Is Lonesome Dove the Great American Novel? A Pulitzer Prize Deep Dive

I started my #PulitzerProject with Larry McMurtry's modern classic Lonesome Dove, which won the fiction prize in 1986. An epic western that explores myths of the old west, it just could be the elusive Great American Novel. Does it claim the title? Does it hold up? And how did it manage to win the #PulitzerPrize for Fiction despite the fact that it wasn't actually the book the Pulitzer jury preferred a different book?
This is the 30th Pulitzer Prize winner for Fiction I have read, and the first since taking up the challenge to read every book that has won in this category.
Full Lonesome Dove review from me:
Chronicle of the Pulitzer Prizes for Fiction: www.google.com/books/edition/...
For a different opinion check out Lindsey's Lonesome Dove vlog: • Video
Further Viewing 🎥
What Is the Great American Novel? • What Is the Great Amer...
1937: Is Gone With the Wind Racist? • Is Gone With the Wind ...
1988: Beloved and the Ghosts of Slavery: • Can America Reckon Wit...
The 2012 Pulitzer Controversy: • Do Book Prizes Owe Us ...
2018: What Type of Book Deserves to Win Book Awards? • What Type of Book Dese...
But wait, there's more!
Website: supposedlyfun.com/
Goodreads: / gregory-baird
Instagram: / supposedlyfun
Twitter: / supposedlyfun

[@colinbrightwell4544]

I just finished reading this last night. Felt like I was saying goodbye to an old friend for the very last time. What a book.

[@SupposedlyFun]

It's a very good book indeed.

[@carlosbranca8080]

I am starting tonight, wish me luck!

[@mrme5069]

I have to read it again and I will enjoy it better.

[@StephenLewisUniverse]

I just finished reading it. The entire ending sequence of Calls ride back and his conversations back in Lonesome Dove were so poignant and really tragic. I love this book so much.

[@coach3155]

just finished it and the last couple hundred pages tore me apart.

[@braydenhamilton7660]

Late to the party but I had to comment! Lonesome Dove is my favorite novel and I think you did a great job in this video! Your critiques and praise were both very spot on and you brought up points I hadn't considered before. I thought it was interesting that you shone a light on the some of the more subtle themes regarding western expansion and the repression of the land and First Nation peoples. I feel this was Larry's version of a 1980's dog whistle to those issues. Again, great video.

[@apope06]

Fantastic video! I love the structure and theme of your video! I will subscribe and watch more! great perspective and breakdown too!

[@lonesomedovecall822]

I've been waiting for this ever since you mentioned you had "just started" reading Lonesome Dove... and I was not disappointed. This was a magnificent video!!! You actually made me miss the characters, as if they're old friends (and, I guess, in a way, they all are). I read Lonesome Dove years ago as a stand-alone novel because, at the time, I didn't realize there were other books involved in the story. As soon as I discovered them, I read all four of them in order of the story's timeline (yes, I re-read Lonesome Dove as book #3 in the series) and I was completely blown away by the ENTIRE saga!!! I know you're questioning if you should read the other books or not.... but, let me just say that if you enjoyed Lonesome Dove that much, I highly recommend reading all of them. I read them back-to-back so the experience, for me, was the same as reading ONE long, adventurous, extraordinary book. The only fault, I think, is that there is a 10 or 15-year gap in the story-line between the end of Lonesome Dove and the beginning of Streets of Laredo. I've always felt that McMurtry should have written another book to cover those missing years. However, with that being said, I think the entire body of work is a masterpiece! Now, after watching THIS, I'm so tempted to start the series all over again so I can become reacquainted with my "friends." Huge props to Larry McMurtry for his outstanding character development. It's not often I come across characters that I truly find myself caring about... and McMurtry managed to pull that off with [just about] every single person he created.

[@myreadinglife8816]

The quote about the loss of the Buffalo is my favorite! Great review.

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thank you! That part really resonated very deeply with me.

[@moshkizzle]

Thank you for this thoughtful discussion. I’m not one for westerns either, but I read Lonesome Dove about 10 years ago, recently out of college. I loved it then, but mostly focused on the characters and the story and did not pay so much attention to the historical significance and the broader social issues. I think you’ve inspired me to reread it soon.

[@SupposedlyFun]

I hope you enjoy it the second time around!

[@tuffguy0134]

No doubt to me that Lonesome Dove is the great American novel. It seems to have everything a person would want in a story. Adventure, romance, revenge, humor. The relationship between Gus and Woodrow is one of the best in a novel.

[@aramebrahimi3754]

Great review!

[@CharlesHeathcote]

Lonesome Dove instantly became a favourite of mine when I read it a few years ago. I was already familiar with the story as my Dad used to watch the mini-series often, but I agree that the book is better. I didn't expect it to be this somewhat philosophical tale exploring the lives of these older men - indeed, as the first 180 pages took me such a long time to read, I thought I'd end up not finishing the book. Once McMurtry laid the groundwork, it felt as though the book moved quite quickly and I was eager to keep reading. I didn't know its history in the Pultizer, so thank you for mentioning it here. Thank you for the video entirely as it meant I reflected on a great novel I really ought to revisit one day. I haven't read the sequels or prequels, because I do think that Lonesome Dove is a complete narrative, but there's always a chance I'll glance at them one day. I appreciated this style of this video. Great stuff.

[@MrGreen-ci2mm]

WOW ! DETAILED REVIEW ! BUT VERY GOOD !

[@KDbooks]

I wish my reviews were as in depth as this! This was incredible! You could not have done anything more to justify this book.

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thank you! There was SO MUCH more I could have said about this one but cut for time. I hope I have that problem with all the Pulitzer winners.

[@KDbooks]

Supposedly Fun I somehow want you to talk more about this! Well... if I can be absolutely cheeky, when you get to Absalom, Absalom let me know. It might give me the push to get it off my shelf!

[@CourtneyFerriter]

Interesting review. I liked that you compared Lonesome Dove against the other two choices for the year it won the Pulitzer and tried to reason out why it won over the others.

[@SupposedlyFun]

That was one of the most fun parts for me! Glad you liked it.

[@earnthis1]

Good analysis

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thank you.

[@BookishTexan]

This is a great review. Very well done. I cried hard two times while reading this book -- one involving Deets and the other Gus. Deets is easily the most virtuous character, Clara the most complete. I thought Lori was a very strong character. She was in control of what she could be control of, knew what she wanted, survived something that could have destroyed her, and found her place in household full of women. Also, I think it is significant that Clara's place (in which women dominate and run things) is a model ranch, well run, welcoming, etc. Sorry this is so long, but I loved this book and I think your review was outstanding. _Lonesome Dove_ is much better than the _Accidental Tourist_ . I've never read _Continental Drift_ , but I think _Lonesome Dove_ is more deserving of the Pulitzer than _Blood Meridian_ even though I think that book is a greater work of literature.

[@SupposedlyFun]

I love the not actually that long comment because I agree with all of the sentiment (except I have not yet read Blood Meridian so I can't accurately weigh in). Lorena, Deets, Gus, and Call are all great characters but Clara is like another level for me. It makes me want to try to read Terms of Endearment for some reason. I bet I know exactly when Deets and Gus made you cry and those scenes are good choices.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

I've stated my opinion before...YES! Well, one of the great American novels. :) And after Lonesome Dove I've gone on to read and collect many other Larry McMurtry novels and really enjoy them. I have so many I want to read this year...I may start with Terms of Endearment. I'm so happy you loved this book!!!

[@SupposedlyFun]

I'm VERY curious to read Last Picture Show and Terms of Endearment. This was the first of his books that I read.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

Supposedly Fun and sometime soon read Streets of Laredo. Lonesome Dove continues... :)

[@mradcaqbdb]

Wow! Great video! Thanks for the in-depth analysis. Can there be only one great American novel? That feels wrong to me. Our experience feels so big, even with the limited history of our country, that I don’t think one novel can be quintessentially American since so much of the American experience would be missing. I know all prizes have their issues, but the way the Pulitzer is decided needs to be brought up to date, in my opinion. Without changing the board significantly from year to year, are we really getting an open perspective from them? I haven’t done any research into this, so it’s just a feeling based on comments I’ve heard about various winners/runners-up/no decisions over recent years. It’s obviously still a very well-respected prize.

[@ToddsBookTube91]

Nice video! Keep up the good work!

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thank you!

[@twotanksofcoffee]

I wish there was more positive representation for women who don't want children. I started reading this book because of this video, and when I got to Elmira, I got really excited. Here was a woman who wanted an adventurous life and wasn't interested in having children. Since the entire driving force of the book is Call's desire for an adventure and he also is ambivalent towards his own son, I assumed she would be a female equivalent of him, and we'd get a woman's adventure alongside the men's adventure. She wound up killed offscreen, which in a book like this is about as dismissive of an ending as possible. Then Clara made it clear she feels that Elmira isn't worth grieving, which felt to me like saying that childfree women are unworthy of love and belonging. Call, meanwhile, is a main character. I DNF'ed because of how Elmira was treated. Took it to a free library, will not be picking up again. I generally like your taste in books, which is why I read this. I don't know if you might be interested in recommending a book that follows a female main character who doesn't want children (and then never has them), but I would read that book, if you could find it. Most media containing a woman ambivalent about children will foist them on her by the end of the narrative, or make her involuntarily infertile or a bad person (or kill her offscreen, like this book). Women aren't allowed to be good characters and choose not to have children in media (and follow through, it doesn't count if they have children at the end). Christina Yang from Grey's Anatomy is the only protagonist I know of who chooses not to have children and sticks to it, even though she's fertile and a good person.

[@augustuskeller7214]

The difference between Elmira and Call is that Elmira abondonded her children while Call brought his son (even if he didn’t acknowledge it verbally) along with him. Elmira is a pos for ditching her child. Call never did that.

[@jimmyallen8210]

Have you read Butchers Crossing? I have been curious to read that one. Also, I agree completely on the disinterest in reading the sequel. I love the bleak ending of this cautionary tale. And…I wish Janey could have met Clara, but there is no place for happy endings in this one.

[@SupposedlyFun]

I have not read Butcher's Crossing. I'll have to look that one up! Thanks for the recommendation.

[@jackiesliterarycorner]

I'm currently thinking about starting this and read it during Thanksgiving.

[@SupposedlyFun]

I found it to be compulsively readable.

[@jackiesliterarycorner]

@@SupposedlyFun So far, I'm liking it and it's very easy to read.

[@SupposedlyFun]

@@jackiesliterarycorner I'm glad!

[@Paromita_M]

Great review. About to start reading this. Any thematic similarities to Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck regarding constant displacement and finding a new refuge? Couldn't handle the graphic violence and bleakness in Blood Meridian on my first attempt but now I got to finish it and 'have an opinion'! 😊

[@SupposedlyFun]

I haven't read The Grapes of Wrath yet but my guess is that the key difference is the outfit in Lonesome Dove isn't actually a product of displacement--they are leaving to chase a new opportunity and could have just as easily stayed put. My understanding is that is not the case for the family in The Grapes of Wrath, but there could still be interesting parallels.

[@Paromita_M]

@@SupposedlyFun Thank you very much for your reply. You are right about Grapes of Wrath. I am liking this book so far, it is not making me shudder after each chapter like Blood Meridian 😊. Happy reading!

[@donnahumphrey6778]

I love this book so much. I believe Blue Duck is Mexican and Comanche. I am not well read enough to choose the great American novel but I would say that it would be very difficult to choose one.

[@SupposedlyFun]

I eventually did a video about The Great American Novel and came to the same conclusion. 😂

[@irena7777777]

It is a great novel on any level. An absolute masterpiece of a bool

[@SupposedlyFun]

I agree!

[@irena7777777]

@@SupposedlyFun Love your book reviews. Keep up the good work!

[@jakewaters1546]

My favorite novel of all time.

[@SupposedlyFun]

Good choice!

[@chickencharlie1992]

I've tried finding some sort of script or treatment by Bogdanovich/McMurtry, apparently it's never been leaked online. There are some references to the potential casting choices, so when I read it I picture John Wayne (Call), Jimmy Stewart (gus), Henry Fonda (Jake spoon), Woody Strode (deets), filmed on location in Monument Valley in VistaVision directed by John Ford/Howard Hawks/Peter Bogdanovich. I wish they'd made the version I saw in my head when reading cause I'm just that big of a basement virgin

[@josemmsantos]

I want to read this one.

[@SupposedlyFun]

I hope you like it!

[@ericw4377]

It's so funny that you mention wanting to read every Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction. I was literally just thinking that about an hour ago and then happened to click on this video looking up LD reviews. Weird!

[@SupposedlyFun]

Haha it's funny when that happens! If you do decide to do it, I hope you enjoy the process!

[@southernunionist2044]

Larry McMurtry lived 15 minutes away from me. We grew up in the same area even though we are from different generations. Certain things in that book resonate with me differently from many other people because of this back ground. Lonesome Dove, at its core imo, is a book about Texan identity and how it can be self-destructive. This is a theme that Larry often invokes subtly. Call is a man who makes life worse for himself and other people around him simply because he cannot let go of his past as a rough and tumble Texas Ranger (an idealization of what it means to be Texan). When you see Rick Perry say things like "Texans would rather freeze to death than allow the federal government to come in", that is an example of the toxic ideas that Larry tries to criticize in his westerns. It's very hard to have a conversation about Texas identity that doesn't result in callous dismissal by infuriating liberals or thought-terminating celebration of an identity constructed out of components that no longer apply to most Texans.

[@SupposedlyFun]

That's all very interesting--thank you for sharing that background.

[@cherish78748]

Wow, that's a super comprehensive idea.

[@loriwald9532]

One word - YES!

[@GatorTailFreak]

McMurtry’s sequels definitely flesh out indigenous American peoples perspective ALOT more- to me they are essential

[@SupposedlyFun]

That's good to know--thank you.

[@twokatstabbie]

This is one of my all-time favorites. As a bookseller, I recommended this one to anyone looking for a good vacation read. Two years ago, I made a decision to reread my favorite long books whenever I went on a long trip. So I took this one to Europe and back last spring and didn't regret it at all. On the plane back, I did nothing but read the book, which still managed to bewitch me. I didn't cry in the end since I knew it was coming. I did get the same feeling as I did the first time I read it: Oh no, I won't have my friends with me after I finish this book.

[@SupposedlyFun]

This would be a great book for a plane trip--especially if you can't sleep on planes like me.

[@MilesWilliams88]

I just finished this earlier today. It's a wonderful novel. The character work is some of the best that I've ever read. I'd still say Blood Meridian is the better book, but that's not a discredit to Lonesome Dove. I just think BM takes the crown for westerns that came out that year. The Crossing by McCarthy is my all time favorite western though.

[@barbaraboethling596]

Great review! This novel is my favorite American epic, and in my top few all time favorite books period! I read all the sequels also, but the original is by far the best. I can't reread it, though, because I cry a river when Gus dies!

[@SupposedlyFun]

Oddly, the part that made me most emotional was when Gus cried visiting the river where he and Clara used to picnic. It was so unexpected and touching!

[@sirswigalot7506]

Thanks for the spoiler Barbara. Jesus Christ

[@robertawilkes6531]

I live Lonesome Dove My other favorite is Centennial by Michener

[@bruceheckerman7343]

Hope you read all four books since Lonesome Dove is book 3.

[@SupposedlyFun]

Lonesome Dove was a stand-alone book when it was published. The first two books you are referring to are prequels that were published years later. I believe this is addressed in the video.

[@JEEDUHCHRI]

IMHO Blood Meridian is one of the great American novels.

[@SupposedlyFun]

I still need to read that one.

[@eddie_d1233]

It's rare to see a review with such nuance. It is disheartening to see so many reviewers on the tube who judge every book by their "wokeness" for books written before their time. Thanks for this wonderful review. By the way I think the film "The Last Picture Show" is one of the great American films.

[@brandonkock]

This is a book. Why are you even worried about race? Just talk about the book.

[@SupposedlyFun]

Why? Does race bother you for some reason?

[@ismaelvallejo6832]

Just some feedback. No need to summarize the story for so long. Kind of ruins it for people who want to read

[@ismaelvallejo6832]

You should put somewhere on here that it’s a spoiler review.