Novel Blog - Writing The Great American Novel

A couple weeks ago I read the first five chapters of Boone's Lick while enjoying the sunshine at Fort Desoto Beach. It's my third Larry McMurtry novel, after Comanche Moon and Wandering Hill.

Boone's Lick is a story about a mother that takes her family from Missouri to Wyoming after the Civil War in search of her husband (the children's father). They travel by boat and mule driven wagon. To reach Fort Laramie they risk their lives and overcome thunderstorms, Indian threats, snow, and wildlife.

My parents and family live in Booneville, MO, so the title caught my attention right away. True to his reputation, McMurtry has started things off with some very interesting characters. I am gaining a deeper appreciation for McMurtry's talent and why he's so often recommended as "required" reading for all wanna be novelists.

I finished the book today, reading the last 80 pages in a flash. The book is a very easy read, with short chapters and plenty things "happening" to hold the readers' attention.

I think the story will make a great movie. Rumor has it that Tom Hanks (Seth Cecil) and Julianne Moore (Mary Margaret) will play the leading roles.