Books We Want for the Holidays: Lonesome Dove

Author of Terms of Endearment!

I know that I have failed to meet Liz’s expectations over and over, but her greatest disappointment in me remains that I have never read Lonesome Dove.  Her disgust grows with the fact that I haven’t seen the mini-series either.

The thing is, I want to make amends, I want to do the right thing. But also, I don’t really want to read Lonesome Dove. Have you looked at that book? My God, it's like one thousand million pages long! And the font size, are you kidding me?

Does it not matter that I read Terms of Endearment and The Evening Star? I guess it just doesn’t matter to precious Liz that I not only read The Last Picture Show, but then went on to read Texasville!

Cary White's trail map

Does it not matter that I just finished reading cover-to-cover A Book on the Making of Loneseome Dove? Does that not count toward not only reading the novel, but also seeing the movie? It should; it is packed with interviews from about forty people involved with the movie: Peter Bogdanovich, Chris Cooper, Robert Duvall, Frederck Forrest, Stephen Harrigan, Bill Wittliff, Diane Lane and of course the man himself, Larry McMurtry.

Also included are several very cool candid Polaroid shots from the set, photographs of iconic props (such as trail maps), costumes, set designs, and shooting scripts. Of course the book is also packed with gorgeous on set photographs, both during shooting and candid.

It’s a gorgeous book, the perfect gift for a fan of the film, novel, or anyone who ever set foot in Texas. 

The gorgeous Robert Urich

I know, I know…I guess it doesn’t matter how much of McMurtry I read if it doesn’t include the one that won the Pulitzer.  2013 will be the year of Lonesome Dove. 

[That's it--we are watching the mini-series before January 1st.  We're not going to debate this.]

A Semi-True Conversation between Gianna and Liz

This really happened.

Gianna: We should do a few blog posts about Irish writing for St. Patrick’s Day.

Liz: …Okay.  I am drawing a blank though.  I’m not sure that I can think of many Irish writers.

Gianna:  Sheesh.  Of course you can.  Everyone knows at least a few.

Liz: What about Larry McMurtry?

Gianna: Is he Irish?

Liz: MCMurtry—gotta be Irish.  And in Lonesome Dove Captain Call was born in Ireland, and there were the two Irishman—the one bitten by the snakes and the other one who went to the brothel with Newt.  And Gus’s last name is McCrae.  MC-Crae.  And McMurtry is from the Dublin of Texas, Archer City.

Gianna: That sounds about right.  (Sarcasm?)

Liz: Okay, then there’s Cormac McCarthy. 

Joyce is Irish.

Gianna, reading from the internet:  “He renamed himself ‘Cormac’ after the Irish king.”

Liz: Heh.  There are you kings in Ireland.  Queen Liz rules all.

Gianna: You’re going to get us in trouble.

Liz: What about Joyce?

Gianna: Definitely Irish.

Liz: ….Carol Oates.  Upstate New York is just like Ireland.  Tim O'Brien?  Dr. Phil McGraw?

Gianna: You’re getting pale people confused with Irish people.

Liz: I think I hate you.

30 Day Book Challenge: Day 14

Day 14: Main Character That You Want to Marry

Okay, let me just say that I hate this category.  We're not creating the categories.  We're stealing them from some FaceSpace list.  And obviously the creator wrote this one just so a zillion people (women) could sigh longingly and then expound upon Mr. Darcy and fucking Jane Austen.  I am not a Jane Austen fan.  Also, who reads books looking for potential spouse archetypes?  Oh, wait--the people who love Mr. Darcy.

Gianna:

Easy.



Maude.

You know, from Harold and Maude by Colin Higgins. I read the book, the play, and own the movie (2nd favorite movie). The movie is far and away the best. So maybe really it's Ruth Gordon I want to marry? Or more accurately who I have been wanting to marry since I’ve been, like, 12 years old (jeesh so judgmental!), but if not let me ask you this… who else has these …

Gianna loves Ruth Gordon. A lot.



Ruth Gordon--Gianna's ideal.



And yes I know – I talk about RG a lot. I love her (you look past the creep fest of Rosemary’s Baby) and you make it work. I mean if she were alive.

Liz:

Augustus McCrae

Why I love Gus from Lonesome Dove: he's loyal, he's funny, he's willing to be a scoundrel but never compromises his sense of right.  And he's not above kicking an ornery pig once in awhile.  Sure, Gus visits the whores for a poke every now and again, but he also joined a fool-hardy cattle drive in order to see his lost love one more time. He's not afraid of being sappy, but he'll kill his horse if push comes to shove.  And he likes a woman with a little sass.  He's not Mr. Darcy.