Lonesome Dove Readalong - Chapters 71-80

I am now officially one whole week and 10 chapters behind with the readalong. I am planning on catching up soon though. In the meantime, you can read Amy's, Leah's and Melissa's responses for the current discussion here.

The questions from past week were created by Leah.

1. Jake Spoon has fallen in with the Suggs' brothers, a band of murderers and horse thieves. They leave a trail of misery in their wake. What do you think of the final outcome? Were you surprised by the ending of Jake? Did you think Call and Gus would do it?

I was very surprised that Jake got hanged. But I expected Gus and Call to got through with it. Somehow, it didn't seem in character, if they changed their minds last minute. They are dangerous men and I'm only surprised that Jake decided to join the Suggs' gang knowing that they might encounter the Rangers. He was one of them after all at one point and he knew what his faith would be if caught.

2. We learn about Clara's life after Gus. Do you think she is happy with the life she has chosen?
Can I just say that Clara is so far my most favorite female character and one of the most favorite characters in the whole novel? It's true. She has spunk, she doesn't complain or whine and she's strong. I like women to be strong and be able to think for themselves, and be in charge of their lives, no matter how bad it might be. Clara is such a person. She makes the best of what she got dealt in life, instead of wallowing in sorrow and self-pity (God only knows, she has enough reasons to).

3. Elmira leaves her second born son with Clara shortly after giving birth to him, leaves July for a second time, and doesn't even bat an eye when she learns about the death of Joe. How do you feel about Elmira now?

I haven't changed my mind about her, since the beginning I thought she was a selfish, self-absorbed person. She still is and she will remain so until the end. I changed my mind about July though. I now think that he just stop pursuing Elmira because it's becoming embarrassing to watch him chase after her like that when she clearly doesn't want him. Have some pride, for goodness sake!

Look for the answers to the current discussion soon. In the meantime, if you're interested, you can read the girls' answers to questions provided by Melissa here.

Lonesome Dove Readalong - Chapters 51-60

This weeks questions are provided by Melissa from Gerbera Daisy Diaries and if you'd like to see her answers, as well as Amy's and Leah's, please visit My Friend Amy. You can also just head over directly to Melissa's and Leah's blogs.


1. Lorena’s situation is hell. How does she endure the suffering? (Or anyone who is put in a position of utter brutality). What are your overall feelings and thoughts about her, Blue Duck, Dog Face, Monkey John and the whole camp scene? Where does such evil come from?


I have no idea how she indeed managed to mentally survive this ordeal (although if she indeed survive it remains to be seen). I was obviously very shocked at the brutality and I honestly can't tell you where this evil comes from. I wonder about it daily when I hear about people committing awful crimes and I still have no clue. The worst for me is that I look at my infant son and realize that all there murderers and rapist were once such innocent babies. The question is, what went wrong? I know that Lonesome Dove is fiction but honestly, if it can be thought of, it has probably been done already.

2. The two story lines finally collide when Gus meets up with July and his gang – did you have any premonition it would end the way it did? Do you think July is reluctant to set out on his own to find Elmira?


This was the most shocking and unexpected part of the story so far. I had no idea that this was going to be the end of the road for Roscoe, Joe and Janey. Even after they were slaughtered, I found myself thinking, Did this just really happen?. I'm still digesting the events of that night. None of what happened have I even imagined would. As far as July goes, I really don't know what to think of him. he should just forget about Elmira and maybe join Gus and Lorena.

3. Call is obviously distraught that Gus hasn’t returned, do these emotions surprise you? Do they seem out of character for Call? Do you think he is more worried now that Po Campo has shed light on how bad Blue Duck is?

That's the one thing I'm not surprised about. I expected Call would be distraught. For a while there I thought call was the one showing up in time to rescue Gus not the July party. But like the girls said, Call and Gus still seem like an old marriage and Call does care about Gus more than he wants to admit, maybe even to himself.

Lonesome Dove Readalong - Chapters 41 -50

This weeks questions are provided by Leah from Amused By Books and if you'd like to see her answers, as well as Amy's and Melissa's, please visit My Friend Amy.

1. We now have the full story of two huge female relationships in our main men's lives: Cal and Maggie; and Gus and Clara. They are very different. What do these relationships tell us about the men they've become, if anything?

I think that mostly these failed relationships show what kind of life Gus and Call did lead as Texas Rangers and the sacrifices that went along with it. We are just getting a glimpse of it and I think more will be revealed about Gus and Call as Rangers, as well as about their relationships with Maggie and Clara. I believe Call did love Maggie but his problem is a basic fear of commitment. He didn't want to be tied down to one woman and give up the life he had as the captain of the Texas Rangers.As far as Clara goes, I think she knew Gus more than he knew himself and didn't marry him precisely because he may have been unhappy down the road as a settled down husband and would always want to go back to the 'lonesome' life of a Ranger.

2. Our old pal Roscoe gets a female traveling companion! Do you think he should have rescued her? Do you think they make a good pair?


To be honest, I have so far not put too much importance to the girl appearing at Roscoe's side. She is a little bit of a mystery and if anything, she will not end up with Roscoe but with July instead. I think July will find Roscoe (not the other way around, I think that's pretty clear that Roscoe is not very capable by now) there will develop a relationship between July and the girl.

3. The cowboys finally meet a Native American while traveling, the famous Blue Duck, who Cal and Gus even know from their Ranger days (and we saw how bad ass Gus and Cal used to be when they Rangered when they wandered into San Antonio for a bit). What do you make of everything that has happened with Blue Duck and Lorena and what do you think will happen when Gus and Blue Duck meet again?

I'm not gonna lie, I was shocked by the rape of Lorena's. I didn't think it would actually come to that. I guess that shows my ignorance and/or lack of knowledge in the western department. I did know that Blue Duck would come back for her, so that wasn't a surprise. I was actually very mad at her for being so stupidly stubborn and really so naive as to believe that Jake would come back on time to save her. I mean, didn't she have enough bad experience with men to know better?! I just hope that Gus will come out alive of it because I did sense some foreboding there and I hope I'm wrong.

Final thoughts: This part of the book really showed me why so many people love Lonesome Dove and why Larry McMurtry is the successful writer he is. The swift change from the atmosphere of fun, humor and comedy of western manners to the scene in San Antonio that showed how dangerous Gus and Call really could be and then to the kidnapping of Lorena and her subsequent rape proves to me a work of a very talented writer. Not many people can achieve such 'an emotional roller coaster' (if I may) in a novel successfully without confusing the reader.  This part really caused me to switch my attitude from mild entertainment to serious consideration of a classic.

Lonesome Dove Readalong - Chapters 31-40

Amy from My Friend Amy provided this week's questions. She is also loving the novel. I am not loving it yet, but I do like it more and more with each week and even if I do not fall head over heels for it at the end of the readalong, it will have been worth it.

As usual, you can read the answers to the questions that Leah and Melanie gave also on My Friend Amy's blog. Mine are below.

1 )Gus starts off this section, saying, "Here is where we all find out if we was meant to be cowboys." when Deets predicts a storm. Newt later observes that the only person who hadn't performed well in the storm was Sean. Did you predict at this point Sean would be the first casualty? How did his death impact you? What did you think of the way Gus and Call handled it?



I had no idea that Sean was going to die, especially so suddenly and such a cruel death. But after it happened, I started thinking that maybe the reason McMurtry introduced the brothers in the novel was so he could use one of them (who knows maybe Alan will be next) as the first casualty, someone the reader doesn't care about enough to be turned off by such a quick death. Sean seemed to me sort of a 'collateral damage' if you will.

2)Elmira and Loraine are both traveling on their own in the company of men. What do you think about the differences in their two situations? Which situation would you rather be in?


Unquestionably, I'd choose Lorena's situation. The people she is around know her, she feels comfortable around at least one of them, Gus and I honestly don't think they would hurt her. Elmira, on the other hand, has really gotten herself in quite a situation here. She now owes a debt to the guy who wants to marry her and killed another for Elmira's protection. I have no idea how she'll get out of it but there's some dangerous times awaiting her, in my opinion.

3)Roscoe is a bit pathetic out looking for July on his own when he runs across Louisa Brooks who proposes marriage in no time. What did you think of this unique character of Louisa and Roscoe's reaction to her? 

I think the whole thing is hilarious! Although I was a little bit worried there that Roscoe will stay with Louisa and my plans for him fitting right in with Gus and Call would come to naught. As of right now there's still some chance, lol! I do think that they would make a fun couple, though.

Some final thoughts: I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I'm developing a dislike towards Jake. He's really kinda lazy, he whines a lot and comes across as a phony person altogether.

Lonesome Dove Readalong - Chapters 21 -30

This weeks questions are provided by Melissa from Gerbera Daisy Diaries and if you'd like to see her answers, as well as Amy's and Leah's, please visit My Friend Amy.

1) Xavier issues an impassioned plea to Lorena to stay in Lonesome Dove and marry him. Do you think his motives are sincere? Or is he doing it for business? Also, here is another chance for Lorena to bypass the cattle drive and go directly to San Francisco (which we are to believe is her goal), but yet she turns it down. Why?


I don't know what to think about this whole scene. It actually was very surprising and a little bit confusing that Xavier reacted so strongly to Lorena's leaving. I suppose his motives may have been sincere and he simply never really expected Lori to leave. That's probably why he waited until the last minute. His crying and begging were probably due to the overall shock at the whole situation. Let's face it, the cattle crew's lives are not the only ones changing. Once they all leave, Lonesome Dove will never be the same either and Xavier isn't very partial to change. I want to believe he did care for Lorena but never had to reveal his feelings since she was staying right under his roof and he believed that it would never change. As far as Lorena's decision goes, I think it's partly due to her not wanting to take any more chances with men promising her better future (she did get burned a couple of times there) and part her unwillingness to possibly spend the rest of her life with a man she wasn't physically attracted to (she is a young, beautiful woman and has a right to try and choose who she wants to be with).


2) We are shown Newt’s inexperience and youth when he asks, “how far is it, up north?” To which Captain Call responds, “it’s a ways farther than you’ve been.” But the reader is privy to Call’s internal thoughts that reflect more directly on Gus:

It struck Call that they should have educated the boy a little better. He seemed to think north was a place, not just a direction. It was another of Gus’s failings – he considered himself a great educator, but yet he rarely told anyone anything they needed to know.

What do you think about Call’s assessment of Gus? Any thoughts?


I don't really have many thoughts on this one. Both Gus and Call are sort of enigmas to me still and I don't know what to think of either of them, although it seems as if they are perceived by others, specifically residents of Fort Smith, as some king of legendary and dangerous Rangers. I guess Call feels disappointed with Gus a little and maybe a little tired of him as well. This journey to Montana is a big undertaking and call may just be feeling stressed and frustrated.


3) We finally see the flip side of Jake’s story– Ft. Smith, Arkansas – what do you think of July? Roscoe? Elmira? Peach?

First of all, I think this part of the book was actually pretty funny, especially the scene were Peach wrings the rooster's neck while telling July to go and look for Jake. I guess, if nothing else, this was the convincing factor for July. I didn't warm up much to Elmira. I think she's selfish, despite what had happened to her before she married July. It still didn't give her the right to deceive and use him the way she did and then abandon her own son in search for her own adventure. Personally, I like Roscoe the most, I think he will catch up with the crew and fit right in with Gus and Call, Gus especially.

Lonesome Dove Readalong - Chapters 11 -20

This weeks questions are provided by Leah from Amused By Books and if you'd like to see her answers, as well as Amy's and Melissa's, please visit My Friend Amy.

1) Obviously Texas and Mexico border each other and we've learned that Call and Gus used to be Rangers. Their job was to control the borders. Any Mexican caught stealing horses or cattle on the Texas side was hung or shot, yet they are going down to Mexico to gather their horses and cattle for the drive to Mexico. Newt observes this juxtaposition and so do we? Thoughts?


I didn't really think much of it, other than the obvious observation on a double standard of their morals, although I'm not sure it even goes that deep. This book being my first venture into the world of 'wild, wild West', I think that maybe this is just how life operated then. Mexicans stole from Texans and vice versa, Mexicans got hanged for it if caught and vice versa. I believe it was Jake who noticed that death would likely be his fate if he escaped to Mexico. The only thought of mine worth mentioning is maybe on Newt himself. Because he's the only one who did notice that what they were doing was punishable by death if done by a Mexican, it speaks volumes on his youth and innocence and how he views the world around him. I hope that good things await this boy.

2. Call has to go gather men to work on his cattle drive. We get a glimpse into home life in Texas. Some families are eager to give up their eldest sons to have less mouths to feed and some are doing much better. What did you think of these glimpses?


Mostly, these glimpses just created for me a very sad and gloomy picture of the South. I know that there must be a place teeming with life somewhere there but it's hard for me to imagine it. All I can think of is emptiness, a couple of the families, some with more than others but not necessarily rolling in dough either, all just existing but not really living.

3. Lorena will do anything to get out of Lonesome Dove, even if means being the sole woman on the cattle drive to Montana. Would you have done the same? Thoughts on what might be up ahead for Lorena?

 I definitely would have done the same. She really has nothing to look forward to in Lonesome Dove, especially when pretty much all that matter will leave. Life has somehow just happened to Lorena so far. It's about time she started directing what comes next. She will definitely be a source of dissent because every man in there wants her and will probably think nothing of wanting to 'have a poke' since she is a prostitute after all. There are also a couple of them who are in love with Lorie and that may turn into some dangerous situations.


Final thoughts:

I am liking this book more and more, a lot better than last week. I am genuinely looking forward to what happens next and am rooting for a few characters there. Something tells me this this novel will be a lot of fun.

Lonesome Dove Readalong - Chapters 1-10

Amy from My Friend Amy, together with Leah from Amused by Books and Melissa from Gerbera Daisy Diaries came up with this idea of reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry together over a prolonged period of time. Lonesome Dove is quite a chunkster and since I've had it on my shelf for a long time, I decided it was a great opportunity to jump on the wagon and finally get myself to read this classic. I think the fact that we'll actually be discussing what we read is what appeals to me the most because since I'm going to read a 900+ book, I might as well get something out of it. Anyway, today is the first discussion and if you'd still like to join, My Friend Amy's post has all the details. Amy is also the one to host the first discussion. Her, Leah and Melissa's thoughts on the first 10 chapters can be read in that post.

I decided to answer the questions in my own post. Here it is:

Have you read Lonesome Dove before or watched the movie? If so, why are you interested in revisiting the story? If not, why read it now?




I have never read Lonesome Dove, nor have I watched the movie. To be honest, I am not particularly drawn to western types of books or movies. Then why read this one? Because it is an American classic and I like to consider myself well-read (I know, it's a little bit conceited and not humble at all but it's fun nonetheless) but in order to be at least 10% true to that statement, I think Lonesome Dove is the one book in the western genre that has to be read, if I never read another one in my life.  I know I'm not making much sense. Lonesome Dove is a must-read and that's that.


The beginning feels like a strong set-up of character. Are you particularly drawn to any of the characters and their story?

The beginning feels so strong in setting-up of characters that it actually borders on boring, in my opinion. I want to feel drawn or interested in at least one of the characters but so far I couldn't care less about any of them. I know I wrote that Lonesome Dove must be read in my previous paragraph, but the first 100 pages didn't feel particularly inviting. I really hope it gets better.




What do you like best or feel is strong in the story so far?

Unfortunately, nothing so far. If it weren't a classic and if I didn't commit myself to the readalong, I probably would put Lonesome Dove aside for some later (much later) time.


Melissa, Leah and Amy are truly enjoying this book, a lot, lot more than I am so I take it my view might be a little twisted :). Certainly don't take my word for it and get discouraged if you ever want to read Lonesome Dove, but rather read what the girl have to say about it.