I will preface this by saying I don't think I can accurately put into words my feelings for this book or indeed do it any amount of justice in this review.

Lonesome Dove came pretty much out of left field for me, considering I usually read speculative fiction and have never read a western or been particularly interested in the setting or time period. I don't know what drew me to this book but whatever happenstance made me pick it up and start reading was a blessing.

More so than any other book I've read, the characters and world of Lonesome Dove are alive. McMurtry takes the time and care to let you get to know these characters so intimately -- their hopes and fears, their shortcomings, their thoughts and dreams -- to the point that I've never felt such strong emotions for or about fictional characters before. Happiness, sadness, fear, anger, anxiety and relief. They may as well all be real people. Indeed, events have such strong emotional impact because McMurtry put so much effort into crafting such vivid characters and letting you live with them and love them.

It is such a beautifully written book, the dialogue is sharp and witty and often quite funny. The wild, untamed and dangerous landscapes come alive through McMurtry's prose.

The twists and turns of the story are in turn hilarious, tense, tragic and never feel forced but somehow inevitable, and everything feels grounded in a gritty sense of the reality of the time and place.

I just can't express how much I loved this book, it was such a wonderful albeit bittersweet surprise. It may very well have become my favourite book.