14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Comfortable End, October 24, 2009
This review is from: Rhino Ranch: A Novel (Hardcover)
McMurtry brings the fifty-plus year story of Texas oil man Duane Moore to a close with Rhino Ranch. You might expect the title to be metaphorical, and it probably is, but it's literal as well as a conservationist-come-lately works to establish a ranch for displaced black rhinos in the wide open spaces of west Texas. As with most stories in the Moore chronicle (
The LAST PICTURE SHOW : A Novel,
TEXASVILLE : A Novel and Duane's Depressed, the cowboys are laconic, the women horny (in one case quite impressively so), the oilmen greedy (except Duane, of course, who prefers his shack to the big house), and the dialogue witty.
There's probably a deeper level on which to become engaged with Rhino Ranch (the mythical nature of a particular rhino points to one), but I never quite got there. I don't know if that's my fault for being lazy or McMurtry for not pushing me harder, rather, allowing me to enjoy the easy charm of his writing along the way. 3.5 stars - I'll round to four for having the courage to write a fairly definite end to Duane's tale.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Joys, sorrows, and plenty of personality, August 15, 2009
This review is from: Rhino Ranch: A Novel (Hardcover)
Rhino Ranch is an entertaining read featuring Duane Moore, the character who has been the center of several other McMurtry books, going back to the masterful The Last Picture Show. Duane is older now, semi-retired and nearing the end of his 3rd marriage. He once again falls prey to various women, gets concerned about his family, wonders about his hometown, and seems to have an equal amount of disdain, confusion, and appreciation for nearly everyone he encounters.
The premise of a wealthy lady starting a ranch or haven for rhinoceroses outside the fictional Texas town of Thalia is wrought with great entertainment potential. The various accounts of Double Aught (a large and mysterious rhino) give the book a color that contrasts with the quirky people involved. Classic McMurtry insights abound, giving the story human wisdom that goes beyond entertainment. Smooth prose, quick dialog, terse language, and direct situations make Rhino Ranch a quick and uncomplicated read that can be enjoyed by everyone.
While the funny stories and strange people give the book a shimmering energy, at the same time the sadness of the situations and the losses that occur overshadow the joy. People and animals are introduced only to disappear either from death or just plain disappearance, at times without compassion and laced with apathy. Realism, even naturalism, reigns victorious over the festive. Exuberance is quickly forgotten and replaced by sorrow, reminding one of the Robert Frost admonition that "Nothing Gold can stay." One confusing detail jumped out when it was mentioned that Dal's parents were dead only to discover a few pages later that her mother was sick.
Yet this book, like most McMurtry books, contains thought-provoking material, fine story-telling, emotional concern, and lots of fun. Duane himself has strong character traits that shine forth in spite of his own human frailty, helping the reader find something in which to identify. An enjoyable and meaningful book, Rhino Ranch is a fine modern novel by a master writer whose enviable career includes film, screenplays, history, fiction, essays, and a Pulitzer Prize. Inevitably, some readers tend to compare McMurtry books to his masterful Lonesome Dove, but I would urge readers to treat each book independently and objectively. Rhino Ranch is a highly recommended book that has something for everyone.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Rest in Peace..., October 18, 2009
This review is from: Rhino Ranch: A Novel (Hardcover)
Let me start by declaring my admiration for Mr. McMurtry and his works. The novel "The Last Picture Show" was the first book that started my love for reading and that love has served me well in the last forty-plus years. I have read and collected all of his commonly published work and was even blessed to have met the man...but thank goodness that the last of the "Picture Show" characters has expired. The improbability - if not the impossibility - of the May/December romances lately described in this book series will make the reader feel the writer has stepped into the absurb. With all of Mr. McMurtry's talent, I was hoping he would do the character's sunset-years more justice. It is a subject worthy of his abilities but I was left disappointed.
Still, for those of us who have followed this series (and even seen the character receive a mention in other McMurtry novels) it is a must-read. It does bring some closure.
Aside from the romantic inclusions it is an enjoyable read that flows well in Mr. McMurtry's style. You will still get the feel of the people who live in this land and work hard to attain a subsistence lifestyle while the wealth remains far out of reach. You will still feel the unforgiving aspects of the range-land where humans may compete with animals in a life or death struggle. You will still get the feel for a country where the stranger you meet probably does have an accessible weapon and may be provoked to use it. Good-bye, Mr. Moore. Rest in Peace.
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