Larry McMurtry

[CANSTANDIT]

Nikki,
awesome!! Uh-oh,now I have to try to get thru it, fast!!!   

Thanks BrokenOkie for the unarchiving, or whomever actually did it. Greatly appreciated.

[michaelflanagansf]

It's really good to see life over here and on the Annie thread.

I keep thinking that someone in the area I work (around Stanford University) should give Larry M. an award and get him to our area.  Here's an article from Stanford Magazine about him:

http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/1999/novdec/articles/mcmurtry.html

And here's an article on Ken Kesey that mentions the bus stopping in Houston to visit McMurtry...I wish he'd write something about that! 

http://www.theage.com.au/news/books/furthur-intrepid-trips-on-the-bus/2006/01/16/1137259952762.html

[Nikki]

Michael, thanks for the link to the Stanford article about McM.  It was  thorough, informative, and interwoven with McM's personality.  I'd love to meet him!!

[CANSTANDIT]

Ok I'm reading Comanche Moon, and rather enthralled with the Scull character. He is currently hanging over the Canyon in the cage, with Ahumado spying on him...so you know where I'm at.

I'm struck by the character development between Call and Maggie, as we only get a hint of it in Lonesome Dove. We know how he feels in that story, as he does not appear to entertain another women, ever again, even if he denies Newt. But it is striking to see how expressive he actually is in his youth. Its kind of like reading BBM, then seeing Ennis in the movie. Its the subtle changes in character between two works, containing the same character.

I also get a little haunting echo of J and E in the Call/Maggie relationship. She is always yearning for him, and he never comes across, completely-In fact, when push comes to shove, you know what happens. Very much like J and E, IMO.

I find much sadness in the helplessness of the Texas rangers, at the time, akin to a modern day strike force, with their primary weapon of technology being a gun- and their lead strategy, a good tracker. It appears horseback was not even necessary, for all.

And the speed and ease with which commissions were handed out: The goverenor promotes them to Captain, after a verbal say-so from a man who abandons his post, sort of, to engage in personal warfare.

Loved the horse standing up,, cooking, didn't you? Reminded me of the Trojan horse, so makes me think there is some kind of surprise in the horsemeat, like disease, or something...am I close? Don't tell me...I'm just raving here..

It's interesting how the least combatative of roles-a whore-is the one that survives the Indian raid, while the goodly townfolk are slaughtered. The 'outcasts' of society, the Rangers and their whores, do not reap the benefits of 'normal' society, but they survive more effectively. Call teaches Maggie how to hide from the Indians and she does it and lives. Call outlasts numerous Comanche battles.  I also found it poignant that even back then, a whore's life was easily threatened, and she was abused, despite the valuable service. Or because of it, no doubt. For example, certain unbalanced men, like Jake Spoon,  hating the power of sexual attraction and what it does to them-weakens them. Its the same old story: Take it out on the whore. Sad.

And then the sheriff treats her like gold. Just very interesting stuff.

I think the impact LD had on me not withstanding-and that was staggering, as I had read nothing like it before-I'm going to be able to rank this book as one of my faves, when I get thru it.

Oh and I really enjoyed the trip to the sea with Worm-the whole superstition about the Ocean and waves. You can see how leaders become leaders: Buffalo Hump is a visionary. He doesn't just buy what people tell him, even 'seers'. He anticipates mistakes wel, like Gus and Call. They are the CEO's of their day... And he sees the danger of having a son like Blue Duck, who btw, was the scariest character I'd ever come across in a novel, until Hannibal Lecter. He can see, as well as Ahumado does, what the future holds. It seems to impress neither of them, or impresses them very little.

[Nikki]

Ok I'm reading Comanche Moon, and rather enthralled with the Scull character. He is currently hanging over the Canyon in the cage, with Ahumado spying on him...so you know where I'm at.


Scull was over the edge in more ways than one.  He had guts, but either he was self-centered, or just out of it.  What's with his wife?


I'm struck by the character development between Call and Maggie, as we only get a hint of it in Lonesome Dove. We know how he feels in that story, as he does not appear to entertain
another women, ever again, even if he denies Newt. But it is striking to see how expressive he actually is in his youth. Its kind of like reading BBM, then seeing Ennis in the movie. Its the subtle changes in character between two works, containing the same character.

Yes, and I believe I remember thinking of Call as Ennis-like, yet he didn't appeal to me like Ennis even with all of Ennis' hang-ups

I also get a little haunting echo of J and E in the Call/Maggie relationship. She is always yearning for him, and he never comes across, completely-In fact, when push comes to shove, you know what happens. Very much like J and E, IMO.

Yes, to this too Jo.  I felt sorry for Maggie and angry with Call. She would have made a wonderful wife/mother.  He was so uptight and repressed that I actually wondered whether he really needed the sex.  Yet, he seemed to want Maggie -- still he was abrupt and cold to her.


I find much sadness in the helplessness of the Texas rangers, at the time, akin to a modern day strike force, with their primary weapon of technology being a gun- and their lead strategy, a
good tracker. It appears horseback was not even necessary, for all.

Again, I agree totally.  They were underfed, underpaid, under valued, and underhorsed (word?).  They risked so much for so little -- a man had to really want to be a ranger!!


And the speed and ease with which commissions were handed out: The goverenor promotes them to Captain, after a verbal say-so from a man who abandons his post, sort of, to engage in personal warfare.

Loved the horse standing up,, cooking, didn't you? Reminded me of the Trojan horse, so makes me think there is some kind of surprise in the horsemeat, like disease, or something...am I close? Don't tell me...I'm just raving here..

It's interesting how the least combatative of roles-a whore-is the one that survives the Indian raid, while the goodly townfolk are slaughtered. The 'outcasts' of society, the Rangers and their whores, do not reap the benefits of 'normal' society, but they survive more effectively. Call teaches Maggie how to hide from the Indians and she does it and lives. Call outlasts numerous Comanche battles.  I also found it poignant that even back then, a whore's life was easily threatened, and she was abused, despite the valuable service. Or because of it, no doubt. For example, certain unbalanced men, like Jake Spoon,  hating the power of sexual attraction and what it does to them-weakens them. Its the same old story: Take it out on the whore. Sad.

Except that the whores knew what was in it for them -- subsistence in a gritty two-bit town.  Their lives were cheap and worth nothing.  Maggie was too good for that life or that world IMO.

And then the sheriff treats her like gold. Just very interesting stuff.

I think the impact LD had on me not withstanding-and that was staggering, as I had read nothing like it before-I'm going to be able to rank this book as one of my faves, when I get thru it.

Oh and I really enjoyed the trip to the sea with Worm-the whole superstition about the Ocean and waves. You can see how leaders become leaders: Buffalo Hump is a visionary. He doesn't just buy what people tell him, even 'seers'. He anticipates mistakes wel, like Gus and Call. They are the CEO's of their day... And he sees the danger of having a son like Blue Duck, who btw, was the scariest character I'd ever come across in a novel, until Hannibal Lecter. He can see, as well as Ahumado does, what the future holds. It seems to impress neither of them, or impresses them very little.

I don't want to say anymore if you haven't finished it.  I read it quite a while ago, so don't remember as much as i would like.  It bears re-reading, though, as part of the LD series.  Glad you're enjoying it -- 

BTW I read your post in the NY Proulx discussion. Liked your comparison of Call hauling McCrae's body back to the grove with Sink caring for Archie.

Also Blue Duck compares with Hannibal Lector and Antown Chigar (sp?) of 'No Country for Old Men.'  The three are the great scariest characters of modern lit/film IMO.

BTW I bought a used copy of LD so I can read it again at my leisure.  Also a 'good' paperback copy of 'Streets of Laredo,' the sequel to LD -- Call is a bounty hunter... haven't read it yet. The dedication is to "Diana and Sara Ossana."

[CANSTANDIT]

Oh, Nikki, I really liked Streets of Laredo-I hope you do. Great character development, re: Call;  and Loreen (another loreen-that just occurred to me). And it has one of the best lines, spoken by Call, I've ever read in a western. You'll know it when you read it...
Or I'll tell you after.
You're in for a kind of ironic surprise with Call, by the way.


That's a good point about Maggie not being cut out, or being too good, for the working girl's life. I think another character comments on that, too.

[Nikki]

Oh, Nikki, I really liked Streets of Laredo-I hope you do. Great character development, re: Call;  and Loreen (another loreen-that just occurred to me). And it has one of the best lines, spoken by Call, I've ever read in a western. You'll know it when you read it...
Or I'll tell you after.
You're in for a kind of ironic surprise with Call, by the way.


That's a good point about Maggie not being cut out, or being too good, for the working girl's life. I think another character comments on that, too.

Jo, didn't know you'd read 'Streets of Laredo.'  I'm looking forward to it, and to Call.

[WhenPigsFly]

Book review
Larry McMurtry's 'Books': rambling, disorganized, dull
Austin American Statesman
http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/books/07/06/0706mcmurtry.html

[WhenPigsFly]

Book review #2
'Books: A Memoir' by Larry McMurtry
LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/books/la-bk-mcmurtry6-2008jul06,0,2248041.story

[michaelflanagansf]

Book review #2
'Books: A Memoir' by Larry McMurtry
LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/books/la-bk-mcmurtry6-2008jul06,0,2248041.story

I'm fascinated in knowing what he writes about Palo Alto in this book as it is one city away from where I work and he was friends with Ken Kesey when he was there.  I've always wondered how much he was invested in the 'counter-culture' at this time.

[Jer009]

(snip)
Later, other books — The Last Picture Show, Lonesome Dove and Terms of Endearment, most notably — were made into movies or television series. McMurtry adapted E. Annie Proulx's story "Brokeback Mountain" for the screen and won an Academy Award for his work. According to his publisher, McMurtry has written 29 novels and more than 30 screenplays. His newest book is a memoir, his second in a planned trilogy, called Literary Life.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121780230

[michaelflanagansf]

You do know that we actually selected 'The Last Picture Show' as one of the books for the book club, right?

[Jer009]

Michael, if I ever knew it, I forgot! But I thought your readers would like to know about this interview and about his new memoir.

[michaelflanagansf]

I'm sure they will.  If you want to look at what we said about the book it's in the archive here:

http://www.davecullen.com/forum/index.php?topic=12054.0

[Jer009]

Thanks, Michael.