Larry McMurtry - Boone's Lick

Pros: Believable characters, great plot, told in McMurtry's unbeatable style

Cons: None

The Bottom Line: McMurtry writes another fascinating story of the old West and fills it with characters who manage to overcome hardships we can only imagine

Review: Larry McMurtry has always been one of my favorite writers. Being a fellow Texan may have something to do with that preference. So when I decided to drive to Austin to see my kids this last weekend (about a 6 hour trip), I was thrilled when a good...

Pros: A story of common folk - told uncommonly well

Cons: Nary a one

The Bottom Line: There are few readers who will not appreciate Boone's Lick. Pick it up and read it. You will not be disappointed.

Review: PROLOGUE

Last weekend I read two novels.

The first, Boone’s Lick, presents an unadorned look at a Missouri family in the years just after the Civil War. This is not a story of slick gunfighters, wealthy farmers, or...

Pros: The wonderful personalities with which Larry McMurtry fills his stories.

Cons: not a single one

The Bottom Line: My final recommendation? Read it!

Review: A couple of weeks ago I visited my mom. It's about a 5 hour drive so I hit the library to see what books on tape (unabridged) they had on the shelves.

When I saw Boone's Lick I picked it up, put it back, picked it up again. Larry McMurtry's...

Pros: Great humor and writing style

Cons: Ending a bit anti-climactic

The Bottom Line: Endearing characters make you care about what happens to them

Review: Most people are familiar with Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove and Terms of Endearment. This book, Boone's Lick, is probably one of his least known books. But it could be his best. Told with the folksy humor of Lonesome Dove and the compassion of...

Pros: Captures the spirit of the adventuresome wild west, Humorous, Abounds with colorful characters

Cons: First part slowly paced, Some characters lack depth

The Bottom Line: Entertaining short novel that captures the spirit and adventure of the old west.

Review: No one can spin a wild west yarn like Larry Mc Murtry. The Pulitzer Prize winning author was born to write about the glory days of the old west. Boone's Lick is one of his shortest, most concise, works at 287 pages. Although it lacks...

Pros: A great tale of the West at the end of the Civil War

Cons: few

The Bottom Line: Read it. I think anyone will enjoy this type of writing.

Review: The following DOES NOT describe the typical family:

Three days after I got drunk that first time Uncle Seth showed up at the cabin again. He walked in with a lordly air -- it was his usual air -- but he looked as if he'd spent his time in a...

Pros: Too predictable, too cliche, too boring

Cons: It's short, so you don't have to suffer too long to finish.

Review: I am a tremendous Larry McMurtry fan, so I couldn't wait to crack this one open and dive in. I am very sorry to say that this book can't hold a candle to the Lonesome Dove trilogy or most of his other works. It's almost as if the author was ...