Author Topic: BBM and Lonesome Dove  (Read 60213 times)

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: BBM and Lonesome Dove
« Reply #90 on: March 30, 2009, 02:38:25 pm »

The book is dedicated to Diana and Sara Ossana.

That's very cool Fabienne! 

And, it makes me happy to hear about the Brokieism.
:)


I'm glad you're enjoying it.  I'm still really enjoying Dead Man's Walk myself.



the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

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Re: BBM and Lonesome Dove
« Reply #91 on: March 31, 2009, 10:57:48 am »
As usual, I am lagging behind on Lonesome Dove. But, at last the team has started off on their journey. I'm actually beginning Chapter 46 and I'm feeling a lot of apprehension. The trip didn't start off too well with the attack of the water moccasins. And now Jake has run off and left Lorena, not to mention the odious things that happened when Woodrow and Gus tried to get a whiskey at a bar they had fond memories of. Lorena is a very simpatico character who has seemed to be a zombie up until now but she's starting to examine her feelings and wake up to new possibilities. I still enjoy the banter between the Cap'n and Gus, but there is something missing...hopefully the love and passion between them will show itself later. McMurtry does a wonderful job describing the confusion and tumult of a young person's brain when talking about the young hands who have signed on to the cattle drive. He also describes the horses, cattle, and pigs well.
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: BBM and Lonesome Dove
« Reply #92 on: March 31, 2009, 12:43:50 pm »
As usual, I am lagging behind on Lonesome Dove. But, at last the team has started off on their journey. I'm actually beginning Chapter 46 and I'm feeling a lot of apprehension. The trip didn't start off too well with the attack of the water moccasins. And now Jake has run off and left Lorena, not to mention the odious things that happened when Woodrow and Gus tried to get a whiskey at a bar they had fond memories of. Lorena is a very simpatico character who has seemed to be a zombie up until now but she's starting to examine her feelings and wake up to new possibilities. I still enjoy the banter between the Cap'n and Gus, but there is something missing...hopefully the love and passion between them will show itself later. McMurtry does a wonderful job describing the confusion and tumult of a young person's brain when talking about the young hands who have signed on to the cattle drive. He also describes the horses, cattle, and pigs well.

:)  Sure enough... the drama is just beginning!

I love the way McMurtry describes the animals and the ways the guys worked with the animals too.  Some of the details of everyday work were really interesting to me when I read LD.

McMurtry also has an interesting writing rhythm... going from descriptions of very mundane/ everyday type subjects to extremely high drama with the turn of a page.  Certain turns of events were truly unexpected to me throughout the book.

And, yes, I think it takes a while to get a sense of the relationship between Call and Gus.  In the beginning of LD, I recall it was a lot of them bantering and picking on each other and bickering a bit.  I think it's meant to give a sense of a long established relationship where each party feels comfortable ribbing the other... or like an old married couple that bickers, but is very comfortable together.  I mean by the time LD starts, they've already known each other for decades.  In Dead Man's Walk, I'm learning about 19-year old Call and Gus.  It's interesting to see how their personalies seemed as much younger men.  I tend to see Call as an Ennis-type and Gus as a Jack-type.  Call is always very reserved with his emotions and Gus is gregarious and social.  Call, to me, is much more difficult to understand than Gus.  Gus, to me, becomes increasingly likeable as the story goes on and Call remains an enigma.

**not really a spoiler... but could possibly seem that way**
It's not until the end where the reader necessarily understands the strength of Call's emotions for Gus and his level of devotion.  In my understanding of the two of them, I don't know if I'd call their relationship "passionate"... somehow I think things like "trust" and "devotion" and "companionship" might fit their relationship better.







the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

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Re: BBM and Lonesome Dove
« Reply #93 on: March 31, 2009, 10:40:10 pm »
Vivien, you're back! I've missed you! But, it's not Halloween, but welcome enniway!!
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: BBM and Lonesome Dove
« Reply #94 on: April 01, 2009, 09:01:09 am »
Vivien, you're back! I've missed you! But, it's not Halloween, but welcome enniway!!

Thanks Friend! It may not be Halloween... but it is April Fool's Day!  :D


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Re: BBM and Lonesome Dove
« Reply #95 on: April 01, 2009, 02:03:58 pm »
You're right, as usual, my friend the wily black cat!

Of all the interwoven stories going on, I love the story of Roscoe the inept deputy the most. For a timid bumbler, he seems to wander into fortunate situations involving women who are able to help him a lot. Now he's paired up with Janey, a backwoods Athena, and they just managed to escape certain death at the hands of two outlaws.

I'm also enjoying seeing how the main characters split up and come together again, even though they travel a large territory. Larry McMurtry is such a master at the logistics of plot!!
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: BBM and Lonesome Dove
« Reply #96 on: April 01, 2009, 02:56:11 pm »
You're right, as usual, my friend the wily black cat!

Of all the interwoven stories going on, I love the story of Roscoe the inept deputy the most. For a timid bumbler, he seems to wander into fortunate situations involving women who are able to help him a lot. Now he's paired up with Janey, a backwoods Athena, and they just managed to escape certain death at the hands of two outlaws.

I'm also enjoying seeing how the main characters split up and come together again, even though they travel a large territory. Larry McMurtry is such a master at the logistics of plot!!


I'm glad you're enjoying it Mrs. Robinson! :)  I really like Roscoe and Janey too.  Roscoe is so bumbling, but likeable... and Janey is such a strong little kid, resourceful, etc.!

You're absolutely right about how odd it is to think about people bumping into each other or crossing paths, etc. across such vast amounts of geography.  Sometimes it feels like Larry's talking about people running into each other within the space of a small town or community rather than hundreds and thousands of miles.  It's a trend that keeps happening throughout the book and in Dead Man's Walk too.


On a different note... last night in the bath tub as I was reading DMW (I read a lot in the bath tub)... I came up with a pretty concrete reason why I preferred the book Lonesome Dove to the mini-series (even though I enjoyed the mini series... it didn't have the same impact on me as the book).  I think the access to the different characters' internal thoughts and first person observations, musings, fears, etc. in the book is so compelling.  Seeing these different adventures in the first person through the eyes and thoughts of the different people was a vital part of LD and still is in DMW.  I mean, in the book LD, experiencing the early part of the cattle drive through the eyes of Newt (experiencing his fears, and seeing things fresh through his relatively naive eyes... much like the reader is to some of the cowboy customs and activities, was really effective).  In the mini-series, we're observing the characters from a distance, but we're not allowed the same access into their heads.  It's just a slightly different experience of both the story and the characters.




the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: BBM and Lonesome Dove
« Reply #97 on: April 03, 2009, 10:25:39 pm »


The other night I noticed another Brokieism embedded... well, this time in Dead Man's Walk. 

**not really a spoiler of much significance.  but a minor spoiler nonetheless**

There's a passage in the middle of the book where a large group of Rangers is trying to reach New Mexico from Austin, and most of the rangers are quite in experienced and very few know much about the territory they're crossing.  At one point they encounter an enormous herd of buffalo.  Most of them get excited about the idea of hunting.  But the Captain leading the expedition gives a general order forbidding anyone from shooting a buffalo.  And, one of the Rangers makes a comment very similar to Jack's observation about the sheep... "but there's thousands of them."

The general descriptions of the huge buffalo herd very much reminded me of the way the sheep were sometimes described (an even visualized in the film)...  extending for a long, long distance, filling the field of vision, etc.

the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: BBM and Lonesome Dove
« Reply #98 on: April 13, 2009, 02:02:33 pm »

So, the end is in sight for Dead Man's Walk for me.  I have maybe about 100 pages left, and I'll start Comanche Moon after that. 


I'm liking Dead Man's Walk but not as much as LD.  There got to a point in the flow of this narrative a while back where it feels like McMurtry started almost going through a laundry list of "worst case scenarios".  LOL, it really does just feel like one horrible situation after another.  It's hard to believe that anyone could survive some of the circumstances they encounter on the "walk."  I mean, I know that Call and Gus must survive this adventure (I keep reminding myself of this), but wow, the whole thing seems very grim.  This book is responsible for giving me a nightmare!  Which is a pretty unusual thing for me.


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Offline mariez

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Re: BBM and Lonesome Dove
« Reply #99 on: April 14, 2009, 01:42:34 pm »
So, the end is in sight for Dead Man's Walk for me.  I have maybe about 100 pages left, and I'll start Comanche Moon after that. 


I'm liking Dead Man's Walk but not as much as LD.  There got to a point in the flow of this narrative a while back where it feels like McMurtry started almost going through a laundry list of "worst case scenarios".  LOL, it really does just feel like one horrible situation after another.  It's hard to believe that anyone could survive some of the circumstances they encounter on the "walk."  I mean, I know that Call and Gus must survive this adventure (I keep reminding myself of this), but wow, the whole thing seems very grim.  This book is responsible for giving me a nightmare!  Which is a pretty unusual thing for me.


Oh, no - so it actually did ending up giving you a nightmare!  Was it one specific part?  I agree with your assessment, Amanda.  LD stands out as my favorite book in the series, although I did like the others.  It's been a while since I've read it, but I believe the "worst case scenarios" continue right through the end.  There was also a mini-series made of DMW.  I wouldn't buy it - but it's worth watching (I borrowed a copy from my local library).  Let us know when you complete the book and what you think of the ending.  :)

The measure of a country's greatness is its ability to retain compassion in times of crisis         ~~~~~~~~~Thurgood Marshall

The worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself.    ~~~~~~~~~ Mark Twain