And so the Lonesome Dove series comes to an end for me. Streets of Laredo is a good one. This is definitely a conclusion. McMurtry left no room for another volume in the series.
We leave Call an invalid but finding for the first time in his life another human being that he needs---the young girl whom he decides to patronize for her future education. The frontier finally destroys Call physically but awakens him psychologically at the end.
I am saddened to see that Clara is killed by a horse and that the son that Call never acknowleges is also horse-killed. It seems that McMurtry likes to kill off so many of characters in bizarre accidents.
Pea and Lorrie live on. Perhaps the future is only for the young.
4 comments:
Congratulations on finishing this fine series. The only way I think it could have been better was is McMurtry had written it chronologically, from the first book to the fourth; as it stands, some of the books feel disconnected from others. An example is his focus on Newt in Lonesome Dove, only to kill him off, almost flippantly, in Streets of Loredo. But such complaints are only conversational; overall, McMurtry has written an excellent series. If you feel brave, you can watch the entire series on DVD--it does not, obviously, stand up to the books, but I like the movies (each chapter is a mini-series) a lot, as they provide a beautiful visual to the various exploits of Call, Gus, and Co.
Which character in the series do you most identify with?
No one character in particular. Perhaps a little bit from several characters.
The innonence of Pea Eye.
The fun-loving nature of Gus.
A layer of aloofness and sense of duty from Call.
The stupididty of July Johnson!
I most identify with Call.
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