# Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

15 Hacker News commenters recommended Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People recommend it as a gripping, funny, emotionally heavy western that even readers who dislike the genre enjoy. The one critic strongly advises against reading it, without giving a specific reason.

## Why people recommend it

- Enjoyed even by non-western fans (2 comments): ""Lonesome Dove" was the most surprising book in years for me - I do not like westerns, and that book is a western - but guess what: I loved it!" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49905502)) "I love neo western films, so this sounds right up my alley." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904997))
- Gritty with emotional weight (2 comments): "Lonesome Dove is more just very... gritty. And packs a serious emotional heft." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49905938)) "there's a lot of moral strength in some of the characters" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903433))
- Among best westerns ever (2 comments): "Lonesome Dove won a Pulitzer for a reason. It's very good." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904284)) "Fantastic story! The best western I've ever read." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47040165))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/crime-and-punishment.md): 39 recommend
- [The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/brothers-karamazov.md): 28 recommend
- [Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace](https://hackerapproved.com/p/infinite-jest.md): 26 recommend
- [The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://hackerapproved.com/p/great-gatsby.md): 24 recommend
- [Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand](https://hackerapproved.com/p/atlas-shrugged.md): 23 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1447203054?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9781447203056) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry", https://hackerapproved.com/p/lonesome-dove/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).