Streets of Laredo

By: Larry McMurtry

Narrated by: Daniel Von Bargen

Length: 21 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

The final book of Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove tetralogy is an exhilarating tale of legend and heroism. Captain Woodrow Call, August McCrae's old partner, is now a bounty hunter hired to track down a brutal young Mexican bandit. Riding with Call are an Eastern city slicker, a witless deputy, and one of the last members of the Hat Creek outfit, Pea Eye Parker, now married to Lorena - once Gus McCrae's sweetheart. This long chase leads them across the last wild streches of the West into a hellhole known as Crow Town and, finally, into the vast, relentless plains of the Texas frontier.

©2010 Larry McMurty (P)2010 Simon and Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

" Streets of Laredo is a splendid addition to the literary portrait of McMurtry's native Texas and the West that he has been creating for three decades. It's also one of his most affectingly melancholy books.... The characters are as finely etched as any McMurtry has ever minted." ( Newsweek)

"One of McMurtry's most powerful and moving achievements." ( Los Angeles Times)

"A marvelous novel in its own right and in every way a worthy successor to Lonesome Dove." ( Chicago Tribune)

Enjoyed

I have always been a McMurtry fan ever since I watched Lonesome Dove. I just never got the chance till now to listen to this book. Really enjoyed it!

A great listen

This is a great story! It kept me interested throughtout-i couldnt stop listening. It is performed well.

Most Excellent

Like beauty, most artistic presentations are in the eye of the beholder. This is my second time through this book, the first was many years ago. I don't remember liking it as much the first time. That may be because my first trip through it, it may have been a casualty of circumstances. The main circumstance being, I listened to it after watching the miniseries. I didn't care much for the miniseries for various reason. Mainly because the Lonesome Dove miniseries towered so far above it.

But this is a great book. Larry McMurtry is far and away my favorite writer of the western genre. The story is well conceived and told. I balked a little with the narrator because I recently listened to Lonesome Dove and Lee Horsley does such an excellent job. But Daniel Von Bargen was a great choice for this book and well deserving of a 5 star award.

And PLEASE!!! Don't shy away from this book because you don't like Westerns. This is a great story, well told and beautifully performed.

Great story to end the series

Excellent story. Excellent narrator.
I loved the movie 'Lonesome Dove' and decided I would like to listen to the book (There is always more in the book). I was surprised to see that there were three other books in the series. I decided to listen to them all in chronological order. Good choice. I got to know the characters from their earliest days to their final adventure.
The storyline takes some unexpected turns and keeps it from becoming formulaic. Larry McMurtry is a wonderful story teller. He spins a yarn that draws you into the world he is writing about. He takes you back to the deserts and towns of Texas and Mexico after the civil war. He let's you experience the hardship and pain and sorrow of the people in those areas, yet let's you also experience the hope and satisfaction that gets them through.
The narrator was perfect. His deep, easy voice just exudes the heart and soul of a Texas cowboy. From the first words he utters, you know you are being taken to the west. He does a great job with the voices and his cadence is easy to listen to.
I hated to see the story end.

Outstanding!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. In fact the whole series was absolutely wonderful. I highly recommend it.The narrator was a little slow speaking but I adjusted to that.

Dark

This book gave answers to my questions about the characters.
I did feel, however, the story of how Lorena knew Mox Mox was farfetched.

Not the ending I wanted, just like real life.

The final wrap up in a collection of books I really enjoyed. I liked this narrator the best: his voice is sincere and more even, less wild with the voice impersonations. Great spectrum of men and women and the inevitabilities of life in the 19th century.

Loved the Wrap up (spoiler alert)

look I get it I know everyone misses Gus and his comedy but he's dead and Life goes on and this is what it was.

Excellent

Excellent production! Out of all of the Lonesome Dove Series of books this was probably the best performed.

very easy to picture

first review.. If life in the west is what you are looking for, this is a book of story as well a fierce visual