Thalia: A Texas Trilogy

Thalia, Texas #1-3

by Larry McMurtry

One of Entertainment Weekly ’s "Most Beautiful Books of the Year" The renaissance of Larry McMurtry, “an alchemist who converts the basest materials to gold” ( New York Times Book Review ), continues with the publication of Thalia . Larry McMurtry burst onto the American literary scene with a force that would forever redefine how we perceive the American West. His first three novels― Horseman , Pass By (1961),* Leaving Cheyenne (1963), and The Last Picture Show (1966)― all set in the north Texas town of Thalia after World War II, are collected here for the first time. In this trilogy, McMurtry writes tragically of men and women trying to carve out an existence on the plains, where the forces of modernity challenge small- town American life. From a cattleranch rivalry that confirms McMurtry’s “full- blooded Western genius” ( Publishers Weekly ) to a love triangle involving a cowboy, his rancher boss and wife, and finally to the hardscrabble citizens of an oil- patch town trying to keep their only movie house alive, McMurtry captures the stark realities of the West like no one else. With a new introduction, Thalia emerges as an American classic that celebrates one of our greatest literary masters. *Just named in 2017 by Publishers Weekly the #1 Western novel worthy of rediscovery.

Genres: Fiction, Westerns, Historical Fiction, Historical, Novels, Classics, Americana

736 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Larry Jeff McMurtry was an American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas. His novels included Horseman, Pass By (1962), The Last Picture Show (1966), and Terms of Endearment (1975), which were adapted into films. Films adapted from McMurtry's works earned 34 Oscar nominations (13 wins). He was also a prominent book collector and bookseller.
His 1985 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Lonesome Dove was adapted into a television miniseries that earned 18 Emmy Award nominations (seven wins). The subsequent three novels in his Lonesome Dove series were adapted as three more miniseries, earning eight more Emmy nominations. McMurtry and co-writer Diana Ossana adapted the screenplay for Brokeback Mountain (2005), which earned eight Academy Award nominations with three wins, including McMurtry and Ossana for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2014, McMurtry received the National Humanities Medal.
In Tracy Daugherty's 2023 biography of McMurtry, the biographer quotes critic Dave Hickey as saying about McMurtry: "Larry is a writer, and it's kind of like being a critter. If you leave a cow alone, he'll eat grass. If you leave Larry alone, he'll write books. When he's in public, he may say hello and goodbye, but otherwise he is just resting, getting ready to go write."

Reviews

[Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

"While writing these three novels, it was clear to me that I was witnessing the dying of a way of life, too--the rural, pastoral way of life." -- Larry McMurtry, Introduction

Book 1: HORSEMAN, PASS BY (Published in 1961) Short Story

How does an author make you feel nostalgia for something you have never done, like being a cowboy in Texas; Rounding up the cattle while talking about the vastness of the field and the colors of the sunrise and sunset? I wanted to be in Thalia at the rodeo with the cowboys and their big belts and Stetsons.

This story is told in the narrative of 17 year-old Lonnie Bannon and the summer he matures over the dramatic changes going on in his Grandfather's ranch in Thalia, Texas. He starts getting antsy and wants more to do outside of this small world he feels beholden to but won't go out of loyalty to his Granddad. Hud here is the villain. He's so hateful and evil but feels no remorse inside his alcoholic blood. Hud does the unforgivable and Lonnie must either cope or set himself free.

I felt engaged, enraged and melancholy while reading the story. God gave Larry McMurtry a gift and he used it well. This man is a genius with words and feeling. Now to the next one!

Book 2: LEAVING CHEYENNE (Published 1962)

Nov. 30. 2019 Updated

Dad sighed. "People are the hardest animals in the world to raise," he said. "And it's because nobody ever got them to breeding right in the first place." (Page 254)

"I wish there was some way to run him out of the country," I said. "That's the damn trouble with democracy. You got to wait around and vote, and then the people are so stupid they put the scroungy sonofbitches back in the office." (Page 451)

Gideon Fry, Molly Taylor, and ranch hand Johnny McCloud start out in the novel as hormonal teenagers. Johnny and Gideon are best friends with both their sights set on Molly. Molly, on the other hand, loves them both for different reasons. Each character has a section of the book. Gideon starts it as a teen; Molly's story is set in middle age; Johnny has the last words in their old age. All three characters have an impact on each other throughout their lives with Molly being the glue that holds all three together.

Was an emotional read with so many points of views, passion, forgiveness, and living simple lives while trying to figure out the wrongs and rights of it all. Loved it.

Book 3: THE LAST PICTURE SHOW
"Get many marriages up here?" Sonny asked, to be polite.
"Not as many as I'd like," the J.P said. "Not like I used to when we was a Christian country. Used to be people feared God, but not no more. I don't marry half as many kids as I used to-- fornication don't mean nothing anymore. Kids nowadays fornicate like frogs, they don't never think of marryin'....." (PAGE 691)

This last book in the Thalia series. This one was captivating from the beginning but I think I prefer McMurtry's Westerns to these somber Texas stories. The Last Picture Show was a coming-of-age story set in a grim Texas town where the movie house is alive and crumbling with the times.

Sonny, the narrator, grows from a quiet young high schooler to a young man of horny and curious emotions. Everyone he knows is horny except the girls will only go to second base so there is no one to take out this sexual frustration with. (Well, maybe the heifers and some other farm animals..... YIKES)
This is a town where everyone knows everyone and their business so when Sonny decides to deal with his sexual feelings he and the woman will be the talk of the town...

While I was reading this story I kept thinking "And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson. Jesus loves you more than you will ever know. Whoa, whoa, whoa......" HAHAHA!

Very amusing and great read. I recommend McMurtry any day of the week.

[Paul Wilner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful material, beautifully handled, by a writer finding his voice, which would grow richer and even more rewarding over the course of his long career.

My review, for ZYZZYVA magazine, is in the link below:

http://www.zyzzyva.org/2017/09/13/las...

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy enough to give it 3-stars, but the third book "The Last Picture Show" pushed it up to 4-stars.

All three books take place in the small, out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere town of Thalia, Texas, somewhere around 1950.

The first two books of the trilogy (Horseman, Pass By & Leaving Cheyenne) tell of the daily, uneventful lives of cowboys working on ranches . . . except, though events in the lives of the main characters are lost on the rest of the world, the events loom large for them. Bar fights, rodeos, illicit affairs.

It is as if, in the first two books, McMurtry is finding his cadence. Then, in "The Last Picture Show", the third book of the trilogy, he finds his voice. Without spoiling this individual book in the series, I will say there are a number of storylines. It is easy to see why the resulting movie was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won two.

[Cathy MacCloud · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are like me and have never read Larry McMurtry, I think this book is a great introduction to this author. It is the first 3 novels he wrote, Horseman, Pass By as an undergraduate, and is a wonderful way to see if western literature is a genre you feel you would like to read more of. I have read a couple of Wallace Stegner novels and recently I read News of the World and I thought I would like to read more about the west and I couldn't have done better than this trilogy. Three very different stories set in the same, fictional town of Thalia, TX (I googled it and a town of 104 was incorporated in 1990 in TX to honor McMurty). Even though I loved them all, I am partial to Leaving Cheyenne, told over 60 years by three narrators about their love triangle. That story I found very insightful about the human condition and what makes us happy. But they are all wonderful and it was fun to read the three consecutively. Loved these stories.

[Spike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love McCMurtry's work. The first book in this trilogy is the basis for the screenplay for "Hud", starring Paul Newman. It has a starkness and brutality to it that matches the movie in near-perfect sympicato. This was his first published novel, and the promise shows.
Unfortunately, the second book in particular really drags at times, the third to a lesser degree. But take heart: McMurtry got much better in later works. Although I am giving this 4 stars, it should be a 3.5, but I am rounding up as the first one was that good.

[Althea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just loved the writing style. Even though the people in the stories sometimes frustrated me with their way of handling their lives, the cowboy jajgon was perfect and made reading most enjoyable. The stories give a glimpse into a time that really is no more.

[James Horn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a satisfying collection of Larry McMurtry’s early novellas. I wrote more in depth reviews of each of the three novels, so I won’t go too into detail here regarding the specifics of what I did and did not like about them, but I will say this was an incredibly interesting way to see a writer developing his style. I will also say while I enjoyed the first two stories(Horseman, Pass By, and Leaving Cheyenne), the 3rd (The Last Picture Show) was clearly the best.
I think McMurtry attempted and incredible undertaking of as he puts it in the introduction “capturing a dying way of life” and he mostly succeeds. If you are deciding whether to read this I do caution you, there is some darkness here and there are difficult moments not for the faint of heart.

(Side note)Having finished this I will absolutely be reading Lonesome Dove as I am betting by his bibliographic chronology that he will have developed into a truly great writer by that time and I will likely enjoy it very much.

[Christie Bane · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I love Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry's other books just don't really do it for me. They weren't bad; they were entertaining; they did offer some insights into human behavior; and they did a great job of communicating the reality of living in a small, hard-scrabble, isolated Texas town in the days when life was really rough. This book was actually three books, one of which (The Last Picture Show) I had already read. They are gritty and real, but not memorable enough to stick in my head.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not every single part was to my liking, but beautiful and creative stories, all beautifully written. Very west Texas.

[Louise Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

3 books in one. Well written and great character development. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Not something you want to read if looking for something light.

[Barbara Irene Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The three novels in this book are Horseman Pass by, Leaving Cheyenne and The Last Picture Show. The first book, Horseman Pass By was made into the movie, Hud, starring Paul Newman. The movie was altered in many ways to enhance the acting talents of Paul Newman. While the character Hud was vile in both the book and movie Newman brought Hud to a whole new despicable level good enough to garner an acadamy award nomination. The story by Larry McMurty is compelling in both book and the movie because of the rich texture in the descriptions of the American west and the well developed human characters. Leaving Cheyenne is the story of a love triangle between two devoted friends over the same woman. The idea for Lonesome Dove, McMurty`s signature novel had it´s beginning in this book. The third novel, The Last Picture Show, is a very sad book. It is the story of the downward spiral of a town that has little to look forward too when the movie theater closes for the last time. This story was also made into an award winning film and starred Cybil Shepard, Jeff Bridges at the beginning to there movie careers and featured many other talented actors.

At the heart of all three books is the believable, human characters so well developed by McMurtry. He has written over 50 books and each one equally compelling. Since I have never read Lonesome Dove, perhaps his most popular novel, I am looking forward to reading it this summer.

[Zach Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Some liked him and some were scared of him and a good many hated his guts. Me and a few cowmen and a few hands and an old-timer or two loved and respected him some."

These first three novels from Larry McMurtry - beautifully repackaged as 'Thalia' - take their time going over the intimacy of life in lonely places, especially between men (McMurtry would later do the screenplay for Brokeback Mountain). The prose is wonderful, touching, and funny. It's pulpy where it needs to be. The first book is essentially a western, the second a romance, and the third arguably a bodice ripper. But McMurtry's character development is so strong that the novels rarely feel trashy. I loved them, others might less so depending on how interested they are in WWII-era small town life on the Texas plains.

Some of the subject matter, especially in The Last Picture Show, is very sexually explicit and contains scenes of rape and sexual assault.

[D.J. Molles · Rating 5 out of 5]

THALIA is three separate novellas involving different people and families, but all linked by the tiny Texas town of Thalia. The first novella and the last are coming of age stories, and the middle is the entire life of three intertwined people. All three stories are excellent, but the middle story (Leaving Cheyenne) is beautiful.

McMurtry does a superb job of crafting real and complex characters, and they run these stories. It's about why these characters do what they do, and a lot of the time it's frustrating as hell, but that's because they're people and they make stupid choices.

These aren't "Westerns" in the sense of six-shooters and bandits, etc. They are "Westerns" in the category of the tragic cowpuncher trying to get by in life. It's beautifully and frankly written, with a touch of humor (Thalia is the Greek Muse of comedy, which I found interesting), and of the heartfelt melancholy that always goes along with good people trying to do the best with what they have.

[Trent L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leaving Cheyenne was the only book I hadn't read so my comments are about that story. It comes across like an old family story told by a favorite uncle. You can feel the elements and emotions of the characters as if you lived your life alongside them. It is as comfortable as an old shoe. Classic McMurtry.

[Dan Stevens]

McMurty may not be for everyone, but for me he and James Lee Burke come the closest to writing what’s in my head. Maybe that just means I’m a Texan, but I don’t think so. Fabulous writers with the ability to see inside my head. Awesome read.

[Joyce Reynolds-Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than some of his later work. Compelling read.

[Skip Ferderber · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are actually five books in the Thalia "trilogy": three novels and two novellas. The first three include the fabulous "The Last Picture Show," the less than fabulous "Texasville," and for stout-hearted readers, °Duane's Depressed." The other two feel like Cliff Notes to the original three books, "When The Light Goes" and "Rhino Ranch: A Novel."

By itself, "Picture Show" deserves the acclaim it's received as a novel. It's hard to envision the book's setting and characters without seeing the movie's equivalent, but the two stand on their own as complementary works.

After that brilliant work, four other books trail in its wake. One wonders why except for the possibility that these were squeezed out of the author by his publisher in the wake of "Picture Show's" success. They follow the life of Duane, the Jeff Bridges character, unto the very end as well as every main character in the original novel.

Jacey is ignominiously killed off in the third volume. Ruth Popper lasts through the fifth. Sonny dies in either the fourth or fifth. Newer characters are virtually all dead by the end of "Rhino Ranch."

I've read no McMurtry books before these five volumes. I hope his other works present more believable portraits of women than the last four books in this series. His first and second wives, his psychiatrist, the billionaire rhino rancher all have a feel of existing only on the author's writing device. Duane's family is an unrelenting portrait of grotesques with the exception of one grandson who is given a graceful life in Volume Five.

Duane feels like McMurtry's alter ego, true or not. He feels like the writer's sketchpad of his own life, told with a novelist's eye. Men of a certain age will appreciate Duane's experiences as he transitions to his elderly years, but other than that narrow readership slice it's doubtful that many will find/have found this collection worth their time.

Stick with "The Last Picture Show" and be content with that territory. The other four volumes are as desolate as the windblown prairies outside Thalia.

[Robyn]

My husband and I took a road trip to Archer City, Texas last weekend to attend (Not) The Last Book Sale at McMurtry's Booked Up store which is now owned by a non-profit organization. I purchased this 3-book Trilogy. I am sure I will eventually and separately read all three.

While there was a section of new McMurtry books where I picked this up, the rest of the collection, which is enormous, is organized like no other I have ever experienced. I love an indy bookstore, but the organization of this collection for a person who likes order is, well, a chaotic mess. There are thousands of books and they are organized by topic and the topics, perhaps at one point in time were labeled, are not currently labeled. For example, there is a section that might be labeled "desert plants" which could include fiction, nonfiction, memoirs, science books, etc. Furthermore, there is no order within the topics either. Next to the "desert plants" might be the "college" shelf. Anyway, I am sure this made perfect sense to McMurtry, but never in my life have I appreciated the concept of alphabetizing more.

I did also purchase The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind as I just happened to stumble upon these. I was determined to buy something from McMurty's collection and these are the results.

[Joe Stack · Rating 4 out of 5]

What makes this trilogy most interesting is reading three of McMurty's earliest novels in the order they were written. HORSEMAN, PASS BY was written in 1961. This was followed by LEAVING CHEYENNE in 1962, and then THE LAST PICTURE SHOW in 1966. Reading them in this order is to experience a writer as he comes-of-age. I thought each one got better.

The blurb to this collection presents this trilogy as a new perspective on cowboys and ranchers. This is misleading. In one form or another, these are coming-of-age stories. Conflicts rise from the constraints or expectations of family relationships, friendships, and love. Misperceptions have consequences and have to be unlearned. I found CHEYENNE to be the most interesting and most complete story. McMurty takes a love triangle and the friendship between the three main characters beyond the expected coming-of-age period (teen to adult). In this story, coming-of-age does not end until the characters breath their last.

Readers will be disappointed if they expect action westerns. These are dialogue driven stories. The exploration of love, friendship, and what it is to be mature people is deftly handled through dialogue. I think readers who enjoyed LONESOME DOVE will find CHEYENNE interesting because in this novel the reader gets a taste of the masterful banter that will make DOVE so entertaining.

Another interesting aspect to this trilogy is how the lives of the characters are defined by the small ranching town. Some characters want more out of life but are constrained by their personality, by their expectations, and by the constraints of their community. Conflict develops when confronted by characters who are less constrained.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the whole Trilogy, McMurtry's first 3 novels, published in the 60s. Clearly he had the stuff from his earliest writing. Memorable scenes, characters, emotions. Mixed and true and messy.

Elements of "The Last Picture Show" reminded me of the weakest part of Updike's Rabbit Run. The author's exploration of his own erotic imagination seemed to be the driving force of the novel. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it doesn't feel edgy in 2019 in a way that it might have felt edgy in the 1960s. It is a cinematic novel, so not surprising that it got made into a movie.

"Leaving Cheyenne" has a consistent mood of nostalgia and longing/circumstance preventing full happiness. The novel is constrained in a way that matches the characters' own constraint.

"Horseman, Pass By" is the most interesting portrayal of a certain time and place in rural Texas (of the three novels). It feels very specific, accurate, evocative. As McMurtry's first novel, really amazing. His publisher and agent must have been extremely fired up by his talent!

[Joey · Rating 4 out of 5]

—That's why I don't mind so bad being old. If I was young agin, I'd probably mess up even worse than I did.
—That's a pessimistic damn thing to say. Why, I think life's a damn sight more fun than that.
—You ain't lived one.

HORSEMAN, PASS BY -- Early November, 2024 -- 3/5
Didn't know how I'd react to a Western novel, but I

LEAVING CHEYENNE -- Early December, 2024 -- 5/5
Hello, Challengers! I almost skipped this one to make sure I would be able to get through The Last Picture Show, and then ended up devouring this in about four sittings. Absolutely entranced by it. McMurtry has an uncanny ability to fully capture the innocence of youth and the bitterness of age—these characters are so thoroughly alive it's almost scary. The narrative structure is perfect, it's quite bold and racy for its time and holds up really well. Completely adored this.

THE LAST PICTURE SHOW -- Late Dec/Jan 2024/2025 -- 3/5
Not quite as impactful as I'd hoped—and quite a lot rougher in places than I'd imagined. They were barely at the picture show!!

[John Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A trilogy of Larry McMurtry's first three novels based in the small town of Thalia in his native Texas. The three titles are "Horseman Pass By", "Leaving Cheyenne" and "The Last Picture Show". McMurtry is a master at developing interesting characters and telling a compelling story about this tiny, desolate town in Post WWII Texas. He combines small-town pride, sexual naivety, cowboy machismo and lives of quiet desperation to explore the complexities of humanness. McMurty was off to a great start of his long writing career with all three of these compelling reads. Some of his other famous works are "Lonesome Dove" (made into a TV miniseries) and "Terms of Endearment" (a movie starring Shiley MacLaine, Debra Winger and Jeff Daniels). And also "The Last Picture Show" inspired the movie that launched the career of Cybil Shepherd. So if you love books with small towns and interesting, somewhat quirky characters, as I do, enjoy the journey.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I didn't want to end. It's so good. He was just a kid when he wrote it, and the subject matter is fairly astounding for early 1960s, set in Texas, by a Texas author. Reading it now, in 2018, with such a polarized national conscious reminds me that there are real people everywhere, with real lives, and that we must really see each other and look past prejudice. McMurtry has this amazing ability to characterize and understand people. I felt like I knew the people and place in this book - three books, all set in the same windy, high-plains Texas town near Kansas, Thalia. I'm glad he's a prolific author, because I'm looking forward to reading more of his books. He doesn't challenge the reader, he doesn't put you into conflict, or ask you to evaluate or reconcile difficult concepts. This is why I think of his writing as a guilty pleasure; it's good, not cheap or weak, but easy. I enjoy it a lot, and it makes me a little better.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume collects Larry McMurtry's first three novels -- Horseman, Pass By; Leaving Cheyenne; and The Last Picture Show -- written in the 1960s when he was in his mid-to-late 20s. All are set in the Texas ranch country, and all later became movies; the first was filmed as Hud, the second as Lovin' Molly, the third using the same title as the book. I read them all when initially published and enjoyed reading them again. The best is Leaving Cheyenne, which was made into the worst film. (The Last Picture Show is probably the least accomplished of the three novels, but it was made into a great film, with McMurtry writing the screenplay.) Leaving Cheyenne is the story of a love triangle over four decades. The New York Times Book Review said of it: "if Chaucer were a Texan writing today, and only 27 years old, this is how he would have written and this is how he would have felt." High praise for a young fellow who grew up on a ranch outside Archer City, Texas -- the fictional Thalia.

[Sheldon L. Theodore · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow! that was Quite a Ride!

This three part novel was a trip not only down the lane of history, but down the development of Larry McMurtry as a writer. The first book was written in the hand of a beginner. Here, we see the beginning of character development, but it’s not really fully fleshed out. In the second novel, we have the development and the actual voice of the characters. Amazingly, the Molly character is believable, a rare capability for a male writer. By the time we get to The Last Picture show, we see the writer in full. Here he gives us his characters and story in a way that touches us with his sense of the age of the town, the ages of the characters, and the setting itself, historically.

[Clif Brittain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful story

AFI rated it as one of the best movies. Watched the movie. Black and white so perfect for this story. Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepard absolutely perfect for their roles. She so beautiful, so bitchy, so mindless. He so clueless, perfect precursor to The Dude.

The book, you ask. Seldom has a movie been so true to the book. I read the book in one day, pretty much in one sitting, so I guess I liked it. The characters are wonderful and so believable, every one.

Both the movie and the book are great. I give the movie my best score, for one reason - the soundtrack. Hank Williams is perfectly suited for this movie. By all means, experience both.

[Joel Lacivita · Rating 5 out of 5]

All three of the stories are excellent! It is amazing how McMurtry gives such an incredible feel for living in that area of Texas during the time periods the various stories take place. The Last Picture Show was my favorite and Horseman, Pass By was my second favorite.

It's interesting how everyone in a small town, like Thalia, knows each other. Because there are so few people around, they only have so many choices for friends and lovers. Some of the people could be quite nasty to each other. There's also a haunting loneliness that is present through all of the novels.

This was my first McMurtry experience but it won't be my last.

[anolinde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not something I would have ever read based on the plot description alone, but the picture on the cover caught my eye and the writing did the rest. My favorite of the three was Leaving Cheyenne (you know you're invested in the characters when a single page with the dates on their gravestones feels like a punch to the stomach), but Horseman, Pass By and The Last Picture Show were also good.

[Derrick Jeter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume includes the first three novels McMurtry wrote in his 20s. The early genius that comes into full flower with "Lonesome Dove" and the series of "The Berrybender Narratives" is evident in these three novels. But the angst of youth and sexual obsession, particularly with "The Last Picture Show," is also evident. Of the three novels, my favorite is "Leaving Cheyenne," especially for its creative storytelling.

[Jerry Bunin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three early Larry McMurtry books connected by stories about growing up and living in Thalia, a small Texas town, in the mid-20th Century. Last Picture Show is the best and its story continues through four more novels following the Duane Jackson's life. I have always been a huge McMurtry fan and thoroughly enjoyed Horseman Pass By and Leaving Cheyenne, the first two books in Thalia. He always creates interesting characters and stories that make me care about the characters, their home town, and their lives. He specializes in stories about human difficulties and failures. Always worth reading.