I just finished Lonesome Dove for the first time; it’s a masterpiece

This one was only added to my queue towards the end of 2025, and honestly only because I saw somewhere that Stephen King is a fan of the book. I made it a priority read since it seemed universally acclaimed and let me tell you I was not prepared for what this story had to offer.

Premise: two retired Texas Rangers, Augustus 'Gus' McCrae and Woodrow F. Call, lead a group of cowboys on a cattle drive to establish a ranch in the unsettled Montana territory

• Its greatest strength to me is the diverse cast of characters, from the two main Rangers each embodying different ideals of masculinity to the inept but well-meaning Deputy Roscoe and the strong-willed, independent Clara Allen, and everyone between; I adored every single one of them
• The dialogue does a very good job of conveying each character's history and relationships with each other; you get a real sense they've known each other for years
• Pacing is excellent: has a somewhat slow start as everyone is introduced, then picks up very rapidly as the cattle drive starts and the rest of the story just flies by; I had to keep myself from reading too fast so I could savor every page
• The narrative has a little bit of everything: action, comedy, personal drama, tragedy, some coming-of-age elements
• The side plots that happen concurrently with the cattle drive are entertaining in their own right, and the convergences of different groups of characters are great payoff moments
• The Western setting feels almost secondary, and seems more like a vehicle for a character study and all the 'cowboy wisdom' the cast conveys; some of my favorites:
  • "It's a fine world, though rich in hardships at times."
  • "If you want one thing too much, it's likely to be a disappointment. The healthy way is to learn to like the everyday things, like soft beds and buttermilk – and feisty gentlemen."
• The ending might feel abrupt but I think it serves well in conveying one of the main themes that I got from the journey: we are who we are, make the choices we make and deal with the consequences, and die (sometimes unexpectedly); life isn't so complicated, it's just choices and the people we surround ourselves with

858 pages and it still felt too short. Lonesome Dove easily made it to the number 2 spot on my all-time list (only behind King's 11/22/63, and even then it might take first depending on how I feel on a particular day); I would absolutely recommend it to anyone. I'll probably work through other books on my queue before tackling the rest of the LD series.