Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

Streets of Laredo is a 1993 Western novel by American writer Larry McMurtry. It is the second book published in the Lonesome Dove series, but the fourth and final book chronologically. It was adapted into a television miniseries in 1995.

The book follows the adventures of Captain Woodrow F. Call as he tracks a Mexican bandit who is preying on the railroad.
The book opens with former Ranger Captain Woodrow F. Call (now a bounty hunter) and Ned Brookshire, the "salaried man" of the title. Brookshire has been sent to Texas from New York City by his boss, railroad tycoon Colonel Terry, to contract Call's services in apprehending a bandit. The bandit in question is a young Mexican named Joey Garza, who has cost Terry significant business and money through his deadly train robberies. Brookshire is surprised that the old man he encounters has such a reputation, though he notes that Call does have a rather dangerous and respect-demanding aura about him.

This series has been one of my favorites of western reads. I hope you get a chance to read and share.

Oh I’m in for this one. I actually borrowed this from my library a few years ago and then things got in the way and I returned it without reading it. Lonesome Dove is one of my favorites so I’m looking forward to this.

I think I have to find time to read Lonesome Dove before I read this.

Book Nerd wrote: "I think I have to find time to read Lonesome Dove before I read this."

Lonesome Dove is amazing. I really feel like it’s an important read.

I agree with you Chad and Blueberry has the same thoughts on Lonesome Dove as well!

The series is good but none outshine Lonesome Dove

❤️

I watched the old Lonesome Dove miniseries recently. It stays surprisingly true to the novel except that graphic violence was removed.

Chad wrote: "I watched the old Lonesome Dove miniseries recently. It stays surprisingly true to the novel except that graphic violence was removed."

Chad it really does and I liked that they left out the extreme violence.

I started in on this one and it’s so nice to be back with these characters. It’s also bittersweet to be reminded of the ones that are no longer there.

Chad I agree totally!
Would love to know what happened with Newt and how he kept growing into manhood.

Absolutely, Lesle. So many of those old characters from the first book are mentioned at the start of this one. I just can’t get enough of how Larry McMurtry tells stories. We get so many wonderfully developed characters that are not just introduced through info dumps, but we get bits and pieces of their history as the novel moves forward. We learn about them the same way we learn about real life coworkers or girlfriends. Bit by bit their histories are revealed and we, in time, start to understand and like or hate them.

He is quite unique in his style of informing us of the characters he writes about. I know when I read LD I actually was enthralled with the character building first 100 pages and how they in turn grow as the story goes further into their lives. I felt like July grew so much as a person after his accident.

I hate that Newt is killed off I would have loved to see LM continue on with Newt as a young man and his adventure and life forming and July too but understand the story has to go on!!

I’ve made it through part one of this one (about 230 pages). It’s good. I definitely keep looking forward to getting back to it after I’ve put it down. I drove across the entirety of the United States three times as a young man. Once through the North, once through the South and once scrambling through the middle. Sometimes I had agreeable companions. I love the way that McMurtry captures just how expansive and changing the climate and scenery is as you move. How the dangers (particularly in that time) change. I think it’s probably one reason that so many Americans like his westerns. Well, maybe 90% of the people that enjoy westerns are Americans to begin with.

Well, this western gets another big nod of approval from me today because it’s mentioned Hoboken, New Jersey twice so far. My youthful stomping grounds.
I’m at the point in this one where I suspect (because I’ve read Lonesome Dove) that absolutely horrible things are about to happen to character’s that I really like.

Chad wrote: "absolutely horrible things are about to happen to character’s that I really like..."

Dont you just hate that thought??

I’m nearly done with this one. I’ll finish it in the morning. This novel is so much more brutal than Lonesome Dove. This one adds more grief and violence in the place of Lonesome Doves humor. I’m not saying that I’m not enjoying the book, in fact, I find it to be a page turner. I’m just putting it out there that this one is much more brutal.

Thanks for letting us know, Chad.

Chad wrote: "I’m nearly done with this one. I’ll finish it in the morning. This novel is so much more brutal than Lonesome Dove. This one adds more grief and violence in the place of Lonesome Doves humor. I’m n..."

Chad you are correct it is, at times stunned me enough to actually close the book and stepped away for a bit. Yes just a bit!