Living the passing of the Old West, 03 Oct 2008
"Obviously (Teddy) had kissing in mind, and possibly matrimony as well ... After all, my Sundays were mainly dull. I suppose I could have stayed at home and hung curtains. But fighting off Teddy might be more interesting ... I didn't want much from Teddy, but I did want something - if not from him, then from somebody, or maybe just from life itself." - Nellie Courtright, in TELEGRAPH DAYS

Larry McMurtry is arguably an iconic writer of Old West themes. In his magnificent Lonesome Dove, the storyline was both character and event driven. In TELEGRAPH DAYS, the former is more the case and events serve almost as props. The chief characters are those of Nellie Courtright and William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody and, in a larger sense, that of the Old West, the passing into history of which Nellie serves as witness.

Nellie's story is told in the first person, and we meet her at age 22 in 1876 when she and her 17-year old brother, Jackson, lose their father to suicide, their mother and siblings having long since perished between Virginia and a homestead on a grassy tract of the West not yet part of a Territory. Abandoning their home, the two move to the tiny prairie town of Rita Blanca, where Jackson becomes the deputy sheriff and Nellie the Telegraph Lady. Later, Nellie relocates to North Platte to become Buffalo Bill's majordomo managing his land and investments, returns to Rita Blanca to become mayor, co-owns a newspaper in Tombstone, and settles down for the final leg in Southern California, where the air was "said to be so soft".

Nellie is feisty, independent-minded, sexually liberated, flirtatious, intelligent, multi-talented and possessing a dry sense of humor. It's a pleasure to observe as she interacts with some of the most famous personages of the age, including Cody, Jessie James, William ("Billy the Kid") Bonnie, the dysfunctional Earp brothers, "Doc" Holliday, and General of the Army William T. Sherman. And, it's in their company that she lives the passing of an era:

"So the years sailed on and the Old West, the West of Dodge City, Rita Blanca, and the O.K. Corral, quickly receded into myth. Over in Victorville, California, Western films were being rolled out by the dozen. I even wrote a couple myself ..."

TELEGRAPH DAYS may have a special poignancy for one born in the years immediately following WWII. In the fifties and sixties and into the seventies, westerns were all the rage on both the big and small screens, and our heroes were Hoppy, Roy, Gene, the Cisco Kid, the Lone Ranger, Paladin, Rin Tin-Tin, the Duke, Rowdy, Maverick, the Cartwrights, Marshal Dillon, and the Man with No Name. Nowadays, such films are rarely produced. Even Clint Eastwood has abandoned the genre. So, in a way, we've seen our own passing of the Old West, and it adds a special sadness as we ride on, spurs a-janglin', as sundown approaches.

More Berrybender than Lonesome, 07 Jun 2008
A McMurtry western is always something of a treat and, although I suspect his greatest work is already written (in the Lonesome Dove books) he continues to entertain with his tales of the mythical West. This one's no disappointment, and is more in the style of the Berrybender Narratives than the epic scope of Lonesome Dove or Commanche Moon - more humour, less menace. If you have enjoyed his more recent work, this will not disappoint.

A rollicking tale., 22 Nov 2007
A fast moving and enjoyable story with a sympathetic heroine. However, I felt that the ending was rather truncated,and disappointing after the rest of the book.

Telegraph Days? More like Pornograph Days!, 07 Nov 2007
OK it was a brilliantly written novel, but I was suprised it contained so much sex. I'm not an old woman, but still it had me going a bit red and wondering who's looking over my shoulder as I read it on the bus. Yet despite all the rude bits, it's great. McMurtry is without a doubt the master of Western writing and this is no exception. It has everything you could want from a Western novel and a lot that you might not, but are glad it's there anyway. I'd recommend this book to anyone... but maybe not my granny. Eek!

Tongue in Cheek Look at the Old West, 20 Jun 2006
Westerns have always been morality tales. Black hats and white hats fight it out to civilize the frontier. Sometimes the identities shift as the black hats become wealthy ranchers trying to keep farmers (white hats) off range land. The ladies of joy are always treated with respect, even if they don't sleep on the right side of the bed covers. After all, women deserve respect.

Larry McMurtry continues his look at strong, unconventional women in the West by creating an unforgettable character, Nellie Cartwright, who is bigger than the West. While some will compare her to Tasmin Berrybender, Tasmin is a weak reed compared to Nellie.

Nellie comes from a fine Virginia family that has fallen on hard times after her father chooses to head West . . . a place where he's not well equipped to thrive. Nellie takes her brother, Jackson, into town to start a new life after their father "suicided himself". Nellie has an eye for men, but they have a bigger yen for her than she usually has for them. Nellie does, however, enjoy a good toss in the hay with an appealing and energetic man of her choice. Nellie persuades the local sheriff, who proposes marriage early and often, to take on Jackson as a deputy despite his inexperience. Jackson soon proves his worth and becomes a legend for wiping out six gunfighters. Ironically, Jackson proves to be a poor shot for the rest of his life.

Nellie decides to earn her keep by becoming the local telegrapher. She soon has messages heading all over the West.

Mr. McMurtry uses Nellie to pop illusions about Western characters as he sends her all over just in time to meet many of the most famous people. She works for Buffalo Bill. One of the Earp brothers proposes to her. She meets Billy the Kid. She travels to Tombstone just in time for the shootout at the O.K. Corral. After the West is over, she also travels in movie circles as the legends are born on the silver screen.

The book's plot seems very contrived which is its weakness. Nellie's unique qualities and deeply practical orientation serve as a breath of fresh air in the Western genre. Since I love character development so much, I found Telegraph Days to be a fun read. Mr. McMurtry's sense of humor is strong, and you'll find yourself chuckling along with him.

Should we take this book seriously? Not really. Instead, Telegraph Days should caution us about our need to make people into more than they are . . . a lesson that still applies today.

Living the passing of the Old West, 03 Oct 2008
"Obviously (Teddy) had kissing in mind, and possibly matrimony as well ... After all, my Sundays were mainly dull. I suppose I could have stayed at home and hung curtains. But fighting off Teddy might be more interesting ... I didn't want much from Teddy, but I did want something - if not from him, then from somebody, or maybe just from life itself." - Nellie Courtright, in TELEGRAPH DAYS

Larry McMurtry is arguably an iconic writer of Old West themes. In his magnificent Lonesome Dove, the storyline was both character and event driven. In TELEGRAPH DAYS, the former is more the case and events serve almost as props. The chief characters are those of Nellie Courtright and William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody and, in a larger sense, that of the Old West, the passing into history of which Nellie serves as witness.

Nellie's story is told in the first person, and we meet her at age 22 in 1876 when she and her 17-year old brother, Jackson, lose their father to suicide, their mother and siblings having long since perished between Virginia and a homestead on a grassy tract of the West not yet part of a Territory. Abandoning their home, the two move to the tiny prairie town of Rita Blanca, where Jackson becomes the deputy sheriff and Nellie the Telegraph Lady. Later, Nellie relocates to North Platte to become Buffalo Bill's majordomo managing his land and investments, returns to Rita Blanca to become mayor, co-owns a newspaper in Tombstone, and settles down for the final leg in Southern California, where the air was "said to be so soft".

Nellie is feisty, independent-minded, sexually liberated, flirtatious, intelligent, multi-talented and possessing a dry sense of humor. It's a pleasure to observe as she interacts with some of the most famous personages of the age, including Cody, Jessie James, William ("Billy the Kid") Bonnie, the dysfunctional Earp brothers, "Doc" Holliday, and General of the Army William T. Sherman. And, it's in their company that she lives the passing of an era:

"So the years sailed on and the Old West, the West of Dodge City, Rita Blanca, and the O.K. Corral, quickly receded into myth. Over in Victorville, California, Western films were being rolled out by the dozen. I even wrote a couple myself ..."

TELEGRAPH DAYS may have a special poignancy for one born in the years immediately following WWII. In the fifties and sixties and into the seventies, westerns were all the rage on both the big and small screens, and our heroes were Hoppy, Roy, Gene, the Cisco Kid, the Lone Ranger, Paladin, Rin Tin-Tin, the Duke, Rowdy, Maverick, the Cartwrights, Marshal Dillon, and the Man with No Name. Nowadays, such films are rarely produced. Even Clint Eastwood has abandoned the genre. So, in a way, we've seen our own passing of the Old West, and it adds a special sadness as we ride on, spurs a-janglin', as sundown approaches.

More Berrybender than Lonesome, 07 Jun 2008
A McMurtry western is always something of a treat and, although I suspect his greatest work is already written (in the Lonesome Dove books) he continues to entertain with his tales of the mythical West. This one's no disappointment, and is more in the style of the Berrybender Narratives than the epic scope of Lonesome Dove or Commanche Moon - more humour, less menace. If you have enjoyed his more recent work, this will not disappoint.

A rollicking tale., 22 Nov 2007
A fast moving and enjoyable story with a sympathetic heroine. However, I felt that the ending was rather truncated,and disappointing after the rest of the book.

Telegraph Days? More like Pornograph Days!, 07 Nov 2007
OK it was a brilliantly written novel, but I was suprised it contained so much sex. I'm not an old woman, but still it had me going a bit red and wondering who's looking over my shoulder as I read it on the bus. Yet despite all the rude bits, it's great. McMurtry is without a doubt the master of Western writing and this is no exception. It has everything you could want from a Western novel and a lot that you might not, but are glad it's there anyway. I'd recommend this book to anyone... but maybe not my granny. Eek!

Tongue in Cheek Look at the Old West, 20 Jun 2006
Westerns have always been morality tales. Black hats and white hats fight it out to civilize the frontier. Sometimes the identities shift as the black hats become wealthy ranchers trying to keep farmers (white hats) off range land. The ladies of joy are always treated with respect, even if they don't sleep on the right side of the bed covers. After all, women deserve respect.

Larry McMurtry continues his look at strong, unconventional women in the West by creating an unforgettable character, Nellie Cartwright, who is bigger than the West. While some will compare her to Tasmin Berrybender, Tasmin is a weak reed compared to Nellie.

Nellie comes from a fine Virginia family that has fallen on hard times after her father chooses to head West . . . a place where he's not well equipped to thrive. Nellie takes her brother, Jackson, into town to start a new life after their father "suicided himself". Nellie has an eye for men, but they have a bigger yen for her than she usually has for them. Nellie does, however, enjoy a good toss in the hay with an appealing and energetic man of her choice. Nellie persuades the local sheriff, who proposes marriage early and often, to take on Jackson as a deputy despite his inexperience. Jackson soon proves his worth and becomes a legend for wiping out six gunfighters. Ironically, Jackson proves to be a poor shot for the rest of his life.

Nellie decides to earn her keep by becoming the local telegrapher. She soon has messages heading all over the West.

Mr. McMurtry uses Nellie to pop illusions about Western characters as he sends her all over just in time to meet many of the most famous people. She works for Buffalo Bill. One of the Earp brothers proposes to her. She meets Billy the Kid. She travels to Tombstone just in time for the shootout at the O.K. Corral. After the West is over, she also travels in movie circles as the legends are born on the silver screen.

The book's plot seems very contrived which is its weakness. Nellie's unique qualities and deeply practical orientation serve as a breath of fresh air in the Western genre. Since I love character development so much, I found Telegraph Days to be a fun read. Mr. McMurtry's sense of humor is strong, and you'll find yourself chuckling along with him.

Should we take this book seriously? Not really. Instead, Telegraph Days should caution us about our need to make people into more than they are . . . a lesson that still applies today.

Outstanding Story-telling, 23 Sep 2008
Without doubt one of the finest stories I've read. I was interested in Lonesome Dove as I enjoy frontier tales and a fellow Cormac McCarthy fan recommended it to me. Like other reviewers I felt that its Pulitzer Prize offered some reassurance. I blanched somewhat when I saw it was over 900 pages long but no matter - I found myself wishing the train would be delayed to lengthen my journey/reading time. Thoroughly original, no pulled punches and no western cliches. An outstanding book - read it, you will not be disappointed.

lonesome dove, 30 Oct 2003
i was given this book by a friend who loved it.i didn't hold much hope of getting through it, it seemed so long. but one winters day i had nothing else to read and embarked on this. it was the best book i think i have ever read, it wasn't long enough! you know the feeling when you're reading a book and you just can't wait to get back to it. I annoyed a lot of friends because i wouldn't put this book down. when i finished it i bought copies for them too, so they could understand and forgive me.this is a great book to get compleatly absorbed in. I want to go and read it again now.

This is one of my absolute top favourite books, love it., 29 Jul 2001
I loved this book so much - it has everything, every human emotion is here, just spilling out of every page. I can't get enough of McMurtry, how I'd love to meet this man who has such a way with words. He paints the West just for me alone, it seems. I laugh with him, I cry with him, I see every star and morning dawn, just wallow in this book, I did.

I have read many westerns, but none like Lonesome Dove...., 05 Oct 2000
This western is like no other you will have ever read or will again, so many pages but the time flies by and before you know it you have read it from cover to cover. It has everything you could ever want in a novel, happiness, sadness, a terrific, amazing storyline, and of course, what would a book be without a hero? Lonesome Dove has many heroes. A book I shall never forget, and will read again.

Outstanding: a modern classic, 26 Sep 2000
This is an outstanding novel: like all classics, it's great the first time you read it, and it gets better the more times you read it.

At one level, it's a typical Western: good guys, bad guys, a damsel in distress and a few gunfights. It's a terrific adventure story of life on the cattle trails as a group of cowboys take a herd from Texas to Montana. The plot is complex and twisting to maintain your interest. The detail and atmosphere ring true: many of the events are based on historical fact.

But you don't have to enjoy westerns to like this book: the tradition and cliches of the western genre never intrude. It's also a profoundly moving work of literature. The characters are vivid: all of them, from the main characters to the incidental passers-by, come alive: you love 'em, hate 'em, laugh with them and at them. The consistent theme through the book is a longing for those pioneer days: heroism and bravery contrast with selfishness and cowardice; ambition with apathy, and hope with despair.

Living the passing of the Old West, 03 Oct 2008
"Obviously (Teddy) had kissing in mind, and possibly matrimony as well ... After all, my Sundays were mainly dull. I suppose I could have stayed at home and hung curtains. But fighting off Teddy might be more interesting ... I didn't want much from Teddy, but I did want something - if not from him, then from somebody, or maybe just from life itself." - Nellie Courtright, in TELEGRAPH DAYS

Larry McMurtry is arguably an iconic writer of Old West themes. In his magnificent Lonesome Dove, the storyline was both character and event driven. In TELEGRAPH DAYS, the former is more the case and events serve almost as props. The chief characters are those of Nellie Courtright and William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody and, in a larger sense, that of the Old West, the passing into history of which Nellie serves as witness.

Nellie's story is told in the first person, and we meet her at age 22 in 1876 when she and her 17-year old brother, Jackson, lose their father to suicide, their mother and siblings having long since perished between Virginia and a homestead on a grassy tract of the West not yet part of a Territory. Abandoning their home, the two move to the tiny prairie town of Rita Blanca, where Jackson becomes the deputy sheriff and Nellie the Telegraph Lady. Later, Nellie relocates to North Platte to become Buffalo Bill's majordomo managing his land and investments, returns to Rita Blanca to become mayor, co-owns a newspaper in Tombstone, and settles down for the final leg in Southern California, where the air was "said to be so soft".

Nellie is feisty, independent-minded, sexually liberated, flirtatious, intelligent, multi-talented and possessing a dry sense of humor. It's a pleasure to observe as she interacts with some of the most famous personages of the age, including Cody, Jessie James, William ("Billy the Kid") Bonnie, the dysfunctional Earp brothers, "Doc" Holliday, and General of the Army William T. Sherman. And, it's in their company that she lives the passing of an era:

"So the years sailed on and the Old West, the West of Dodge City, Rita Blanca, and the O.K. Corral, quickly receded into myth. Over in Victorville, California, Western films were being rolled out by the dozen. I even wrote a couple myself ..."

TELEGRAPH DAYS may have a special poignancy for one born in the years immediately following WWII. In the fifties and sixties and into the seventies, westerns were all the rage on both the big and small screens, and our heroes were Hoppy, Roy, Gene, the Cisco Kid, the Lone Ranger, Paladin, Rin Tin-Tin, the Duke, Rowdy, Maverick, the Cartwrights, Marshal Dillon, and the Man with No Name. Nowadays, such films are rarely produced. Even Clint Eastwood has abandoned the genre. So, in a way, we've seen our own passing of the Old West, and it adds a special sadness as we ride on, spurs a-janglin', as sundown approaches.

More Berrybender than Lonesome, 07 Jun 2008
A McMurtry western is always something of a treat and, although I suspect his greatest work is already written (in the Lonesome Dove books) he continues to entertain with his tales of the mythical West. This one's no disappointment, and is more in the style of the Berrybender Narratives than the epic scope of Lonesome Dove or Commanche Moon - more humour, less menace. If you have enjoyed his more recent work, this will not disappoint.

A rollicking tale., 22 Nov 2007
A fast moving and enjoyable story with a sympathetic heroine. However, I felt that the ending was rather truncated,and disappointing after the rest of the book.

Telegraph Days? More like Pornograph Days!, 07 Nov 2007
OK it was a brilliantly written novel, but I was suprised it contained so much sex. I'm not an old woman, but still it had me going a bit red and wondering who's looking over my shoulder as I read it on the bus. Yet despite all the rude bits, it's great. McMurtry is without a doubt the master of Western writing and this is no exception. It has everything you could want from a Western novel and a lot that you might not, but are glad it's there anyway. I'd recommend this book to anyone... but maybe not my granny. Eek!

Tongue in Cheek Look at the Old West, 20 Jun 2006
Westerns have always been morality tales. Black hats and white hats fight it out to civilize the frontier. Sometimes the identities shift as the black hats become wealthy ranchers trying to keep farmers (white hats) off range land. The ladies of joy are always treated with respect, even if they don't sleep on the right side of the bed covers. After all, women deserve respect.

Larry McMurtry continues his look at strong, unconventional women in the West by creating an unforgettable character, Nellie Cartwright, who is bigger than the West. While some will compare her to Tasmin Berrybender, Tasmin is a weak reed compared to Nellie.

Nellie comes from a fine Virginia family that has fallen on hard times after her father chooses to head West . . . a place where he's not well equipped to thrive. Nellie takes her brother, Jackson, into town to start a new life after their father "suicided himself". Nellie has an eye for men, but they have a bigger yen for her than she usually has for them. Nellie does, however, enjoy a good toss in the hay with an appealing and energetic man of her choice. Nellie persuades the local sheriff, who proposes marriage early and often, to take on Jackson as a deputy despite his inexperience. Jackson soon proves his worth and becomes a legend for wiping out six gunfighters. Ironically, Jackson proves to be a poor shot for the rest of his life.

Nellie decides to earn her keep by becoming the local telegrapher. She soon has messages heading all over the West.

Mr. McMurtry uses Nellie to pop illusions about Western characters as he sends her all over just in time to meet many of the most famous people. She works for Buffalo Bill. One of the Earp brothers proposes to her. She meets Billy the Kid. She travels to Tombstone just in time for the shootout at the O.K. Corral. After the West is over, she also travels in movie circles as the legends are born on the silver screen.

The book's plot seems very contrived which is its weakness. Nellie's unique qualities and deeply practical orientation serve as a breath of fresh air in the Western genre. Since I love character development so much, I found Telegraph Days to be a fun read. Mr. McMurtry's sense of humor is strong, and you'll find yourself chuckling along with him.

Should we take this book seriously? Not really. Instead, Telegraph Days should caution us about our need to make people into more than they are . . . a lesson that still applies today.

Outstanding Story-telling, 23 Sep 2008
Without doubt one of the finest stories I've read. I was interested in Lonesome Dove as I enjoy frontier tales and a fellow Cormac McCarthy fan recommended it to me. Like other reviewers I felt that its Pulitzer Prize offered some reassurance. I blanched somewhat when I saw it was over 900 pages long but no matter - I found myself wishing the train would be delayed to lengthen my journey/reading time. Thoroughly original, no pulled punches and no western cliches. An outstanding book - read it, you will not be disappointed.

lonesome dove, 30 Oct 2003
i was given this book by a friend who loved it.i didn't hold much hope of getting through it, it seemed so long. but one winters day i had nothing else to read and embarked on this. it was the best book i think i have ever read, it wasn't long enough! you know the feeling when you're reading a book and you just can't wait to get back to it. I annoyed a lot of friends because i wouldn't put this book down. when i finished it i bought copies for them too, so they could understand and forgive me.this is a great book to get compleatly absorbed in. I want to go and read it again now.

This is one of my absolute top favourite books, love it., 29 Jul 2001
I loved this book so much - it has everything, every human emotion is here, just spilling out of every page. I can't get enough of McMurtry, how I'd love to meet this man who has such a way with words. He paints the West just for me alone, it seems. I laugh with him, I cry with him, I see every star and morning dawn, just wallow in this book, I did.

I have read many westerns, but none like Lonesome Dove...., 05 Oct 2000
This western is like no other you will have ever read or will again, so many pages but the time flies by and before you know it you have read it from cover to cover. It has everything you could ever want in a novel, happiness, sadness, a terrific, amazing storyline, and of course, what would a book be without a hero? Lonesome Dove has many heroes. A book I shall never forget, and will read again.

Outstanding: a modern classic, 26 Sep 2000
This is an outstanding novel: like all classics, it's great the first time you read it, and it gets better the more times you read it.

At one level, it's a typical Western: good guys, bad guys, a damsel in distress and a few gunfights. It's a terrific adventure story of life on the cattle trails as a group of cowboys take a herd from Texas to Montana. The plot is complex and twisting to maintain your interest. The detail and atmosphere ring true: many of the events are based on historical fact.

But you don't have to enjoy westerns to like this book: the tradition and cliches of the western genre never intrude. It's also a profoundly moving work of literature. The characters are vivid: all of them, from the main characters to the incidental passers-by, come alive: you love 'em, hate 'em, laugh with them and at them. The consistent theme through the book is a longing for those pioneer days: heroism and bravery contrast with selfishness and cowardice; ambition with apathy, and hope with despair.

A powerful tale about a young indian's search for identity, 24 Nov 2000
Ceremony is a beautifully written tale about Tayo; a young American Indian who has returned from the conflict of the Second World War with severe psychological trauma. He feels invisible in a modern world that expects him to conform to a sterotype; that of the alcoholic, degraded, reservation indian. Tayo encounters old friends and powerful memories as he returns to the land where he was raised. He slowly learns that only through reconnection with his cultural heritage will he be able to find inner peace. His journey into the spiritual world of his ancestors, taken through the use of the ceremony, forces Tayo to confront what he has become, and asks him how he sees his future. Ceremony is an extremly well crafted story; Silko uses incredible descriptions of the desert landscape to draw the reader into Tayo's drought plagued home. At times, the plot seems unnecessarily slow, but on the whole the book is a provoking and intelligent read.

Living the passing of the Old West, 03 Oct 2008
"Obviously (Teddy) had kissing in mind, and possibly matrimony as well ... After all, my Sundays were mainly dull. I suppose I could have stayed at home and hung curtains. But fighting off Teddy might be more interesting ... I didn't want much from Teddy, but I did want something - if not from him, then from somebody, or maybe just from life itself." - Nellie Courtright, in TELEGRAPH DAYS

Larry McMurtry is arguably an iconic writer of Old West themes. In his magnificent Lonesome Dove, the storyline was both character and event driven. In TELEGRAPH DAYS, the former is more the case and events serve almost as props. The chief characters are those of Nellie Courtright and William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody and, in a larger sense, that of the Old West, the passing into history of which Nellie serves as witness.

Nellie's story is told in the first person, and we meet her at age 22 in 1876 when she and her 17-year old brother, Jackson, lose their father to suicide, their mother and siblings having long since perished between Virginia and a homestead on a grassy tract of the West not yet part of a Territory. Abandoning their home, the two move to the tiny prairie town of Rita Blanca, where Jackson becomes the deputy sheriff and Nellie the Telegraph Lady. Later, Nellie relocates to North Platte to become Buffalo Bill's majordomo managing his land and investments, returns to Rita Blanca to become mayor, co-owns a newspaper in Tombstone, and settles down for the final leg in Southern California, where the air was "said to be so soft".

Nellie is feisty, independent-minded, sexually liberated, flirtatious, intelligent, multi-talented and possessing a dry sense of humor. It's a pleasure to observe as she interacts with some of the most famous personages of the age, including Cody, Jessie James, William ("Billy the Kid") Bonnie, the dysfunctional Earp brothers, "Doc" Holliday, and General of the Army William T. Sherman. And, it's in their company that she lives the passing of an era:

"So the years sailed on and the Old West, the West of Dodge City, Rita Blanca, and the O.K. Corral, quickly receded into myth. Over in Victorville, California, Western films were being rolled out by the dozen. I even wrote a couple myself ..."

TELEGRAPH DAYS may have a special poignancy for one born in the years immediately following WWII. In the fifties and sixties and into the seventies, westerns were all the rage on both the big and small screens, and our heroes were Hoppy, Roy, Gene, the Cisco Kid, the Lone Ranger, Paladin, Rin Tin-Tin, the Duke, Rowdy, Maverick, the Cartwrights, Marshal Dillon, and the Man with No Name. Nowadays, such films are rarely produced. Even Clint Eastwood has abandoned the genre. So, in a way, we've seen our own passing of the Old West, and it adds a special sadness as we ride on, spurs a-janglin', as sundown approaches.

More Berrybender than Lonesome, 07 Jun 2008
A McMurtry western is always something of a treat and, although I suspect his greatest work is already written (in the Lonesome Dove books) he continues to entertain with his tales of the mythical West. This one's no disappointment, and is more in the style of the Berrybender Narratives than the epic scope of Lonesome Dove or Commanche Moon - more humour, less menace. If you have enjoyed his more recent work, this will not disappoint.

A rollicking tale., 22 Nov 2007
A fast moving and enjoyable story with a sympathetic heroine. However, I felt that the ending was rather truncated,and disappointing after the rest of the book.

Telegraph Days? More like Pornograph Days!, 07 Nov 2007
OK it was a brilliantly written novel, but I was suprised it contained so much sex. I'm not an old woman, but still it had me going a bit red and wondering who's looking over my shoulder as I read it on the bus. Yet despite all the rude bits, it's great. McMurtry is without a doubt the master of Western writing and this is no exception. It has everything you could want from a Western novel and a lot that you might not, but are glad it's there anyway. I'd recommend this book to anyone... but maybe not my granny. Eek!

Tongue in Cheek Look at the Old West, 20 Jun 2006
Westerns have always been morality tales. Black hats and white hats fight it out to civilize the frontier. Sometimes the identities shift as the black hats become wealthy ranchers trying to keep farmers (white hats) off range land. The ladies of joy are always treated with respect, even if they don't sleep on the right side of the bed covers. After all, women deserve respect.

Larry McMurtry continues his look at strong, unconventional women in the West by creating an unforgettable character, Nellie Cartwright, who is bigger than the West. While some will compare her to Tasmin Berrybender, Tasmin is a weak reed compared to Nellie.

Nellie comes from a fine Virginia family that has fallen on hard times after her father chooses to head West . . . a place where he's not well equipped to thrive. Nellie takes her brother, Jackson, into town to start a new life after their father "suicided himself". Nellie has an eye for men, but they have a bigger yen for her than she usually has for them. Nellie does, however, enjoy a good toss in the hay with an appealing and energetic man of her choice. Nellie persuades the local sheriff, who proposes marriage early and often, to take on Jackson as a deputy despite his inexperience. Jackson soon proves his worth and becomes a legend for wiping out six gunfighters. Ironically, Jackson proves to be a poor shot for the rest of his life.

Nellie decides to earn her keep by becoming the local telegrapher. She soon has messages heading all over the West.

Mr. McMurtry uses Nellie to pop illusions about Western characters as he sends her all over just in time to meet many of the most famous people. She works for Buffalo Bill. One of the Earp brothers proposes to her. She meets Billy the Kid. She travels to Tombstone just in time for the shootout at the O.K. Corral. After the West is over, she also travels in movie circles as the legends are born on the silver screen.

The book's plot seems very contrived which is its weakness. Nellie's unique qualities and deeply practical orientation serve as a breath of fresh air in the Western genre. Since I love character development so much, I found Telegraph Days to be a fun read. Mr. McMurtry's sense of humor is strong, and you'll find yourself chuckling along with him.

Should we take this book seriously? Not really. Instead, Telegraph Days should caution us about our need to make people into more than they are . . . a lesson that still applies today.

Outstanding Story-telling, 23 Sep 2008
Without doubt one of the finest stories I've read. I was interested in Lonesome Dove as I enjoy frontier tales and a fellow Cormac McCarthy fan recommended it to me. Like other reviewers I felt that its Pulitzer Prize offered some reassurance. I blanched somewhat when I saw it was over 900 pages long but no matter - I found myself wishing the train would be delayed to lengthen my journey/reading time. Thoroughly original, no pulled punches and no western cliches. An outstanding book - read it, you will not be disappointed.

lonesome dove, 30 Oct 2003
i was given this book by a friend who loved it.i didn't hold much hope of getting through it, it seemed so long. but one winters day i had nothing else to read and embarked on this. it was the best book i think i have ever read, it wasn't long enough! you know the feeling when you're reading a book and you just can't wait to get back to it. I annoyed a lot of friends because i wouldn't put this book down. when i finished it i bought copies for them too, so they could understand and forgive me.this is a great book to get compleatly absorbed in. I want to go and read it again now.

This is one of my absolute top favourite books, love it., 29 Jul 2001
I loved this book so much - it has everything, every human emotion is here, just spilling out of every page. I can't get enough of McMurtry, how I'd love to meet this man who has such a way with words. He paints the West just for me alone, it seems. I laugh with him, I cry with him, I see every star and morning dawn, just wallow in this book, I did.

I have read many westerns, but none like Lonesome Dove...., 05 Oct 2000
This western is like no other you will have ever read or will again, so many pages but the time flies by and before you know it you have read it from cover to cover. It has everything you could ever want in a novel, happiness, sadness, a terrific, amazing storyline, and of course, what would a book be without a hero? Lonesome Dove has many heroes. A book I shall never forget, and will read again.

Outstanding: a modern classic, 26 Sep 2000
This is an outstanding novel: like all classics, it's great the first time you read it, and it gets better the more times you read it.

At one level, it's a typical Western: good guys, bad guys, a damsel in distress and a few gunfights. It's a terrific adventure story of life on the cattle trails as a group of cowboys take a herd from Texas to Montana. The plot is complex and twisting to maintain your interest. The detail and atmosphere ring true: many of the events are based on historical fact.

But you don't have to enjoy westerns to like this book: the tradition and cliches of the western genre never intrude. It's also a profoundly moving work of literature. The characters are vivid: all of them, from the main characters to the incidental passers-by, come alive: you love 'em, hate 'em, laugh with them and at them. The consistent theme through the book is a longing for those pioneer days: heroism and bravery contrast with selfishness and cowardice; ambition with apathy, and hope with despair.

A powerful tale about a young indian's search for identity, 24 Nov 2000
Ceremony is a beautifully written tale about Tayo; a young American Indian who has returned from the conflict of the Second World War with severe psychological trauma. He feels invisible in a modern world that expects him to conform to a sterotype; that of the alcoholic, degraded, reservation indian. Tayo encounters old friends and powerful memories as he returns to the land where he was raised. He slowly learns that only through reconnection with his cultural heritage will he be able to find inner peace. His journey into the spiritual world of his ancestors, taken through the use of the ceremony, forces Tayo to confront what he has become, and asks him how he sees his future. Ceremony is an extremly well crafted story; Silko uses incredible descriptions of the desert landscape to draw the reader into Tayo's drought plagued home. At times, the plot seems unnecessarily slow, but on the whole the book is a provoking and intelligent read.

A novella of America's Old West, 12 Jan 2003
Just as the tiny town of Lonesome Dove was the starting point for a journey in Larry McMurtry's book of the same name, so also is Boone's Lick in this yarn by the same author.

In LONESOME DOVE, we followed the adventures of two Texas Rangers turned cattle ranchers driving a herd from the banks of the Rio Grande to Montana. In BOONE'S LICK, we have a family of sodbusters, the Cecils, traversing the plains between Missouri and Wyoming shortly after the Civil War. The family is led by the mother, Mary Margaret, whose intent is to find her husband, gone these past 14 months and presumably living at one of the Army's frontier forts, possibly with an Indian woman. Along for the ride are Mary's children (G.T., Shay, Neva, and Marcy), her brother-in-law Seth, her half-sister Rosie, and her aged Pa. Also attaching themselves to the group are an old French priest, Fr.Villy, and a native guide, Charlie Seven Days.

Whereas LONESOME DOVE was a truly epic tale, both as a book and as one of the best TV miniseries ever broadcast, BOONE'S LICK is less ambitious, but enjoyable nonetheless. The character of Seth was sufficiently similar to that of Gus McCrae in the LONESOME DOVE screenplay that I could easily imagine McRae's Robert Duvall playing the part if BOONE'S LICK is ever brought to the screen. (Picturing Duvall as Seth added considerably to my enjoyment.)

Author McMurtry's style is very similar in both stories. He doesn't downplay the hardships and dangers of cross-country travel at that time and place in American history. But he doesn't ignore rustic Western humor either. When, while traveling by riverboat, Seth remarks to Mary Margaret that one of the crew, Joel, is thinking about marrying Rosie, MM retorts, "I don't think he's aiming that high. But he's aiming." Indeed, the verbal interplay between the crusty, independent Seth and the determined, strong-willed Mary Margaret is one of the storyline's major joys.

This is not a great book by any stretch, mainly because it's a novella masquerading as a full-length novel (with a full-length novel's price tag). However, the characters are well drawn, the dialog seemingly authentic for the period, and the action believable. You can read it in a two to three hours, and it's time well spent.

Living the passing of the Old West, 03 Oct 2008
"Obviously (Teddy) had kissing in mind, and possibly matrimony as well ... After all, my Sundays were mainly dull. I suppose I could have stayed at home and hung curtains. But fighting off Teddy might be more interesting ... I didn't want much from Teddy, but I did want something - if not from him, then from somebody, or maybe just from life itself." - Nellie Courtright, in TELEGRAPH DAYS

Larry McMurtry is arguably an iconic writer of Old West themes. In his magnificent Lonesome Dove, the storyline was both character and event driven. In TELEGRAPH DAYS, the former is more the case and events serve almost as props. The chief characters are those of Nellie Courtright and William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody and, in a larger sense, that of the Old West, the passing into history of which Nellie serves as witness.

Nellie's story is told in the first person, and we meet her at age 22 in 1876 when she and her 17-year old brother, Jackson, lose their father to suicide, their mother and siblings having long since perished between Virginia and a homestead on a grassy tract of the West not yet part of a Territory. Abandoning their home, the two move to the tiny prairie town of Rita Blanca, where Jackson becomes the deputy sheriff and Nellie the Telegraph Lady. Later, Nellie relocates to North Platte to become Buffalo Bill's majordomo managing his land and investments, returns to Rita Blanca to become mayor, co-owns a newspaper in Tombstone, and settles down for the final leg in Southern California, where the air was "said to be so soft".

Nellie is feisty, independent-minded, sexually liberated, flirtatious, intelligent, multi-talented and possessing a dry sense of humor. It's a pleasure to observe as she interacts with some of the most famous personages of the age, including Cody, Jessie James, William ("Billy the Kid") Bonnie, the dysfunctional Earp brothers, "Doc" Holliday, and General of the Army William T. Sherman. And, it's in their company that she lives the passing of an era:

"So the years sailed on and the Old West, the West of Dodge City, Rita Blanca, and the O.K. Corral, quickly receded into myth. Over in Victorville, California, Western films were being rolled out by the dozen. I even wrote a couple myself ..."

TELEGRAPH DAYS may have a special poignancy for one born in the years immediately following WWII. In the fifties and sixties and into the seventies, westerns were all the rage on both the big and small screens, and our heroes were Hoppy, Roy, Gene, the Cisco Kid, the Lone Ranger, Paladin, Rin Tin-Tin, the Duke, Rowdy, Maverick, the Cartwrights, Marshal Dillon, and the Man with No Name. Nowadays, such films are rarely produced. Even Clint Eastwood has abandoned the genre. So, in a way, we've seen our own passing of the Old West, and it adds a special sadness as we ride on, spurs a-janglin', as sundown approaches.

More Berrybender than Lonesome, 07 Jun 2008
A McMurtry western is always something of a treat and, although I suspect his greatest work is already written (in the Lonesome Dove books) he continues to entertain with his tales of the mythical West. This one's no disappointment, and is more in the style of the Berrybender Narratives than the epic scope of Lonesome Dove or Commanche Moon - more humour, less menace. If you have enjoyed his more recent work, this will not disappoint.

A rollicking tale., 22 Nov 2007
A fast moving and enjoyable story with a sympathetic heroine. However, I felt that the ending was rather truncated,and disappointing after the rest of the book.

Telegraph Days? More like Pornograph Days!, 07 Nov 2007
OK it was a brilliantly written novel, but I was suprised it contained so much sex. I'm not an old woman, but still it had me going a bit red and wondering who's looking over my shoulder as I read it on the bus. Yet despite all the rude bits, it's great. McMurtry is without a doubt the master of Western writing and this is no exception. It has everything you could want from a Western novel and a lot that you might not, but are glad it's there anyway. I'd recommend this book to anyone... but maybe not my granny. Eek!

Tongue in Cheek Look at the Old West, 20 Jun 2006
Westerns have always been morality tales. Black hats and white hats fight it out to civilize the frontier. Sometimes the identities shift as the black hats become wealthy ranchers trying to keep farmers (white hats) off range land. The ladies of joy are always treated with respect, even if they don't sleep on the right side of the bed covers. After all, women deserve respect.

Larry McMurtry continues his look at strong, unconventional women in the West by creating an unforgettable character, Nellie Cartwright, who is bigger than the West. While some will compare her to Tasmin Berrybender, Tasmin is a weak reed compared to Nellie.

Nellie comes from a fine Virginia family that has fallen on hard times after her father chooses to head West . . . a place where he's not well equipped to thrive. Nellie takes her brother, Jackson, into town to start a new life after their father "suicided himself". Nellie has an eye for men, but they have a bigger yen for her than she usually has for them. Nellie does, however, enjoy a good toss in the hay with an appealing and energetic man of her choice. Nellie persuades the local sheriff, who proposes marriage early and often, to take on Jackson as a deputy despite his inexperience. Jackson soon proves his worth and becomes a legend for wiping out six gunfighters. Ironically, Jackson proves to be a poor shot for the rest of his life.

Nellie decides to earn her keep by becoming the local telegrapher. She soon has messages heading all over the West.

Mr. McMurtry uses Nellie to pop illusions about Western characters as he sends her all over just in time to meet many of the most famous people. She works for Buffalo Bill. One of the Earp brothers proposes to her. She meets Billy the Kid. She travels to Tombstone just in time for the shootout at the O.K. Corral. After the West is over, she also travels in movie circles as the legends are born on the silver screen.

The book's plot seems very contrived which is its weakness. Nellie's unique qualities and deeply practical orientation serve as a breath of fresh air in the Western genre. Since I love character development so much, I found Telegraph Days to be a fun read. Mr. McMurtry's sense of humor is strong, and you'll find yourself chuckling along with him.

Should we take this book seriously? Not really. Instead, Telegraph Days should caution us about our need to make people into more than they are . . . a lesson that still applies today.

Outstanding Story-telling, 23 Sep 2008
Without doubt one of the finest stories I've read. I was interested in Lonesome Dove as I enjoy frontier tales and a fellow Cormac McCarthy fan recommended it to me. Like other reviewers I felt that its Pulitzer Prize offered some reassurance. I blanched somewhat when I saw it was over 900 pages long but no matter - I found myself wishing the train would be delayed to lengthen my journey/reading time. Thoroughly original, no pulled punches and no western cliches. An outstanding book - read it, you will not be disappointed.

lonesome dove, 30 Oct 2003
i was given this book by a friend who loved it.i didn't hold much hope of getting through it, it seemed so long. but one winters day i had nothing else to read and embarked on this. it was the best book i think i have ever read, it wasn't long enough! you know the feeling when you're reading a book and you just can't wait to get back to it. I annoyed a lot of friends because i wouldn't put this book down. when i finished it i bought copies for them too, so they could understand and forgive me.this is a great book to get compleatly absorbed in. I want to go and read it again now.

This is one of my absolute top favourite books, love it., 29 Jul 2001
I loved this book so much - it has everything, every human emotion is here, just spilling out of every page. I can't get enough of McMurtry, how I'd love to meet this man who has such a way with words. He paints the West just for me alone, it seems. I laugh with him, I cry with him, I see every star and morning dawn, just wallow in this book, I did.

I have read many westerns, but none like Lonesome Dove...., 05 Oct 2000
This western is like no other you will have ever read or will again, so many pages but the time flies by and before you know it you have read it from cover to cover. It has everything you could ever want in a novel, happiness, sadness, a terrific, amazing storyline, and of course, what would a book be without a hero? Lonesome Dove has many heroes. A book I shall never forget, and will read again.

Outstanding: a modern classic, 26 Sep 2000
This is an outstanding novel: like all classics, it's great the first time you read it, and it gets better the more times you read it.

At one level, it's a typical Western: good guys, bad guys, a damsel in distress and a few gunfights. It's a terrific adventure story of life on the cattle trails as a group of cowboys take a herd from Texas to Montana. The plot is complex and twisting to maintain your interest. The detail and atmosphere ring true: many of the events are based on historical fact.

But you don't have to enjoy westerns to like this book: the tradition and cliches of the western genre never intrude. It's also a profoundly moving work of literature. The characters are vivid: all of them, from the main characters to the incidental passers-by, come alive: you love 'em, hate 'em, laugh with them and at them. The consistent theme through the book is a longing for those pioneer days: heroism and bravery contrast with selfishness and cowardice; ambition with apathy, and hope with despair.

A powerful tale about a young indian's search for identity, 24 Nov 2000
Ceremony is a beautifully written tale about Tayo; a young American Indian who has returned from the conflict of the Second World War with severe psychological trauma. He feels invisible in a modern world that expects him to conform to a sterotype; that of the alcoholic, degraded, reservation indian. Tayo encounters old friends and powerful memories as he returns to the land where he was raised. He slowly learns that only through reconnection with his cultural heritage will he be able to find inner peace. His journey into the spiritual world of his ancestors, taken through the use of the ceremony, forces Tayo to confront what he has become, and asks him how he sees his future. Ceremony is an extremly well crafted story; Silko uses incredible descriptions of the desert landscape to draw the reader into Tayo's drought plagued home. At times, the plot seems unnecessarily slow, but on the whole the book is a provoking and intelligent read.

A novella of America's Old West, 12 Jan 2003
Just as the tiny town of Lonesome Dove was the starting point for a journey in Larry McMurtry's book of the same name, so also is Boone's Lick in this yarn by the same author.

In LONESOME DOVE, we followed the adventures of two Texas Rangers turned cattle ranchers driving a herd from the banks of the Rio Grande to Montana. In BOONE'S LICK, we have a family of sodbusters, the Cecils, traversing the plains between Missouri and Wyoming shortly after the Civil War. The family is led by the mother, Mary Margaret, whose intent is to find her husband, gone these past 14 months and presumably living at one of the Army's frontier forts, possibly with an Indian woman. Along for the ride are Mary's children (G.T., Shay, Neva, and Marcy), her brother-in-law Seth, her half-sister Rosie, and her aged Pa. Also attaching themselves to the group are an old French priest, Fr.Villy, and a native guide, Charlie Seven Days.

Whereas LONESOME DOVE was a truly epic tale, both as a book and as one of the best TV miniseries ever broadcast, BOONE'S LICK is less ambitious, but enjoyable nonetheless. The character of Seth was sufficiently similar to that of Gus McCrae in the LONESOME DOVE screenplay that I could easily imagine McRae's Robert Duvall playing the part if BOONE'S LICK is ever brought to the screen. (Picturing Duvall as Seth added considerably to my enjoyment.)

Author McMurtry's style is very similar in both stories. He doesn't downplay the hardships and dangers of cross-country travel at that time and place in American history. But he doesn't ignore rustic Western humor either. When, while traveling by riverboat, Seth remarks to Mary Margaret that one of the crew, Joel, is thinking about marrying Rosie, MM retorts, "I don't think he's aiming that high. But he's aiming." Indeed, the verbal interplay between the crusty, independent Seth and the determined, strong-willed Mary Margaret is one of the storyline's major joys.

This is not a great book by any stretch, mainly because it's a novella masquerading as a full-length novel (with a full-length novel's price tag). However, the characters are well drawn, the dialog seemingly authentic for the period, and the action believable. You can read it in a two to three hours, and it's time well spent.

Last of the Best, 27 Aug 2008
This is the last of the 'Last Picture Show' series featuring Duane and the whole family. Another beautiful book, Duane facing up to his later life. if you have not read this beautiful series then start with 'LPS' and go through from there. For me Larry M is the top man and this series is him at the top of his game. Glorious stuff.

Living the passing of the Old West, 03 Oct 2008
"Obviously (Teddy) had kissing in mind, and possibly matrimony as well ... After all, my Sundays were mainly dull. I suppose I could have stayed at home and hung curtains. But fighting off Teddy might be more interesting ... I didn't want much from Teddy, but I did want something - if not from him, then from somebody, or maybe just from life itself." - Nellie Courtright, in TELEGRAPH DAYS

Larry McMurtry is arguably an iconic writer of Old West themes. In his magnificent Lonesome Dove, the storyline was both character and event driven. In TELEGRAPH DAYS, the former is more the case and events serve almost as props. The chief characters are those of Nellie Courtright and William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody and, in a larger sense, that of the Old West, the passing into history of which Nellie serves as witness.

Nellie's story is told in the first person, and we meet her at age 22 in 1876 when she and her 17-year old brother, Jackson, lose their father to suicide, their mother and siblings having long since perished between Virginia and a homestead on a grassy tract of the West not yet part of a Territory. Abandoning their home, the two move to the tiny prairie town of Rita Blanca, where Jackson becomes the deputy sheriff and Nellie the Telegraph Lady. Later, Nellie relocates to North Platte to become Buffalo Bill's majordomo managing his land and investments, returns to Rita Blanca to become mayor, co-owns a newspaper in Tombstone, and settles down for the final leg in Southern California, where the air was "said to be so soft".

Nellie is feisty, independent-minded, sexually liberated, flirtatious, intelligent, multi-talented and possessing a dry sense of humor. It's a pleasure to observe as she interacts with some of the most famous personages of the age, including Cody, Jessie James, William ("Billy the Kid") Bonnie, the dysfunctional Earp brothers, "Doc" Holliday, and General of the Army William T. Sherman. And, it's in their company that she lives the passing of an era:

"So the years sailed on and the Old West, the West of Dodge City, Rita Blanca, and the O.K. Corral, quickly receded into myth. Over in Victorville, California, Western films were being rolled out by the dozen. I even wrote a couple myself ..."

TELEGRAPH DAYS may have a special poignancy for one born in the years immediately following WWII. In the fifties and sixties and into the seventies, westerns were all the rage on both the big and small screens, and our heroes were Hoppy, Roy, Gene, the Cisco Kid, the Lone Ranger, Paladin, Rin Tin-Tin, the Duke, Rowdy, Maverick, the Cartwrights, Marshal Dillon, and the Man with No Name. Nowadays, such films are rarely produced. Even Clint Eastwood has abandoned the genre. So, in a way, we've seen our own passing of the Old West, and it adds a special sadness as we ride on, spurs a-janglin', as sundown approaches.

More Berrybender than Lonesome, 07 Jun 2008
A McMurtry western is always something of a treat and, although I suspect his greatest work is already written (in the Lonesome Dove books) he continues to entertain with his tales of the mythical West. This one's no disappointment, and is more in the style of the Berrybender Narratives than the epic scope of Lonesome Dove or Commanche Moon - more humour, less menace. If you have enjoyed his more recent work, this will not disappoint.

A rollicking tale., 22 Nov 2007
A fast moving and enjoyable story with a sympathetic heroine. However, I felt that the ending was rather truncated,and disappointing after the rest of the book.

Telegraph Days? More like Pornograph Days!, 07 Nov 2007
OK it was a brilliantly written novel, but I was suprised it contained so much sex. I'm not an old woman, but still it had me going a bit red and wondering who's looking over my shoulder as I read it on the bus. Yet despite all the rude bits, it's great. McMurtry is without a doubt the master of Western writing and this is no exception. It has everything you could want from a Western novel and a lot that you might not, but are glad it's there anyway. I'd recommend this book to anyone... but maybe not my granny. Eek!

Tongue in Cheek Look at the Old West, 20 Jun 2006
Westerns have always been morality tales. Black hats and white hats fight it out to civilize the frontier. Sometimes the identities shift as the black hats become wealthy ranchers trying to keep farmers (white hats) off range land. The ladies of joy are always treated with respect, even if they don't sleep on the right side of the bed covers. After all, women deserve respect.

Larry McMurtry continues his look at strong, unconventional women in the West by creating an unforgettable character, Nellie Cartwright, who is bigger than the West. While some will compare her to Tasmin Berrybender, Tasmin is a weak reed compared to Nellie.

Nellie comes from a fine Virginia family that has fallen on hard times after her father chooses to head West . . . a place where he's not well equipped to thrive. Nellie takes her brother, Jackson, into town to start a new life after their father "suicided himself". Nellie has an eye for men, but they have a bigger yen for her than she usually has for them. Nellie does, however, enjoy a good toss in the hay with an appealing and energetic man of her choice. Nellie persuades the local sheriff, who proposes marriage early and often, to take on Jackson as a deputy despite his inexperience. Jackson soon proves his worth and becomes a legend for wiping out six gunfighters. Ironically, Jackson proves to be a poor shot for the rest of his life.

Nellie decides to earn her keep by becoming the local telegrapher. She soon has messages heading all over the West.

Mr. McMurtry uses Nellie to pop illusions about Western characters as he sends her all over just in time to meet many of the most famous people. She works for Buffalo Bill. One of the Earp brothers proposes to her. She meets Billy the Kid. She travels to Tombstone just in time for the shootout at the O.K. Corral. After the West is over, she also travels in movie circles as the legends are born on the silver screen.

The book's plot seems very contrived which is its weakness. Nellie's unique qualities and deeply practical orientation serve as a breath of fresh air in the Western genre. Since I love character development so much, I found Telegraph Days to be a fun read. Mr. McMurtry's sense of humor is strong, and you'll find yourself chuckling along with him.

Should we take this book seriously? Not really. Instead, Telegraph Days should caution us about our need to make people into more than they are . . . a lesson that still applies today.

Outstanding Story-telling, 23 Sep 2008
Without doubt one of the finest stories I've read. I was interested in Lonesome Dove as I enjoy frontier tales and a fellow Cormac McCarthy fan recommended it to me. Like other reviewers I felt that its Pulitzer Prize offered some reassurance. I blanched somewhat when I saw it was over 900 pages long but no matter - I found myself wishing the train would be delayed to lengthen my journey/reading time. Thoroughly original, no pulled punches and no western cliches. An outstanding book - read it, you will not be disappointed.

lonesome dove, 30 Oct 2003
i was given this book by a friend who loved it.i didn't hold much hope of getting through it, it seemed so long. but one winters day i had nothing else to read and embarked on this. it was the best book i think i have ever read, it wasn't long enough! you know the feeling when you're reading a book and you just can't wait to get back to it. I annoyed a lot of friends because i wouldn't put this book down. when i finished it i bought copies for them too, so they could understand and forgive me.this is a great book to get compleatly absorbed in. I want to go and read it again now.

This is one of my absolute top favourite books, love it., 29 Jul 2001
I loved this book so much - it has everything, every human emotion is here, just spilling out of every page. I can't get enough of McMurtry, how I'd love to meet this man who has such a way with words. He paints the West just for me alone, it seems. I laugh with him, I cry with him, I see every star and morning dawn, just wallow in this book, I did.

I have read many westerns, but none like Lonesome Dove...., 05 Oct 2000
This western is like no other you will have ever read or will again, so many pages but the time flies by and before you know it you have read it from cover to cover. It has everything you could ever want in a novel, happiness, sadness, a terrific, amazing storyline, and of course, what would a book be without a hero? Lonesome Dove has many heroes. A book I shall never forget, and will read again.

Outstanding: a modern classic, 26 Sep 2000
This is an outstanding novel: like all classics, it's great the first time you read it, and it gets better the more times you read it.

At one level, it's a typical Western: good guys, bad guys, a damsel in distress and a few gunfights. It's a terrific adventure story of life on the cattle trails as a group of cowboys take a herd from Texas to Montana. The plot is complex and twisting to maintain your interest. The detail and atmosphere ring true: many of the events are based on historical fact.

But you don't have to enjoy westerns to like this book: the tradition and cliches of the western genre never intrude. It's also a profoundly moving work of literature. The characters are vivid: all of them, from the main characters to the incidental passers-by, come alive: you love 'em, hate 'em, laugh with them and at them. The consistent theme through the book is a longing for those pioneer days: heroism and bravery contrast with selfishness and cowardice; ambition with apathy, and hope with despair.

A powerful tale about a young indian's search for identity, 24 Nov 2000
Ceremony is a beautifully written tale about Tayo; a young American Indian who has returned from the conflict of the Second World War with severe psychological trauma. He feels invisible in a modern world that expects him to conform to a sterotype; that of the alcoholic, degraded, reservation indian. Tayo encounters old friends and powerful memories as he returns to the land where he was raised. He slowly learns that only through reconnection with his cultural heritage will he be able to find inner peace. His journey into the spiritual world of his ancestors, taken through the use of the ceremony, forces Tayo to confront what he has become, and asks him how he sees his future. Ceremony is an extremly well crafted story; Silko uses incredible descriptions of the desert landscape to draw the reader into Tayo's drought plagued home. At times, the plot seems unnecessarily slow, but on the whole the book is a provoking and intelligent read.

A novella of America's Old West, 12 Jan 2003
Just as the tiny town of Lonesome Dove was the starting point for a journey in Larry McMurtry's book of the same name, so also is Boone's Lick in this yarn by the same author.

In LONESOME DOVE, we followed the adventures of two Texas Rangers turned cattle ranchers driving a herd from the banks of the Rio Grande to Montana. In BOONE'S LICK, we have a family of sodbusters, the Cecils, traversing the plains between Missouri and Wyoming shortly after the Civil War. The family is led by the mother, Mary Margaret, whose intent is to find her husband, gone these past 14 months and presumably living at one of the Army's frontier forts, possibly with an Indian woman. Along for the ride are Mary's children (G.T., Shay, Neva, and Marcy), her brother-in-law Seth, her half-sister Rosie, and her aged Pa. Also attaching themselves to the group are an old French priest, Fr.Villy, and a native guide, Charlie Seven Days.

Whereas LONESOME DOVE was a truly epic tale, both as a book and as one of the best TV miniseries ever broadcast, BOONE'S LICK is less ambitious, but enjoyable nonetheless. The character of Seth was sufficiently similar to that of Gus McCrae in the LONESOME DOVE screenplay that I could easily imagine McRae's Robert Duvall playing the part if BOONE'S LICK is ever brought to the screen. (Picturing Duvall as Seth added considerably to my enjoyment.)

Author McMurtry's style is very similar in both stories. He doesn't downplay the hardships and dangers of cross-country travel at that time and place in American history. But he doesn't ignore rustic Western humor either. When, while traveling by riverboat, Seth remarks to Mary Margaret that one of the crew, Joel, is thinking about marrying Rosie, MM retorts, "I don't think he's aiming that high. But he's aiming." Indeed, the verbal interplay between the crusty, independent Seth and the determined, strong-willed Mary Margaret is one of the storyline's major joys.

This is not a great book by any stretch, mainly because it's a novella masquerading as a full-length novel (with a full-length novel's price tag). However, the characters are well drawn, the dialog seemingly authentic for the period, and the action believable. You can read it in a two to three hours, and it's time well spent.

Last of the Best, 27 Aug 2008
This is the last of the 'Last Picture Show' series featuring Duane and the whole family. Another beautiful book, Duane facing up to his later life. if you have not read this beautiful series then start with 'LPS' and go through from there. For me Larry M is the top man and this series is him at the top of his game. Glorious stuff.

Grisly Reconciliations, 16 Jul 2006
If you haven't read the earlier books in the series, I strongly encourage you to read them first in the correct order (The Sin Killer, The Wandering Hill and By Sorrow's River) before tackling this book.

Should you read this series? Had I known how bloody, painful and unpleasant the details would be, I wouldn't have started.

Since Lord Albany Berrybender first arrived in the United States with a major part of his family (at least the legitimate children) and a small army of servants, he's been looking forward to shooting everything in sight. In this installment (the last) of the four-part series, Lord Berrybender gets a chance to shoot at the most dangerous game of all . . . but rues that he missed a chance to kill a grizzly bear.

This story is not for those who are easily depressed. The book opens with Tasmin Berrybender totally distraught by the murder of her beloved Pomp Charbonneau. To make matters worse, she's pregnant . . . and not sure whether the father is her husband Jim Snow or Pomp. After giving birth, she's still depressed and sends Jim away.

The Berrybenders find themselves under arrest in Santa Fe for two years . . . both to line the government's pocket and to entertain the governor's wife. Lord Albany finds himself smitten with a teenage mistress . . . a liaison that has dangerous consequences for the party. While in Santa Fe, we learn about how the Mexicans liked to deal with Native American outlaws and pursue their private pleasures.

But all is thrown into disarray when the governor is dismissed and a troop comes to march the Berrybenders to Vera Cruz in anticipation of war with the United States. Jim Snow escapes and tracks the group to rescue the Berrybenders. But before he can do that, he has to rescue the Mexican army. The march becomes a death trek like those in many of the earlier books . . . as cholera and slavers take their toll. Jim Snow had been a captive slave, and he takes the slaver attack very personally . . . which leads to a remarkable confrontation in which Jim has the epiphany of his life.

The Berrybenders end up in Texas just in time for the war for independence.

Tasmin and Jim come to a final understanding about their marriage and everyone who has survived has to scope out a new plan for the rest of their lives as they limp into St. Louis.

For those who like exciting action, this book has one spell-binding sequence as Jim Snow becomes a one-man army. If it hadn't been for that portion of the book, I would have rated the book at two stars.

Separating the wheat from the chafe, 13 Jul 2005
In 1832, Lord Albany Berrybender chartered a steamboat to take him up the Missouri River on a hunting expedition. Albany is one of the richest aristocrats in England, and also a dissolute, selfish, old fool. Along for the ride are his wife Constance, six of their fourteen spoiled children, fifteen of nineteen servants, including a cellist and a botanist, an aging parrot named Prince Talleyrand, the staghound Tintamarre, and a gaggle of American talent hired to ease their way, including Toussaint Charbonneau, the guide for the Lewis and Clark Expedition many years previous.

In FOLLY AND GLORY, it's now three books and almost 4 years later into the saga, and what remains of the Berrybender party is under house arrest by the Mexican government in Santa Fe, now having been there for more than one and a half years. It's been time enough for Tasmin to give birth to twins, Petey and Petal, Bess to deliver Elphinstone, and Vicky to give Lord Albany another son, Randall. But Mexico is expecting trouble in its Texas province, so the central government decides to transfer the troublesome Americans and English in its New Mexico territory overland to Veracruz - a long and dangerous journey, and an opportunity for author Larry McMurtry to kill off superfluous characters so there are fewer lose ends to tie up at the series conclusion. Of the four books, FOLLY AND GLORY is the bloodiest and, if you've grown to care about the central characters, perhaps the most distressing.

I'd finally come to be absorbed in the serialized plot by the end of Book Three (BY SORROW'S RIVER), and I was hoping for at least a four-star finish. But, it wasn't to be. After a spasm of death and killing - separating the wheat from the chafe - the final sixty pages straggle to a contrived and, for me, unsatisfying conclusion. Perhaps McMurtry had a publisher's deadline to meet, or maybe he just started out with too many characters. I mean, Lord Berrybender dying gloriously with Davy Crockett at the Alamo? Oh, puhleeze!

The most interesting persona to be introduced at this late stage is Petal, Tasmin's extraordinarily willful and difficult daughter. It would be amusing to see McMurtry build a new series around her, but I doubt that Larry has that left in him at this point in his writing career, of which LONESOME DOVE is perhaps the undisputed high water mark.

The entirety of the Berrybender series was, in retrospect, mildly engaging at best. After giving it spasmodic attention over three years, I can now move on.

Living the passing of the Old West, 03 Oct 2008
"Obviously (Teddy) had kissing in mind, and possibly matrimony as well ... After all, my Sundays were mainly dull. I suppose I could have stayed at home and hung curtains. But fighting off Teddy might be more interesting ... I didn't want much from Teddy, but I did want something - if not from him, then from somebody, or maybe just from life itself." - Nellie Courtright, in TELEGRAPH DAYS

Larry McMurtry is arguably an iconic writer of Old West themes. In his magnificent Lonesome Dove, the storyline was both character and event driven. In TELEGRAPH DAYS, the former is more the case and events serve almost as props. The chief characters are those of Nellie Courtright and William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody and, in a larger sense, that of the Old West, the passing into history of which Nellie serves as witness.

Nellie's story is told in the first person, and we meet her at age 22 in 1876 when she and her 17-year old brother, Jackson, lose their father to suicide, their mother and siblings having long since perished between Virginia and a homestead on a grassy tract of the West not yet part of a Territory. Abandoning their home, the two move to the tiny prairie town of Rita Blanca, where Jackson becomes the deputy sheriff and Nellie the Telegraph Lady. Later, Nellie relocates to North Platte to become Buffalo Bill's majordomo managing his land and investments, returns to Rita Blanca to become mayor, co-owns a newspaper in Tombstone, and settles down for the final leg in Southern California, where the air was "said to be so soft".

Nellie is feisty, independent-minded, sexually liberated, flirtatious, intelligent, multi-talented and possessing a dry sense of humor. It's a pleasure to observe as she interacts with some of the most famous personages of the age, including Cody, Jessie James, William ("Billy the Kid") Bonnie, the dysfunctional Earp brothers, "Doc" Holliday, and General of the Army William T. Sherman. And, it's in their company that she lives the passing of an era:

"So the years sailed on and the Old West, the West of Dodge City, Rita Blanca, and the O.K. Corral, quickly receded into myth. Over in Victorville, California, Western films were being rolled out by the dozen. I even wrote a couple myself ..."

TELEGRAPH DAYS may have a special poignancy for one born in the years immediately following WWII. In the fifties and sixties and into the seventies, westerns were all the rage on both the big and small screens, and our heroes were Hoppy, Roy, Gene, the Cisco Kid, the Lone Ranger, Paladin, Rin Tin-Tin, the Duke, Rowdy, Maverick, the Cartwrights, Marshal Dillon, and the Man with No Name. Nowadays, such films are rarely produced. Even Clint Eastwood has abandoned the genre. So, in a way, we've seen our own passing of the Old West, and it adds a special sadness as we ride on, spurs a-janglin', as sundown approaches.

More Berrybender than Lonesome, 07 Jun 2008
A McMurtry western is always something of a treat and, although I suspect his greatest work is already written (in the Lonesome Dove books) he continues to entertain with his tales of the mythical West. This one's no disappointment, and is more in the style of the Berrybender Narratives than the epic scope of Lonesome Dove or Commanche Moon - more humour, less menace. If you have enjoyed his more recent work, this will not disappoint.

A rollicking tale., 22 Nov 2007
A fast moving and enjoyable story with a sympathetic heroine. However, I felt that the ending was rather truncated,and disappointing after the rest of the book.

Telegraph Days? More like Pornograph Days!, 07 Nov 2007
OK it was a brilliantly written novel, but I was suprised it contained so much sex. I'm not an old woman, but still it had me going a bit red and wondering who's looking over my shoulder as I read it on the bus. Yet despite all the rude bits, it's great. McMurtry is without a doubt the master of Western writing and this is no exception. It has everything you could want from a Western novel and a lot that you might not, but are glad it's there anyway. I'd recommend this book to anyone... but maybe not my granny. Eek!

Tongue in Cheek Look at the Old West, 20 Jun 2006
Westerns have always been morality tales. Black hats and white hats fight it out to civilize the frontier. Sometimes the identities shift as the black hats become wealthy ranchers trying to keep farmers (white hats) off range land. The ladies of joy are always treated with respect, even if they don't sleep on the right side of the bed covers. After all, women deserve respect.

Larry McMurtry continues his look at strong, unconventional women in the West by creating an unforgettable character, Nellie Cartwright, who is bigger than the West. While some will compare her to Tasmin Berrybender, Tasmin is a weak reed compared to Nellie.

Nellie comes from a fine Virginia family that has fallen on hard times after her father chooses to head West . . . a place where he's not well equipped to thrive. Nellie takes her brother, Jackson, into town to start a new life after their father "suicided himself". Nellie has an eye for men, but they have a bigger yen for her than she usually has for them. Nellie does, however, enjoy a good toss in the hay with an appealing and energetic man of her choice. Nellie persuades the local sheriff, who proposes marriage early and often, to take on Jackson as a deputy despite his inexperience. Jackson soon proves his worth and becomes a legend for wiping out six gunfighters. Ironically, Jackson proves to be a poor shot for the rest of his life.

Nellie decides to earn her keep by becoming the local telegrapher. She soon has messages heading all over the West.

Mr. McMurtry uses Nellie to pop illusions about Western characters as he sends her all over just in time to meet many of the most famous people. She works for Buffalo Bill. One of the Earp brothers proposes to her. She meets Billy the Kid. She travels to Tombstone just in time for the shootout at the O.K. Corral. After the West is over, she also travels in movie circles as the legends are born on the silver screen.

The book's plot seems very contrived which is its weakness. Nellie's unique qualities and deeply practical orientation serve as a breath of fresh air in the Western genre. Since I love character development so much, I found Telegraph Days to be a fun read. Mr. McMurtry's sense of humor is strong, and you'll find yourself chuckling along with him.

Should we take this book seriously? Not really. Instead, Telegraph Days should caution us about our need to make people into more than they are . . . a lesson that still applies today.

Outstanding Story-telling, 23 Sep 2008
Without doubt one of the finest stories I've read. I was interested in Lonesome Dove as I enjoy frontier tales and a fellow Cormac McCarthy fan recommended it to me. Like other reviewers I felt that its Pulitzer Prize offered some reassurance. I blanched somewhat when I saw it was over 900 pages long but no matter - I found myself wishing the train would be delayed to lengthen my journey/reading time. Thoroughly original, no pulled punches and no western cliches. An outstanding book - read it, you will not be disappointed.

lonesome dove, 30 Oct 2003
i was given this book by a friend who loved it.i didn't hold much hope of getting through it, it seemed so long. but one winters day i had nothing else to read and embarked on this. it was the best book i think i have ever read, it wasn't long enough! you know the feeling when you're reading a book and you just can't wait to get back to it. I annoyed a lot of friends because i wouldn't put this book down. when i finished it i bought copies for them too, so they could understand and forgive me.this is a great book to get compleatly absorbed in. I want to go and read it again now.

This is one of my absolute top favourite books, love it., 29 Jul 2001
I loved this book so much - it has everything, every human emotion is here, just spilling out of every page. I can't get enough of McMurtry, how I'd love to meet this man who has such a way with words. He paints the West just for me alone, it seems. I laugh with him, I cry with him, I see every star and morning dawn, just wallow in this book, I did.

I have read many westerns, but none like Lonesome Dove...., 05 Oct 2000
This western is like no other you will have ever read or will again, so many pages but the time flies by and before you know it you have read it from cover to cover. It has everything you could ever want in a novel, happiness, sadness, a terrific, amazing storyline, and of course, what would a book be without a hero? Lonesome Dove has many heroes. A book I shall never forget, and will read again.

Outstanding: a modern classic, 26 Sep 2000
This is an outstanding novel: like all classics, it's great the first time you read it, and it gets better the more times you read it.

At one level, it's a typical Western: good guys, bad guys, a damsel in distress and a few gunfights. It's a terrific adventure story of life on the cattle trails as a group of cowboys take a herd from Texas to Montana. The plot is complex and twisting to maintain your interest. The detail and atmosphere ring true: many of the events are based on historical fact.

But you don't have to enjoy westerns to like this book: the tradition and cliches of the western genre never intrude. It's also a profoundly moving work of literature. The characters are vivid: all of them, from the main characters to the incidental passers-by, come alive: you love 'em, hate 'em, laugh with them and at them. The consistent theme through the book is a longing for those pioneer days: heroism and bravery contrast with selfishness and cowardice; ambition with apathy, and hope with despair.

A powerful tale about a young indian's search for identity, 24 Nov 2000
Ceremony is a beautifully written tale about Tayo; a young American Indian who has returned from the conflict of the Second World War with severe psychological trauma. He feels invisible in a modern world that expects him to conform to a sterotype; that of the alcoholic, degraded, reservation indian. Tayo encounters old friends and powerful memories as he returns to the land where he was raised. He slowly learns that only through reconnection with his cultural heritage will he be able to find inner peace. His journey into the spiritual world of his ancestors, taken through the use of the ceremony, forces Tayo to confront what he has become, and asks him how he sees his future. Ceremony is an extremly well crafted story; Silko uses incredible descriptions of the desert landscape to draw the reader into Tayo's drought plagued home. At times, the plot seems unnecessarily slow, but on the whole the book is a provoking and intelligent read.

A novella of America's Old West, 12 Jan 2003
Just as the tiny town of Lonesome Dove was the starting point for a journey in Larry McMurtry's book of the same name, so also is Boone's Lick in this yarn by the same author.

In LONESOME DOVE, we followed the adventures of two Texas Rangers turned cattle ranchers driving a herd from the banks of the Rio Grande to Montana. In BOONE'S LICK, we have a family of sodbusters, the Cecils, traversing the plains between Missouri and Wyoming shortly after the Civil War. The family is led by the mother, Mary Margaret, whose intent is to find her husband, gone these past 14 months and presumably living at one of the Army's frontier forts, possibly with an Indian woman. Along for the ride are Mary's children (G.T., Shay, Neva, and Marcy), her brother-in-law Seth, her half-sister Rosie, and her aged Pa. Also attaching themselves to the group are an old French priest, Fr.Villy, and a native guide, Charlie Seven Days.

Whereas LONESOME DOVE was a truly epic tale, both as a book and as one of the best TV miniseries ever broadcast, BOONE'S LICK is less ambitious, but enjoyable nonetheless. The character of Seth was sufficiently similar to that of Gus McCrae in the LONESOME DOVE screenplay that I could easily imagine McRae's Robert Duvall playing the part if BOONE'S LICK is ever brought to the screen. (Picturing Duvall as Seth added considerably to my enjoyment.)

Author McMurtry's style is very similar in both stories. He doesn't downplay the hardships and dangers of cross-country travel at that time and place in American history. But he doesn't ignore rustic Western humor either. When, while traveling by riverboat, Seth remarks to Mary Margaret that one of the crew, Joel, is thinking about marrying Rosie, MM retorts, "I don't think he's aiming that high. But he's aiming." Indeed, the verbal interplay between the crusty, independent Seth and the determined, strong-willed Mary Margaret is one of the storyline's major joys.

This is not a great book by any stretch, mainly because it's a novella masquerading as a full-length novel (with a full-length novel's price tag). However, the characters are well drawn, the dialog seemingly authentic for the period, and the action believable. You can read it in a two to three hours, and it's time well spent.

Last of the Best, 27 Aug 2008
This is the last of the 'Last Picture Show' series featuring Duane and the whole family. Another beautiful book, Duane facing up to his later life. if you have not read this beautiful series then start with 'LPS' and go through from there. For me Larry M is the top man and this series is him at the top of his game. Glorious stuff.

Grisly Reconciliations, 16 Jul 2006
If you haven't read the earlier books in the series, I strongly encourage you to read them first in the correct order (The Sin Killer, The Wandering Hill and By Sorrow's River) before tackling this book.

Should you read this series? Had I known how bloody, painful and unpleasant the details would be, I wouldn't have started.

Since Lord Albany Berrybender first arrived in the United States with a major part of his family (at least the legitimate children) and a small army of servants, he's been looking forward to shooting everything in sight. In this installment (the last) of the four-part series, Lord Berrybender gets a chance to shoot at the most dangerous game of all . . . but rues that he missed a chance to kill a grizzly bear.

This story is not for those who are easily depressed. The book opens with Tasmin Berrybender totally distraught by the murder of her beloved Pomp Charbonneau. To make matters worse, she's pregnant . . . and not sure whether the father is her husband Jim Snow or Pomp. After giving birth, she's still depressed and sends Jim away.

The Berrybenders find themselves under arrest in Santa Fe for two years . . . both to line the government's pocket and to entertain the governor's wife. Lord Albany finds himself smitten with a teenage mistress . . . a liaison that has dangerous consequences for the party. While in Santa Fe, we learn about how the Mexicans liked to deal with Native American outlaws and pursue their private pleasures.

But all is thrown into disarray when the governor is dismissed and a troop comes to march the Berrybenders to Vera Cruz in anticipation of war with the United States. Jim Snow escapes and tracks the group to rescue the Berrybenders. But before he can do that, he has to rescue the Mexican army. The march becomes a death trek like those in many of the earlier books . . . as cholera and slavers take their toll. Jim Snow had been a captive slave, and he takes the slaver attack very personally . . . which leads to a remarkable confrontation in which Jim has the epiphany of his life.

The Berrybenders end up in Texas just in time for the war for independence.

Tasmin and Jim come to a final understanding about their marriage and everyone who has survived has to scope out a new plan for the rest of their lives as they limp into St. Louis.

For those who like exciting action, this book has one spell-binding sequence as Jim Snow becomes a one-man army. If it hadn't been for that portion of the book, I would have rated the book at two stars.

Separating the wheat from the chafe, 13 Jul 2005
In 1832, Lord Albany Berrybender chartered a steamboat to take him up the Missouri River on a hunting expedition. Albany is one of the richest aristocrats in England, and also a dissolute, selfish, old fool. Along for the ride are his wife Constance, six of their fourteen spoiled children, fifteen of nineteen servants, including a cellist and a botanist, an aging parrot named Prince Talleyrand, the staghound Tintamarre, and a gaggle of American talent hired to ease their way, including Toussaint Charbonneau, the guide for the Lewis and Clark Expedition many years previous.

In FOLLY AND GLORY, it's now three books and almost 4 years later into the saga, and what remains of the Berrybender party is under house arrest by the Mexican government in Santa Fe, now having been there for more than one and a half years. It's been time enough for Tasmin to give birth to twins, Petey and Petal, Bess to deliver Elphinstone, and Vicky to give Lord Albany another son, Randall. But Mexico is expecting trouble in its Texas province, so the central government decides to transfer the troublesome Americans and English in its New Mexico territory overland to Veracruz - a long and dangerous journey, and an opportunity for author Larry McMurtry to kill off superfluous characters so there are fewer lose ends to tie up at the series conclusion. Of the four books, FOLLY AND GLORY is the bloodiest and, if you've grown to care about the central characters, perhaps the most distressing.

I'd finally come to be absorbed in the serialized plot by the end of Book Three (BY SORROW'S RIVER), and I was hoping for at least a four-star finish. But, it wasn't to be. After a spasm of death and killing - separating the wheat from the chafe - the final sixty pages straggle to a contrived and, for me, unsatisfying conclusion. Perhaps McMurtry had a publisher's deadline to meet, or maybe he just started out with too many characters. I mean, Lord Berrybender dying gloriously with Davy Crockett at the Alamo? Oh, puhleeze!

The most interesting persona to be introduced at this late stage is Petal, Tasmin's extraordinarily willful and difficult daughter. It would be amusing to see McMurtry build a new series around her, but I doubt that Larry has that left in him at this point in his writing career, of which LONESOME DOVE is perhaps the undisputed high water mark.

The entirety of the Berrybender series was, in retrospect, mildly engaging at best. After giving it spasmodic attention over three years, I can now move on.

Archetypes of the Old World and New Meet in the Frontier for Unexpected Frolics, 28 Jun 2006
For some years, Larry McMurtry has been fascinated by how he can take the Old West and transform it into something more understandable than the idealistic heroic images of those who played important roles in the Continental expansion from the Eastern seaboard. In the Berrybender Narrative, he's found a potent way to get his points across.

During the 19th century, the English aristocracy liked nothing better than to find new hunting grounds where they could slaughter thousands of animals and feel manlier. But it was an effete aristocracy that lived off its wealth and reputation rather than on its skill and knowledge. McMurty imagines such a family in the form of Lord Albany Berrybender who has merrily been producing legitimate and illegitimate offspring for decades with any women who will lie still for a bit. He has so many children that after awhile he stopped giving them Christian names and simply calls them by number. Berrybender hires a steamship to take his family and entourage (valet, coachman, gun bearer, laundress, tutors for the children, painters, etc.), up the Missouri to the Great Plains hunting grounds with enough claret to keep everyone bibulous for years.

What Lord Berrybender has in mind is a variation on the Maharaja's hunt in India. But the Old West is more dangerous than that. And the Berrybenders also prove to be dangerous to each other.

The story moves out of its hilarious satire long enough for Lord Berrybender's independent daughter to sneak off for a good night's sleep in a pirogue that gets left behind by the steamship. When she awakes, she decides she might as well bathe before trying to find the steamship again. As she does, she encounters a handsome young man also bathing. He turns out to be a wilderness trapper who had been raised by Native Americans, one James Snow, also known as the Sin Killer. Snow feels that he has a responsibility to get her safely back to the boat, and a tumultuous relationship begins between two opposites (he -- quiet, pious and focused . . . she -- voluble, on the prowl for romance and easily distracted). Before long, she's cooking up schemes to keep them together.

Soon, it becomes clear that such travel is serious business . . . and if any are to survive, it will be because of the Sin Killer's skill and bravery.

The book is great fun, but it's written in a style much like what a 19th century novelist might have used. As such, it's simple, exaggerated and languid . . . obviously imitating Huckleberry Finn in its style.

If you like strong women, Lady Tasmin Berrybender will be your favorite character in the series.

But there are lots of honest depictions of plains experiences and challenges that will add to your knowledge of the West. Despite his need to go too far over the top with the story, there's lot of factual substance here to chew on.

If you have the choice of reading a non-fiction account of the same era, pick the non-fiction account. This book tries too hard to be entertaining.

A green parrot and a boatload of Brits, 23 Nov 2002
It's 1832, and Lord Albany Berrybender has chartered a steamboat to take him up the Missouri River on a hunting expedition. Albany is one of the richest aristocrats in England, and also a dissolute, selfish, old fool. Along for the ride are his wife Constance, six of their fourteen spoiled children, fifteen of nineteen servants, an aging parrot named Prince Talleyrand, the staghound Tintamarre, and a gaggle of American talent hired to ease their way, including Toussaint Charbonneau, the guide for the Lewis and Clark Expedition many years previous.

The first noticeable feature of SIN KILLER, the start of a four-book series, is the lengthy cast of players requiring a two-page character list. In addition to all those on the boat, there's a couple dozen ashore - Indians, trappers, and such - to provide local color. Chief among these is the SIN KILLER, a young trapper named Jim Snow, who has an exaggerated sense of God-fearing righteousness and an awkward way with women.

Since McMurtry's tales of the Old West are, for its characters, affairs perilous to life and limb, I immediately expected some of the English crowd to soon become victims of misadventure. (After all, such a large number is a heavy load to carry.) I wasn't disappointed.

It's apparent early on that the main protagonist of the book, and I suspect the series, is Tasmine, Lord Berrybender's independent and willful oldest daughter. Nothing scares her, not even her Old Man. And I expect the villain of the piece, the cruel, old Aleut-Russian squaw Draga, who passes herself off as a sorceress, won't scare Tasmine either if and when their paths cross. (Draga is a psycho in the grand tradition of other McMurtry psychos such as Blue Duck and Mox Mox. Remember them?)

Judging from this first installment, there are a couple of reasons I don't think the Berrybender saga will be the author's best work. First of all, crucial events happen relatively quickly without too much plot or character development. Perhaps, as McMurtry gets older, he's driven to get it written and published faster. (You never know when you're going to be ambushed and scalped by savages.) Secondly, a lot of the action and dialogue has a slapstick quality ab