Rating: 
Summary: One of the great "serious" entertainments
Review: Lonesome Dove is that rare thing, a serious novel that is, inall its parts, fabuloulsy entertaining. Larry McMurtry sets himselfthe seemingly impossible task of summing up the entire western genre in one book, and succeeds brilliantly. This novel has every stock western character and plot device: cattle drives, rattlesnakes, Mexican bandits, Texas Rangers, renegade Indians, gamblers, whores (with hearts of gold), riverboat men, wagon trains, sod busters, gun fights, fist fights, hangin', burnin' and much, much more. The book is brilliantly written with both humor and intelligence, causing the reader to care deeply about the fate of the main characters even while laughing out loud at the dialogue. This is the masterpiece of McMurtry's long and distinguished career. No one, not even him, is going to top this as the ultimate western. For those who haven't read it, I can't recommend it highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: McMurtry's best
Review: My name is James Drury. I played the Virginian on television for nine years. Folks, I have to say this is the best Larry McMurtry has ever written and probably the best he will ever write, as I didn't care tremendously for much of his other stuff. But here we see Gus and Woodrow and Jake and Deets and all the other wonderful, colorful characters who have come to mean so much to us as an American people, not only because of the television portrayal by superb actors, but because of this book. If you haven't read Lonesome Dove, you really need to do yourself the favor. If you noticed, I gave it a rating of five, even though McMurtry stole many of his names for real life people of the old West and fudged on some of his historical dates. It was easy to forget that because of the wonderful dialogue and the emotion he built inside us all, far more than a Louis L'Amour book ever could have. Larry McMurtry, in creating Lonesome Dove, made for us a novel that can be appreciated by all, a novel as good as the best of Elmer Kelton, Elmore Leonard or Kirby Jonas. It is a story we could never forget, even if we tried. It is a novel, like Kelton's, Leonard's, and Jonas', that doesn't have to be read by a Western reader to be enjoyed. It is a novel that will reward readers from all walks of life.
Rating: 
Summary: Lonesome Dud
Review: I don't get it. Why do people think this book is so great. This is one of the all time worst books. With all the great books out there to read nobody should waste a second on this generic, unimaginative piece of crap. Pulitzer Prize......what a joke! This book is good for one thing only: a fire starter.
Rating:
Summary: You must read this book!
Review: This beloved book is by far the best Pulitzer prize winner of the late 20th century. Do not be put off by the cowboy theme! The characters are lushly drawn, realistic and tragically rendered. While described as the tale of a cattle drive from southern Texas to Montana, it is so much more than that. McMurtry succeeds by fleshing out each character to the utmost, and spicing the dialogue with the ultimate in hang-dog realism and the charming & robust humor of Gus, the central heroic figure of this epic. I loved Gus, because be loved those around him, and my favorite scene is his reunion with his long lost Clara. Every chapter contains adventure, pathos, and redemptions. McMurtry could never again write a better book. I place Lonesome Dove on the top of my best books list. I read it at least once a year!
Rating:
Summary: Tolstoy on the Range
Review: Stay with me here. I'm serious. I think Lonesome Dove can stand comparison to Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. Of course, I've only read Tolstoy in translation, so chances are I've missed alot, but there is no question that McMurtry creates something here very close to that impossible dream: The Great American Novel. I dont know that any other American writer has ever suceeded on this scale, which is why I go to Tolstoy. McMurtry uses the Western as a starting point, but there is a little of everything here. Surely there has never been another American Western with so many varied characters, both men and and women. McMurtry juggles many different points of view, but manages to give all his characters a unique voice. Most remarkable of all, I think, are the women in the book, who manage to escape the usual stereotypes of madonna or whore, even though many of them are, quite literally, prostitutes. Lonesome Dove is written in a deceptively simple, unpretentious style. I've just finished reading it for the second time. Despite its length it is really a fast read, since it is one of those books that demands to be taken with you where ever you go until you are done.
Rating:
Summary: This should be required reading of every book hound....
Review: This a great read-period! I had never been interested in reading western novels-but due to its popularity, I decided to try it. I, too, stayed up into the wee hours reading that one more page. I took the book to the gym, to the park, any place where I knew I would get a few minutes to pick up where I last left off. The reviewer that wrote that this book is the quickest 900 pages that you may ever read-could not have been more accurate. It is a very special book.
Rating:
Summary: How the West was really won
Review: I can understand why so many authors of westerns romanticize and distort history; it takes real talent - the kind that McMurtry possesses - to write a realistic, accurate and enthralling story. It's amazing how much I cared about Gus and Call, an inarticulate odd couple on a long cattle drive. What was it really like in the Old West? McMurtry's only agenda is to tell it like it was, and to tell it well. Dive into this fat story, and learn a lot about yourself and other people on the way.
Rating: 
Summary: Great epic novel
Review: Incredible epic western set on the American frontier. Captain Woodrow Call and his best pal and cohort Augustus McCrae forge north, driving a cattle herd to Montana to become the first cattle ranch in the state. Very involved story and complex cast of characters. Never seemed to drag or get boring. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Rating:
Summary: Even this Mystery Fan LOVED it!
Review: One night, having finished my latest murder mystery, upon which I feast daily, I had nothing else to read. My husband, of much higher standards in the fare he reads (mostly non-fiction & biographies) told me I ought to expand my horizons and try Lonesome Dove. "It won the Pulitzer Prize." he stated. I was not impressed. Frustrated that so "little" was happening initially, I plowed on. Now, I'm almost done, staying up late each night to keep my eyes open & read just one more page before falling asleep. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book, even to you mystery lovers out there! The story is rich, sad, happy & moving. I'll be picking up more written by this talented author! :)
Rating:
Summary: A Light in Dark times
Review: I have read LD about three times and watched the movie so many times my wife has threatened to leave if I watch it again. What I use it for is a guide when I am confused. I relate to Gus and if I could pick someone to be he would be my choice. For instance, " I found myself in a tricky situation a while back where I felt I was being treated unjustly by three of my supervisors. My mind thought I could reach across the Big Bosses desk and grab his hair and slam his head down on his desk and break his nose. When the one beside me got up I would turn, raise my knee quickly to where men hate to be kneed at and I figured the young one would get scared and run".
That is right out out of the baroom scene in San Antonio. But I am not Gus so I figured I would just stick around and aggravate them for about another four years and retire. My point is I was able to use the Story in troubled times as a guide to what would have been right to me. Life was simple and quick and sure in the Lonsome Dove Time period, not cluttered by 401K's and health insurance and financial insecurities. Like Gus Said, By God Woodrow, dying ain't what I'm talking about, it's Living."
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