Rating: 
Summary: One of the Greatest Novels Ever !
Review: I hate westerns. Or, so I thought until on a whim I picked up Lonesome Dove and started reading. By the end of the first chapter I was hooked. And, as I eagerly devoured the rest of the book I realized that what I was reading wasn't so much a book about the west as it was a book about adventure, freindship, longing, loss, and love. This book is not about a bunch of Loius L'Amour style cowboys in white hats with sparkly belt buckles. This book is about the gritty, brutal and often touching actions and interactions that make up life. ...and it happens to be set in the American west.McMurtry's greatest accomplishment in this book, in my opinion, is in creating such a colorful cast of characters. There aren't just good guys and bad guys mashed together in this story. These are people that I care about. Each character is individually interesting and it is the ambitions, emotions, strengths and vices of these people that direct this epic adventure. This was the most moving and exciting novel I've ever read. I went on to read all of McMurtry's other Westerns. All of them are great, but none of them are Lonesome Dove.
Rating:
Summary: Lonesome Dove: A story of the True west
Review: Lonesome Dove is set in a popular background to all southerners: the Old West. John Wayne movies and stories of Billy the Kid and Jesse James have managed to mythologize the Old West as a dreamland where outlaws become heroes and women are heavenly. Larry McMurtry eliminates this feeling of myth by portraying the west the way it really was. He reveals his many truths about the Old West through several main characters. They include two retired Texas Rangers, a young prostitute, and several cowboys, young and old. Through this cast of characters, McMurtry illustrates the hardships of the Old West. He also includes underlying themes such and friendship and coincidence. He switches back and forth in the novel between the two settings, the cattle drive, and a small farm on the prairie. Coincidentally, these two paths often meet. McMurtry begins with the Rangers and Cowboys. He illustrates the hardships of the west by depicting realistic problems of the old west. Stampedes and torrential weather are unpredictable and frequent. Bandits and Indians often prey on the innocent. As the cowboys go through thunderstorms, clouds of locusts, stampedes, and deadly outlaws, the reader quickly forgets the easy life of the Old West myth. The cowboys are not fearless warriors, many are frightened of fording rivers, and fighting grizzly bears. The women aren't all lady-like. Many are prostitutes who are rough around the edges, and don't really care about anyone but themselves. Most important of all, no one is immortal. Death follows the cattle drive all the way to Montana. McMurtry often resorts to graphic portrayals to get his point across. Descriptions of scalped innocents, and other more personal topics depict the Old West as far from dreamy. However, through all these hardships, McMurtry still manages to tell the good side of life in that time. The friendships the men attain, the love of the ladies, and the adventure makes the story just that much better. As he switches from character to character, McMurtry also writes that particular persons thoughts, which allow the reader to see every point of view of the situation. The older men see it as a job, the younger boys as an exciting adventure, and the women as a needless expenditure. The women would just as soon settle anywhere. McMurtry also manages to add love into this fray. Through the storms, stampedes, and abductions, love is still abundant. This is one of the many truths illustrated in the story. The novel is organized into three parts and one hundred and two chapters. He switches between the two settings smoothly, and keeps the story flowing well. The action is almost nonstop, and makes it hard to put the book down. The only difficulty that some may encounter is length. Nine hundred and forty five pages can seem daunting to some. However, the realism, characters, and truth make this novel into a great epic that is extremely enjoyable to read.
Rating: 
Summary: True western classic
Review: Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry, is a story of a group of cowboys from Lonesome Dove, Texas on their way to Montana and the people who cross their path. Among the stories being told there is a young sheriff in search of his missing wife and a young prostitute in search of a better life. When the group of cowboys leave Texas to go to Montana, they are faced with trails and challenges they never would have expected. On their way they are faced with Indians, drowning, snakes and bugs all of which lead to the adventure of a lifetime. Lonesome Dove contains adventure and drama as protrayed in the lives of it's characters. McMurtry has does a wounderful job of combining adventure and drama to produce a true western classic. The use of adventure shows the fun and excitement one can have while on the trail and drama set the mood of the hardships the boys endure. Lonesome Dove is a true western classic in its own right.
Rating:
Summary: The greatest Western novel
Review: This is epic. Characters like these are few and far between, to find so many good ones in a single novel is sheer bliss. If you ever wondered what the great west was about this novel spells it out. Meeting Gus, Call, Jake, Deets, Pea-Eye, Newt and the others is as grand as discovering the story they play out. Yes its a love story and yes its about friendship. But the wonder is that its about many love stories, and many friendships, at more levels than any adventure story deserves. And what an adventure, what a voyage of discovery. If you've not seen the screen-play, read the book first. To be able to then view it as brilliantly acted as the screen version did, makes this story one you'll find hard to forget, ever.
Rating:
Summary: Not just a western
Review: Let me start by saying that I hate westerns. I cannot stand them. That is why I was really hesitant about reading Lonesome Dove, despite the awards won by Larry McMurtry. I was blown away! The characters were so real, so alive. I have read alot of books, but I cant remember any in recent memory that made me care about the characters as in Lonesome Dove. Woodrow Call and Gus just jumped out of the pages and grabbed you heart. Before reading this book, I would not even have thought it possible for a book to affect me like this one did. Even after the 800+ pages, I was sad for it to end. If you want to see what affects a book can really have on you, read Lonesome Dove. Dont be turned off by it being stereotyped as "A Western." READ IT NOW!
Rating:
Summary: A magnificent must-read!
Review: I hate to merely add another stellar review to the list but this book moved me so much, I had to express my feelings. Next to "A Prayer for Owen Meany" this is my favorite novel. The description is detailed but not overdone, the dialogue is both laugh-out-loud funny and heartbreaking, and the characters are so rich, you truly feel as if you've gotten to know them. You can feel and see everything in "Lonesome Dove" come to life as if you were there, it is that sweeping and cinematic. I have seldom gotten so involved in a novel and so attached to so many vivid characters. But while thoroughly entertaining me, the book had me looking inward as well. Don't be scared off if you don't read Westerns. This book is for anyone who enjoys a marvelous, beautifully told story and a stirring, thought-provoking reading experience. I hated the book to end but it will stay with me for a very long time.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificient
Review: I don't know if this is the "greatest" novel I've ever read, but it is certainly my favorite. Woodrow Call and Gus McCrae stand as two of the greatest characters in American literature. People who dismiss 'Lonesome Dove' as simply a "popular" novel are complete knuckleheads. If there was ever a story or characters who better embody the West and the elegiac quality of that time and place, I can't image them.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Story of the West
Review: Lonesome Dove is the great epic of the American West. Witty dialogue and interaction between characters is interested but not contrived. It makes you feel like you are along on the cattledrive to Montana with Call and Gus. If you read just one Western, read this one.
Rating:
Summary: "A Truly Amazing American Novel"
Review: I reluctantly took my moms advice to read this book, but as I got into it I could barly put it down. Larry McMurty's epic novel "Lonesome Dove" draws you in from page one. At nights I stayed up so late so I could finish the chapter I was on. Somtimes I would turn on my light at 11:30PM because I couldn't bring myself away from Gus's and Call's great adventure. McMurty's writing style and choice of words are amazing and he allows you go into the characters head. Once I finished McMurty's book I stood up and started to cry. I soon relized I couldn't bring myself from stopping there with "Lonesome Dove". I then bought "Streets of Laredo", "Dead Man's Walk", and "Comanche Moon". "Lonesome Dove" is truly and amazing American novel and I will never forget it.
Rating: 
Summary: The Lonesome Dove Series
Review: This is a great read. All four of the books in the series hold your interest to the point that you don't want to put it down. I would have given it five stars, however, I was greatly disappointed that I read the series in the order it was written, it was like being told the ending of a really good movie before you get to see it. I would recommend reading it as follows: 1. Dead Man's Walk 2. Commanche Moon 3. Lonesome Dove 4. Streets of Laredo. Also, there are several contradictions in the story, ie: In Lonesome Dove it says Maggie dies in the town of Lonesome Dove while in Commanche Moon it says she dies in Austin; In Commanche Moon Call is with Maggie for several years while in Lonesome Dove it says he only 'visited' her three times; In Commanche Moon Newt packs his stuff and moves to the bunkhouse with the rangers before his mother is even buried while in Lonesome Dove it says he lived with a Mexican family before going to the Rangers; in Lonesome Dove it says Newt grew up in Lonesome Dove, while in Commanche Moon he grows up in Austin. These are just a few examples, but even with the contradictions, it is still a great series of books. One last thing, I would not recommend it to anyone who has a weak stomach or who does not like violence.
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