Reviews

The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurtry

drjonty's review against another edition

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5.0

Brilliant. Loved the Thalia trilogy. Much funnier and cruder than the film. The bit about having sex with animals…

crm_'s review against another edition

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4.0

I am sure I'd hate living in Thalia Texas, despise Duane and Sonny, detest Jacy and her Wichita friends, abhor the football coach, and dislike almost all the adults in this book. Wise choices that we try and teach our kids are wantonly ignored and the moral compass of almost everyone in the book is broken. But the book is very, very good. It told the story and painted the bleak, bleak surroundings so skillfully, that I couldn't stop reading.

mtdegrace's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

innatejames's review against another edition

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3.0

After crying about 6 times reading Lonesome Dove, this reads a little like an afterschool special. He captures the angst of young love very well. I wasn't a straight teenage boy, but I completely identified with the narrator going through all of these trials just to get a glimpse of a naked woman. And the coaches wife reminded me a lot of the female narrators of Tom Perrotta's Little Children and [b:What was She Thinking|13258|What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal A Novel|Zoë Heller|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166550800s/13258.jpg|18650]?: Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller.

innatejames's review against another edition

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3.0

A very 1960s take on two boys learning about class and sex in small town Texas.

Thalia, Texas, the town in the story, has a lot of strong personalities. That's one of the features of Larry Mcmurtry's writing that I enjoy. He skirts the topics of homosexuality and rape, which i believe was even more taboo at the time this book was released.

The story was written beautifully and simply, but I didn't care much for the parts about two dudes "chasing tail." Also, I wish Jacy had a bit more depth to justify her behavior and not simply sideline her to the "them girls is crazy" trope.

I would love to read the version of this story from Ruth's point of view. Her story was amazing.

whatsclarereading's review against another edition

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4.0

Charming funny atmospheric sad. A lot of age gap romances so if you’re not into that steer clear. Also a full star deducted for an extremely upsetting and disturbing scene that ultimately had little effect on the plot and felt both deeply gross and useless. But the writing was lovely some truly good sentences in there.

itsisak's review against another edition

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4.0

Thirsty Texans in a dying small town. Four stars

whatkarireads's review against another edition

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2.0

Lonesome Dove is one of my favorite books so I'm venturing deeper into Larry McMurtry's catalog. I love his writing even if I didn't love these books. The Last Picture Show is touted as a coming-of-age story in a small town. It was oddly disturbing and surprisingly sexual. Genuis prose but just weird story.

aaaahhhhh's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

hillaryunabridged's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5