Telegraph Days [Hardcover]

Larry McMURTRY (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (1987)
• ASIN: B001QA6HNW
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Larry McMurtry is the author of twenty-nine novels, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lonesome Dove. His other works include two collections of essays, three memoirs, and more than thirty screenplays, including the coauthorship of Brokeback Mountain, for which he received an Academy Award. His most recent novel, When the Light Goes, is available from Simon & Schuster. He lives in Archer City, Texas.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vonnegut meets Lonesome Dove, June 3, 2006

By 

Douglas S. Wood "Vicarious Life" (Monona, WI) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Telegraph Days: A Novel (Hardcover)

A slightly absurdist romp through the Old West. Nellie and Jackson Courtright are orphaned when their Virginia-gentry father "suicides himself" in Rita Blanca, No Man's Land. Jackson soon becomes accidentally famous when he guns down 6 desperadoes - "beginner's luck" - it later becomes clear he can't hit the broad side of a barn with his pistol. Deputy Jackson never moves much beyond that episode, but sister Nellie, the main narrator, "organizes" and "copulates" (her phrase) her way across the West. She goes to work for Buffalo Bill Cody and also meets the Earps, Clantons, Billy the Kid, Doc Holliday, William Tecumseh Sherman and Lillian Gish who all make at least cameo appearances. And mostly they all already know of Nellie before they meet her because of her work with Buffalo Bill and her own famous writing. A cross between Kurt Vonnegut and his own Lonesome Dove, in Telegraph Days McMurtry delivers a wild, sometimes ribald tale that witnesses the translation of the real life in the American West into the mythological Old West.

Highly recommended because it's funny and still gives a good feel for the Old West.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dangerous Ground, June 12, 2008

By 

Richard A. Mitchell "Rick Mitchell" (candia, new hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Telegraph Days: A Novel (Paperback)

It is always dangerous for a man to write in the voice of a woman, and this is an exhibit of those dangers. The main charactger and narrator is Nellie. Her voice did not come off as genuine. Her entire personality seemed to be what a man would like to see in a woman - an aggressive woman who loves men. This was true for her entire personality, not just her admitted obsession with "copulation" (the frequent references became dull).

The fictitious supporting characters in the book were interesting and the best part of the book. They were actually more interesting than the narrator. The famous supporting cast included Wild Bill Hickcock and Buffalo Bill, with a cameo by Billy the Kid. They seemed contrived. It was the unknown fictitious characters that gave any genuine western flavor to the book.

There was some good humor and spoofing of the old western novels, but all in all, the plot lacked depth and at times approached tedium. Although the book was not awful, there was little to recommend it. Nellie has an interesting life, but it did not seem the author was that invested in it. Therefore neither is the reader.

A quick light read, but nothing great.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read!, June 6, 2006

By 

Deborah (Raeford, NC, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Telegraph Days: A Novel (Hardcover)

It started a little slow, but quickly pulled me into the story. In short order, I had a connection with the characters. The writing is detailed enough to make you feel like you are there, but isn't so heavy that it distracts from the story line. It was no Louis L'Amour, but Telegraph Days belongs on anyone's "must read" list. A great read!