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acdom's review against another edition
5.0
I read "The Last Picture Show" the summer before I went to college and I immediately fell in love with it. The characters are mostly likable and the story kept me fascinated, wondering what Sonny and Duane are going to get into next. The book is followed by several sequels, if you are interested in finding out what happens to the characters.
biblio_belle's review against another edition
3.0
To be frank, I did not expect this book to be this h*rny. Like dammm, all these people do is think about bonking each other all the time.
A waitress came over to pour my coffee? I'd like to bonk her. My dad's friend just came over? I'm gonna bonk him. My coach asked me to drive his wife to the doctor? Yep, we're gonna bonk. A literal cow? Why not bonk.
I guess it is a testament to small-town life, or more specifically, small town in rural Texas during the 50's life. That's a Christian recipe for self-depriving disaster.
There were moments of this coming of age tell that were powerful, sweet, and painful. As the few young characters graduate high school and try to forge a future for themselves, they realize that life is not what it seemed, that adulthood is weird and complicated. You feel washed up as you age, adult relationships are complex, and you can't always get what you want.
A waitress came over to pour my coffee? I'd like to bonk her. My dad's friend just came over? I'm gonna bonk him. My coach asked me to drive his wife to the doctor? Yep, we're gonna bonk. A literal cow? Why not bonk.
I guess it is a testament to small-town life, or more specifically, small town in rural Texas during the 50's life. That's a Christian recipe for self-depriving disaster.
There were moments of this coming of age tell that were powerful, sweet, and painful. As the few young characters graduate high school and try to forge a future for themselves, they realize that life is not what it seemed, that adulthood is weird and complicated. You feel washed up as you age, adult relationships are complex, and you can't always get what you want.
avid_read's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
keitto's review against another edition
4.0
Really liked this book. Was motivated to read it after seeing the Peter Bogdanovich movie adaptation a few years ago. The movie pretty much captures the spirit and mood of the book perfectly. McMurtry's writing reminds me of Steinbeck in the sense that it is very unhurried, and gives us a deeper look at the lives of people we probably wouldn't think twice about if we saw on the street.
Definitely a pleasure reading this book.
Definitely a pleasure reading this book.
christine_books's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
pherber's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
evelow's review against another edition
4.0
Rounded up from 3.75 but deserving. Could have done without a particular event, but I’m not going to condemn a whole book nor the author for it. Written in 1966 - before I was born - it helped solidify the overall sort of dark, bleak vibe of the kids coming of age in this small town.
eddiegenerous's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic story. Fantastic writing. Fantastically realistic. Totally fucking fantastic.
red1176's review against another edition
3.0
Hm. I guess I didn't know what to expect, but this wasn't it. I like the idea of the story, 'a coming-of-age high school boys' book set in Texas in the 1950s. The story was very raw and quite brutal; surprising to me because it wasn't expected. It seemed like the author wrote it like he knew it, and didn't bother smoothing or glossing things over. The matter of fact way the story was presented will probably stay with me for a while; I'm still a bit shocked (the cow/human sex scenes keep coming to mind).