America has produced a lot of great writer’s in the past 100 years. John Steinbeck, John Irving, John Updike all come to mind. I really enjoy the style of Cormack McCarthy and of course there’s Hemingway and Faulkner who must be included on any list of great American Writers.
I have read great novels by all of these writers. But when asked recently who my favorite novelist was I had no problem making a choice, it wasn’t even close. Larry McMurtry author of the Pulitzer Prize winning Lonesome Dove is by far my favorite with Steinbeck coming in a distant second.
Trying to come up with a third place finisher would be difficult if not impossible. For me it’s always been McMurtry, Steinbeck and everyone else.
When I read a novel, It’s purely for entertainment. I appreciate writers that incorporate historical facts and stick to the chronological order of certain events. I love writer’s that know their geography. When a story is set in New York City for example I want the writer to know something about New York City; during the period that the story takes place. I want the writer to paint me an accurate picture.
Most importantly for me, is a writer’s ability to develop characters. Larry McMurtry has no close seconds in this respect. His characters yank you into the story. The reader gets a clear picture of the hero’s, heroine’s and villain’s but McMurtry’s development of supporting characters is what really sets him apart from other great writer’s; past and present.
It’s so easy to loose yourself in a McMurtry novel, his characters are so crisp and clear that the reader knows the character on a very personal level, the reader even seems to know what the character is thinking. Developing characters like that is an art, McMurtry is a master, the Michelangelo of character development.
I have spent many a cold or rainy night stretched out by the fireplace, my mind in another place and time, following the lives of characters that literally come to life with the scratching of McMurtry’s pen.
If you love to read; the Lonesome Dove series is a must. I recommend this book passionately to anyone that shows an interest in reading.
McMurtry novels are not gender specific, his female chracters are just as stong and important to his stories as their male counter parts. So even though Lonesome Dove is considered a western it is a book that many women would enjoy very much.
Give McMurtry a try; I’m confident you will enjoy whatever you decide to read.
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