Friday 12 August 2011

Lonesome Dove

If you have read any of my posts recently, you may realise I have an affinity for things from the 90's. Northern Exposure is something I like reading about and watching on DVD, but around 1993 there was a mini series called Lonesome Dove on BBC1 that became a must see for me. It was written by Larry McMurty about the characters who lived in Lonesome Dove, a town in Texas. like many books that have been adapted for television, the book is an excellent read. The main characters;Captain Call, Augustus McCrae, Deets, Newt, Pea and Loren are all well thought out. The majority of the cowboys are Texas Rangers who have known each other for years, but there are a few new hands that join for the ride.  The book is set in the period after the Civil War and the Mexican Wars, and the cowboys set out with cattle stolen from Mexico and drive them all the way to Montana. The book is full of twists and turns, love and betrayal. It is so well written you can feel the same fear the riders did, feel the sun on your back and hear the bellowing of the herd. Coming from the U.K I am no authority on cowboys, but feel this must be one of the best, if not the best book written about them.