Ch 10 - 25 Lonesome Dove Book Club Episode 2

Welcome back to Plot Happens for Episode 2 of our Lonesome Dove Book Club! This time we’re finishing Part One of Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry and watching the Hat Creek crew finally prepare to leave Texas behind and begin the massive journey north. After spending the opening chapters getting to know Augustus “Gus” McCrae, Woodrow F. Call, Newt Dobbs, Deets, Jake Spoon, Lorena Wood, Dish Boggett, Pea Eye Parker, and the rest of the people living around Lonesome Dove, Part One starts putting the pieces of the actual adventure into motion. The outfit heads into Mexico, gathers horses and cattle, brings on new hands, meets the Irish brothers, and begins preparing for the enormous cattle drive toward Montana. But even as the plot begins moving forward, what continues to make Lonesome Dove so special is Larry McMurtry’s character writing. We discuss why the pacing is incredibly slow on paper while somehow never actually feeling boring. Pages can pass without enormous plot developments, yet the characters, conversations, humor, atmosphere and tiny details make the world feel so alive that we don’t want to leave it. By the end of Part One, we’re already far more invested in simply spending time with these characters than we are in reaching any particular destination. We also spend plenty of time talking about Gus McCrae, who continues to make a strong case for being one of the greatest characters in Western literature. We discuss his complicated relationship with Lorena, his rivalry with Jake, and the moral gray areas that make him much more interesting than a simple lovable cowboy. Meanwhile, Woodrow Call gives us one of his first genuinely emotional moments when he learns that an old rival has died. Call barely expresses emotion about anything, but the death of a hardworking man he respected—even a man he repeatedly fought with—hits him deeply. It gives us another fascinating glimpse into what Call actually values: not affection, not words, but work, discipline, endurance and competence. That final conversation gives us one of the defining ideas of their relationship: Call knows how to work, fight and fulfill his duty—but does he actually know how to live? Part One of Lonesome Dove feels like the closing of an old life and the beginning of one last enormous adventure. In this episode we discuss: Lonesome Dove Part One, Larry McMurtry’s writing, Gus McCrae, Woodrow Call, Lorena and Jake Spoon, Deets, the Hat Creek Cattle Company, the Mexico horse raid, the Irish brothers, the Montana cattle drive, masculinity, aging, purpose, depression, friendship, work, mortality, leaving home, and the beginning of the journey north. If you love Lonesome Dove, Western novels, classic literature, cowboy stories, Larry McMurtry, character-driven fiction, literary analysis, book clubs, Western history, or philosophical discussions about great stories, join us as we continue reading one of the greatest American novels ever written. Next Episode: ALL of Part Two of Lonesome Dove! #LonesomeDove #LarryMcMurtry #LonesomeDoveBookClub #LonesomeDoveReview #LonesomeDovePartOne #BookClub #BookTube #BookTubers #BookPodcast #WesternBooks #WesternNovel #WesternFiction #WesternLiterature #ClassicWestern #ClassicLiterature #AmericanLiterature #PulitzerPrize #GusMcCrae #AugustusMcCrae #WoodrowCall #LorenaWood #JakeSpoon #Deets #NewtDobbs #HatCreek #HatCreekCattleCompany #CattleDrive #CowboyBooks #CowboyStories #TexasRangers #WildWest #Western #TexasBooks #TexasWestern #BookDiscussion #BookAnalysis #LiteraryAnalysis #CharacterAnalysis #ClassicBooks #GreatAmericanNovel #MustReadBooks #BestBooks #ReadingLonesomeDove #FirstTimeReader #PlotHappens #BookClubPodcast #Masculinity #Friendship #LarryMcMurtryBooks #WesternPodcast **IGNORE ALTERNATE TITLES** Lonesome Dove Just Became a MASTERPIECE | Part One We Finished Part One of Lonesome Dove… This Book Is Incredible Lonesome Dove Is Quickly Becoming One of My Favorite Books The Moment Lonesome Dove REALLY Begins They’re Finally Leaving Lonesome Dove | Book Club #2 I Completely Understand the Lonesome Dove Hype Now Gus McCrae Might Be One of the Greatest Characters Ever Written Lonesome Dove Part One Is Nearly Flawless This Is Where the REAL Journey Begins | Lonesome Dove Lonesome Dove Is About WAY More Than a Cattle Drive We’re Only in Part One… And This Book Already Feels Like a Masterpiece The Ending of Lonesome Dove Part One Is PERFECT Why Leaving Lonesome Dove Feels Like a Death One Last Look Back at Lonesome Dove This Quiet Scene Completely Sold Me on Lonesome Dove Lonesome Dove Has Some of the Best Character Writing I’ve Ever Read The Cattle Drive Begins! | Lonesome Dove Book Club #2 Gus, Call & One Last Great Adventure | Lonesome Dove Why Lonesome Dove’s Slow Pacing Works So Well Part One of Lonesome Dove Is a 10/10 Setup