4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sad and sweet all at once, September 1, 2005
Set in tawdry Las Vegas, the story is about Harmony, now hitting 40, and once a real show-stopper on the Strip. But life has stopped being good for Harmony, and nothing in her life - her career, her lovelife, and especially her daughter Pepper - is going right. But she's a trooper, and nothing gets her down for long. McMurtry gets the sweetness and sadness of Harmony just right, even though at times her innocence comes across more as just ignorance of the ways of the world. Well done.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not Mcmurtry's best, August 4, 1999
By A Customer
I read this book after reading Lonesome Dove, and was not tremendously impressed. I'm a big Mcmurtry fan, having read several of his other books, and must say that this one is a bit weaker than his others. It is very quick and easy to read, however, and did interest me enough that I bought The Late Child (the sequel).
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fun to read, but not one of McMurtry's best, June 6, 1999
This novel is good for summer reading, but not one of McMurtry's best. It does not have the grandeur of the Lonesome Dove series, or the poignancy of THE LAST PICTURE SHOW. However, it does showcase a cast of quirky and eccentric (if not wholly believable) characters that seem uniquely human. The plot is interesting and fast-paced. The story is told from the points of view of Harmony, an aging Las Vegas showgirl, and her beautiful daughter Pepper. The symmetry of their stories--as Harmony's career ends and Pepper's begins--lends the story a lot of texture and irony. And McMurtry, as usual, writes in a strong, compelling voice.
But there are some flaws. First, it is obvious Harmony is supposed to be a more likable character than Pepper. McMurtry even refers to Pepper as "a monster" in his preface to the mass market edition. However, Pepper is stronger, smarter, and takes her destiny into her own hands. I identified with her much more than her overly optimistic mother. I have heard that Pepper is absent from the sequel (THE LATE CHILD). If that's true, I'll probably skip it.
Second, there is a LOT of sex in this book. This is not unusual for McMurtry's novels, but unlike in LAST PICTURE SHOW and TEXASVILLE, it adds nothing to the story. Much of it was thrown in simply for the sake of vulgarity and titillation.
Finally, the book could have benefitted from another go-round with the editor. There is a big timing descrepancy in Part I (told from Harmony's point of view) and Part II (told from Pepper's point of view). In Part I, we learn of an important breakfast conversation between the women about Pepper's future. However, when the events are retold in Part II, the conversation is left out--and there are no time gaps during which it could have occured. This is a small flaw, but an annoying one (I have a pet peeve against sloppy editing).
Flaws notwithstanding, the story was fun (and short). I've definitely read worse.
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