. there are things you can like or appreciate and dislike about all of them. their mistakes are real, their wants are familiar, their stubbornness and pride and curiosity and love is utterly human and so so beautiful. Larry McMurtry did a brilliant job at creating a world that is equally as moving as it is funny. the members of the Hat Creek Outfit became my friends and i laughed and i mourned and i adventured with them and i am so so grateful i made the decision to pick up this long book that has become a hidden gem in these recent years.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Misogyny and Rape