What do you think?
Rate this book
Boone's Lick
Boone's Lick is Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry's return to the kind of story that made him famous -- an enthralling tale of the nineteenth-century west. Like his bestsellers Lonesome Dove, Streets of Laredo, Comanche Moon, and Dead Man's Walk, Boone's Lick transports the reader to the era about which McMurtry writes better and more shrewdly than anyone else.
Told with McMurtry's unique blend of historical fact and sheer storytelling genius, the novel follows the Cecil family's arduous journey by riverboat and wagon from Boone's Lick, Missouri, to Fort Phil Kearny in Wyoming. Fifteen-year-old Shay narrates, describing the journey that begins when his Ma, Mary Margaret, decides to hunt down her elusive husband, Dick, to tell him she's leaving him. Without knowing precisely where he is, they set out across the plains in search of him, encountering grizzly bears, stormy weather, and hostile Indians as they go. With them are Shay's siblings, G.T., Neva, and baby Marcy; Shay's uncle, Seth; his Granpa Crackenthorpe; and Mary Margaret's beautiful half-sister, Rose. During their journey they pick up a barefooted priest named Father Villy, and a Snake Indian named Charlie Seven Days, and persuade them to join in their travels.
At the heart of the novel, and the adventure, is Mary Margaret, whom we first meet shooting a sheriff's horse out from underneath him in order to feed her family. Forceful, interesting, and determined, she is written with McMurtry's trademark deftness and sympathy for women, and is in every way a match for the worst the west can muster.
Boone's Lick abounds with the incidents, the excitements, and the dangers of life on the plains. Its huge cast of characters includes such historical figures as Wild Bill Hickok and the unfortunate Colonel Fetterman (whose arrogance and ineptitude led to one of the U.S. Army's worst and bloodiest defeats at the hands of the Cheyenne and Sioux) as well as the Cecil family (itself based on a real family of nineteenth-century traders and haulers).
The story of their trek in pursuit of Dick, and the discovery of his second and third families, is told with brilliance, humor, and overwhelming joie de vivre in a novel that is at once high adventure, a perfect western tale, and a moving love story -- it is, in short, vintage McMurtry, combining his brilliant character portraits, his unerring sense of the west, and his unrivaled eye for the telling detail.
Boone's Lick is one of McMurtry's richest works of fiction to date.
Told with McMurtry's unique blend of historical fact and sheer storytelling genius, the novel follows the Cecil family's arduous journey by riverboat and wagon from Boone's Lick, Missouri, to Fort Phil Kearny in Wyoming. Fifteen-year-old Shay narrates, describing the journey that begins when his Ma, Mary Margaret, decides to hunt down her elusive husband, Dick, to tell him she's leaving him. Without knowing precisely where he is, they set out across the plains in search of him, encountering grizzly bears, stormy weather, and hostile Indians as they go. With them are Shay's siblings, G.T., Neva, and baby Marcy; Shay's uncle, Seth; his Granpa Crackenthorpe; and Mary Margaret's beautiful half-sister, Rose. During their journey they pick up a barefooted priest named Father Villy, and a Snake Indian named Charlie Seven Days, and persuade them to join in their travels.
At the heart of the novel, and the adventure, is Mary Margaret, whom we first meet shooting a sheriff's horse out from underneath him in order to feed her family. Forceful, interesting, and determined, she is written with McMurtry's trademark deftness and sympathy for women, and is in every way a match for the worst the west can muster.
Boone's Lick abounds with the incidents, the excitements, and the dangers of life on the plains. Its huge cast of characters includes such historical figures as Wild Bill Hickok and the unfortunate Colonel Fetterman (whose arrogance and ineptitude led to one of the U.S. Army's worst and bloodiest defeats at the hands of the Cheyenne and Sioux) as well as the Cecil family (itself based on a real family of nineteenth-century traders and haulers).
The story of their trek in pursuit of Dick, and the discovery of his second and third families, is told with brilliance, humor, and overwhelming joie de vivre in a novel that is at once high adventure, a perfect western tale, and a moving love story -- it is, in short, vintage McMurtry, combining his brilliant character portraits, his unerring sense of the west, and his unrivaled eye for the telling detail.
Boone's Lick is one of McMurtry's richest works of fiction to date.
287 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
422 people are currently reading
1369 people want to read
About the author
Larry McMurtry
150 books4,055 followersLarry 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."
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."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 286 reviews
May 6, 2014
Any “western” novel that Larry McMurtry writes will forever be compared to Lonesome Dove. McMurtry set the bar high with that one, arguably one of the great novels of the last fifty years. Even the sequels that I’ve read lack the epic sweep of his Pulitzer Prize winner. So how does Boone’s Lick match up or should inevitable comparisons even be drawn.
Boone’s Lick, narrated by 15 year old Shay Cecil, recounts his family’s journey in search of their philandering father, a guy who shows up for a few days every other year. He’s busy selling supplies to the forts that are popping up in Indian Territory.
The impetus of the story is how his mother, finally fed up with the present situation, one day just picks up and moves the family west and the trip, as you would expect, is far from smooth. As with most McMurtry historical novels you can expect humor, adventure, appearances by historical figures (Wild Bill Hickock is prominently featured), and some well-drawn interesting characters.
This is a quick and worthwhile read with McMurtry at the near top of his game. Although the novel lacks the grandeur and scope of the Lonesome Dove tetra logy, I would recommend it to anyone who likes a strong heroine, westerns, or historical novels.
Boone’s Lick, narrated by 15 year old Shay Cecil, recounts his family’s journey in search of their philandering father, a guy who shows up for a few days every other year. He’s busy selling supplies to the forts that are popping up in Indian Territory.
The impetus of the story is how his mother, finally fed up with the present situation, one day just picks up and moves the family west and the trip, as you would expect, is far from smooth. As with most McMurtry historical novels you can expect humor, adventure, appearances by historical figures (Wild Bill Hickock is prominently featured), and some well-drawn interesting characters.
This is a quick and worthwhile read with McMurtry at the near top of his game. Although the novel lacks the grandeur and scope of the Lonesome Dove tetra logy, I would recommend it to anyone who likes a strong heroine, westerns, or historical novels.
September 8, 2025
IRL Book Club September – Western
This book was such fun and oh so funny! It was a pleasure to be back in a western McMurtry land even if it wasn’t Lonesome Dove. I sure love a feisty female character set in the pioneering times and here, I was not disappointed. Mary Margaret Cecil has decided that she must head toward Wyoming from Boone’s Lick, Missouri to confront her husband who only shows up about every year and a half. Of course, suspicions abound that he is unfaithful but she wants to see him face to face (she could have written a letter) when she tells him she’s finished!
Thus the trek with her family – Grandpa Crackenthorpe, her husband’s brother, Uncle Seth, Aunt Rosie and her 4 children set off this adventurous tale. Narrated by the oldest boy, Shay, whose idea of family was pretty skewed already with an absent father and a local saloon girl who turned out to be Aunt Rosie, he figured was just ordinary. Along the way they meet up with a few quirky characters including a French priest, Pere Villy who is headed to Siberia (yes!) and an Indian named Charley Seven Days who is on a mission himself.
This is a compulsively readable tale and chock full of humor, nostalgia for the old west and the frontier and bits of historical detail included. Wild Bill Hickock makes an appearance and our clan is involved in one of the worst US Army defeats against Souix and Cheyenne in history. If you’re looking for something quick and fun and this is a perfect choice!
March 19, 2025
Westerns and McMurtry go together. He really knows how to tell a yarn. This is no exception.
The narrator for this adventure is Sherman “Shay” Cecil. It’s his family that occupies the center of this tale which moves from Missouri to the less populated parts of the American West. Along with the fictional characters the Cecil family will encounter some of the West’s legendary figures including Wild Bill Hickok. Shay has siblings and already some have not survived and his mother, Mary Margaret, often spends time in the nearby graveyard mourning them. Shay’s father is often off for long periods of time in the family’s “freighting” business, moving goods by pack mule train and other means. Shay’s Uncle Seth is his partner and has been staying home with the family. The Town’s name is the title of the book, but the story itself is about the family’s journey. "Now we were leaving the only place G.T. and Neva and I had ever lived. The fact of it almost made me queasy, for a while, though part of me was excited at the thought of traveling up the river and over the plains, into the country where the wild Indians lived, where there were elk and grizzly bears and lots of buffalo. It would be a big adventure—maybe Ma would find Pa and satisfy her feelings about his behavior—that was a part of it I just didn’t understand, since there was no sign that Pa was behaving any differently than he had ever done. Still, I was leaving my home—the big adventure was still just thoughts in my head, but our home was our place. The river, the town, the mules, the stables, the cabin, Uncle Seth’s little camp under the stars,"
There is always action in this novel, but it takes about half of the story before they leave Boone’s Lick (and Wild Bill Hickok) behind and head out by wagon (and later flat boat) to find Shay’s Pa who is off somewhere in the Wyoming Territory. The journey from Boone’s Lick, Missouri to Wyoming has its harrowing moments. But the thing that impresses these travelers the most is how big and barren it is. "“There’s no reason for any part of the United States to be this big,” Ma said one morning. A rear wheel had just come loose again, which meant a slow day. “It’s even bigger in some places,” Father Villy said."
"All the same, things were happening too quickly. Only yesterday I had been a boy, with nothing on my mind except watching my brother fish for crawdads, or my uncle shoot the heads off turtles. When the sun was going down I was peacefully helping my mother cut up a dead horse; now the sun was just rising—it had begun to burn away the mist, turning patches of it a golden color—and here I was an armed man, riding off with other armed men, to kill or be killed."
McMurtry always gives us some of the humorous sides of his characters: Here, Uncle Seth has just taken Shay with him into town to meet Hickcok. But Uncle Seth wants some one-on-one time with the town’s whore to see if she will finance his and Hickok’s attempt to root out some bad guys who have been making life difficult for the righteous citizens.
"“Shay, you go on home,” he said. “I believe that’s Rosie with the cheroot. I think I’ll sound her out about the state of her grudges. “Look out for Granpa,” he added. “He might still be hunting that panther.” Then he turned back, and I soon heard him going up the stairs beside the saloon. The abrupt way he left me on my own gave me a lonely feeling, for some reason. It wasn’t the dark—I walked around in the dark all the time, sometimes with G.T. and sometimes without him. I had enjoyed my visit with Wild Bill Hickok, but now I felt lonely. What I wished was that I could be grown-up, like Uncle Seth—grown-up enough to stop and talk with a woman bold enough to sit and smoke a cigar, at the top of the stairs, outside a saloon.
The town’s sheriff isn’t a go-getter but he is willing to help in the effort. In fact he attempts to “borrow” some of the Cecil family’s mules. Shay’s mother shoots the sheriff’s horse out from under him. Hickok is there to give advice: "Mr. Hickok was all wrapped up in a gray slicker. He took one hand out from under his slicker and pointed his finger several times. “Shooting a pistol is just a matter of pointing,” he said. “If you can point straight you can shoot straight. “Very few people can point straight,” he added, and then he didn’t say another word"
"After resting for a minute, the sheriff looked up at Uncle Seth and gave a little wave—or it may have been a salute. The sheriff had only been a corporal in the war, whereas Uncle Seth had been a captain. “Well, Seth, she shot my horse and here I sit,” Sheriff Baldy said. “Do you realize I courted Mary Margaret once, when things were different?” “I’ve heard that rumor—I expect she still has a sweet spot for you, Baldy,” Uncle Seth said. “A sweet spot? I don’t think so,” the sheriff said. “It would explain why she shot the horse and not you,” Uncle Seth pointed out."
Does it lack substance. Yes, if you are comparing it to Lonesome Dove (a book three times as long). I don’t think that many of the fans that McMurtry has gathered over the years will be very disappointed with this yarn. There’s not only action and humor but three generations of the Cecil family that have to sort out their feeling for each other and what’s important in life.
"Ma was standing in the creek, the brown water washing around her legs. “Life’s full of ‘almost’s,’ Shay,” she said. “Lots of things ‘almost’ happen—some good, some bad. You almost got killed, but you didn’t. Don’t be studying it too close. It’s over—they hung the man. Just be smarter next time.”"
4*
The narrator for this adventure is Sherman “Shay” Cecil. It’s his family that occupies the center of this tale which moves from Missouri to the less populated parts of the American West. Along with the fictional characters the Cecil family will encounter some of the West’s legendary figures including Wild Bill Hickok. Shay has siblings and already some have not survived and his mother, Mary Margaret, often spends time in the nearby graveyard mourning them. Shay’s father is often off for long periods of time in the family’s “freighting” business, moving goods by pack mule train and other means. Shay’s Uncle Seth is his partner and has been staying home with the family. The Town’s name is the title of the book, but the story itself is about the family’s journey. "Now we were leaving the only place G.T. and Neva and I had ever lived. The fact of it almost made me queasy, for a while, though part of me was excited at the thought of traveling up the river and over the plains, into the country where the wild Indians lived, where there were elk and grizzly bears and lots of buffalo. It would be a big adventure—maybe Ma would find Pa and satisfy her feelings about his behavior—that was a part of it I just didn’t understand, since there was no sign that Pa was behaving any differently than he had ever done. Still, I was leaving my home—the big adventure was still just thoughts in my head, but our home was our place. The river, the town, the mules, the stables, the cabin, Uncle Seth’s little camp under the stars,"
There is always action in this novel, but it takes about half of the story before they leave Boone’s Lick (and Wild Bill Hickok) behind and head out by wagon (and later flat boat) to find Shay’s Pa who is off somewhere in the Wyoming Territory. The journey from Boone’s Lick, Missouri to Wyoming has its harrowing moments. But the thing that impresses these travelers the most is how big and barren it is. "“There’s no reason for any part of the United States to be this big,” Ma said one morning. A rear wheel had just come loose again, which meant a slow day. “It’s even bigger in some places,” Father Villy said."
"All the same, things were happening too quickly. Only yesterday I had been a boy, with nothing on my mind except watching my brother fish for crawdads, or my uncle shoot the heads off turtles. When the sun was going down I was peacefully helping my mother cut up a dead horse; now the sun was just rising—it had begun to burn away the mist, turning patches of it a golden color—and here I was an armed man, riding off with other armed men, to kill or be killed."
McMurtry always gives us some of the humorous sides of his characters: Here, Uncle Seth has just taken Shay with him into town to meet Hickcok. But Uncle Seth wants some one-on-one time with the town’s whore to see if she will finance his and Hickok’s attempt to root out some bad guys who have been making life difficult for the righteous citizens.
"“Shay, you go on home,” he said. “I believe that’s Rosie with the cheroot. I think I’ll sound her out about the state of her grudges. “Look out for Granpa,” he added. “He might still be hunting that panther.” Then he turned back, and I soon heard him going up the stairs beside the saloon. The abrupt way he left me on my own gave me a lonely feeling, for some reason. It wasn’t the dark—I walked around in the dark all the time, sometimes with G.T. and sometimes without him. I had enjoyed my visit with Wild Bill Hickok, but now I felt lonely. What I wished was that I could be grown-up, like Uncle Seth—grown-up enough to stop and talk with a woman bold enough to sit and smoke a cigar, at the top of the stairs, outside a saloon.
The town’s sheriff isn’t a go-getter but he is willing to help in the effort. In fact he attempts to “borrow” some of the Cecil family’s mules. Shay’s mother shoots the sheriff’s horse out from under him. Hickok is there to give advice: "Mr. Hickok was all wrapped up in a gray slicker. He took one hand out from under his slicker and pointed his finger several times. “Shooting a pistol is just a matter of pointing,” he said. “If you can point straight you can shoot straight. “Very few people can point straight,” he added, and then he didn’t say another word"
"After resting for a minute, the sheriff looked up at Uncle Seth and gave a little wave—or it may have been a salute. The sheriff had only been a corporal in the war, whereas Uncle Seth had been a captain. “Well, Seth, she shot my horse and here I sit,” Sheriff Baldy said. “Do you realize I courted Mary Margaret once, when things were different?” “I’ve heard that rumor—I expect she still has a sweet spot for you, Baldy,” Uncle Seth said. “A sweet spot? I don’t think so,” the sheriff said. “It would explain why she shot the horse and not you,” Uncle Seth pointed out."
Does it lack substance. Yes, if you are comparing it to Lonesome Dove (a book three times as long). I don’t think that many of the fans that McMurtry has gathered over the years will be very disappointed with this yarn. There’s not only action and humor but three generations of the Cecil family that have to sort out their feeling for each other and what’s important in life.
"Ma was standing in the creek, the brown water washing around her legs. “Life’s full of ‘almost’s,’ Shay,” she said. “Lots of things ‘almost’ happen—some good, some bad. You almost got killed, but you didn’t. Don’t be studying it too close. It’s over—they hung the man. Just be smarter next time.”"
4*
May 6, 2021
I grew up in Boone's Lick country. On summertime visits to the Salt Lick park the first thing to do was dunk watermelons in the cold springs at the remains of the saltworks. Late on those hot afternoons the cold melon with briny rinds were bracing and sweet.
'Boone's Lick' by Larry McMurtry was selected solely for this reason on my journey through his back catalogue. A better writer could make a connection with the aforementioned watermelon. I cannot.
I can recommend both watermelon and McMurtry.
The Boone's Lick Country, is a cultural region of Missouri along the Missouri River; Columbia, Missouri is the largest city in the region; it is the location of the University of Missouri. Other early towns were Arrow Rock, Boonville, Fayette, and Rocheport.
The Boone's Lick Road, on the north bank of the river between St. Charles and (now: New) Franklin, Missouri. It was the primary thoroughfare for settlers moving westward from St. Louis in the early 19th century. Its terminus in (New) Franklin marked the beginning of the Santa Fe Trail, The region takes its name from a salt spring or "lick" in western Howard County, used by Nathan and Daniel Morgan Boone, sons of famed frontiersman Daniel Boone.
'Boone's Lick' by Larry McMurtry was selected solely for this reason on my journey through his back catalogue. A better writer could make a connection with the aforementioned watermelon. I cannot.
I can recommend both watermelon and McMurtry.
The Boone's Lick Country, is a cultural region of Missouri along the Missouri River; Columbia, Missouri is the largest city in the region; it is the location of the University of Missouri. Other early towns were Arrow Rock, Boonville, Fayette, and Rocheport.
The Boone's Lick Road, on the north bank of the river between St. Charles and (now: New) Franklin, Missouri. It was the primary thoroughfare for settlers moving westward from St. Louis in the early 19th century. Its terminus in (New) Franklin marked the beginning of the Santa Fe Trail, The region takes its name from a salt spring or "lick" in western Howard County, used by Nathan and Daniel Morgan Boone, sons of famed frontiersman Daniel Boone.
April 26, 2024
I felt like reading a Western and no one does them better than Larry McMurtry. His "Lonesome Dove" is my favorite Western. This one of his is similar to that book, as it involves a journey across the Western frontier. In this case, the journey is from Boone's Lick, Missouri to Wyoming. The main character of the story is the strong-willed Missouri woman, Mary Margaret. She determines to take her children in a mule-drawn wagon and go West to find her husband, reportedly working at one of the US Army forts being established on the Bozeman Trail in Wyoming. She is accompanied by her husband's brother Seth, her half- sister Rose, and "Granpaw." Along the way, they are joined by a French priest who has been walking barefoot around the West and a "Snake," a Shoshone returning to his tribe. The story is wonderfully narrated by "Shay," a 15-year old boy. Little do the travelers realize that they are heading into an Indian War, as the Sioux have decided to fight the Army and force the removal of the forts from their hunting territory. It's a story beautifully told and told with some humor. It's another story by McMurtry, which brings the West to life, with all its unforgiving wildness and incredible beauty.
August 3, 2011
This is a short, sweet little book, really nothing more than the account of one of McMurtry's classic eccentric western families as they travel west to find their pa. Some critics dwell on the fact that this book lacks the sweep and drama of "Lonesome Dove". That's so, but it also lacks that book's cruelty and tragedy. The delight here is in the details - Grandpa taking out his fiddle as soon as he meets another fiddler on the trail, the glow off the tip of a burning cheroot smoked by a prostitute as she sits on her wooden stairs on a summer night, the affection and exasperation a young boy feels for the family mules...Once again, McMurtry brings the American west alive, and this resurrection is sweeter and happier than anything in his earlier books.
I wish he had expanded the theme somewhat and shown us more of his characters, since they're all such good folks. This book reminded me more of one of those great old sepia photographs of westerners, where the people looked so alive and so compelling that you just wanted to climb inside the picture and get to know them. Brief glimpses are all we get in this book as well, but we get to see some unforgettable characters.
I wish he had expanded the theme somewhat and shown us more of his characters, since they're all such good folks. This book reminded me more of one of those great old sepia photographs of westerners, where the people looked so alive and so compelling that you just wanted to climb inside the picture and get to know them. Brief glimpses are all we get in this book as well, but we get to see some unforgettable characters.
March 14, 2025
Any McMurtry western automatically gets a 5-star rating. After all he wrote Lonesome Dove which is fantastic.
This novel explores the hardship of moving West along with a cast of characters that you immediately like. Throw in some brilliant dialogue and you have sure fire 5 stars.
This novel explores the hardship of moving West along with a cast of characters that you immediately like. Throw in some brilliant dialogue and you have sure fire 5 stars.
October 21, 2025
I'm not prone to reading westerns, but Lonesome Dove is a favorite story, so I decided to give this one a try as a change of pace. Read on audio by Will Patton, it was a fun escape.
When a mother (Mary Margaret) decides she's had enough of a life punctuated every year or so by an appearance by her wayward husband, resulting in yet another baby to raise alone, she embarks on a trip to confront him, family in tow. Any trek in those days was quite the undertaking, and this one was no exception. Like a frontier magnet, they attract a few other characters along the way as they dodge bears and natives and surly army men.
In McMurtry style, humor takes the edge off what could be a tragic and horrifying journey most of the time, and yet the depiction of the day by day struggles and dangers are never minimized. It's a balance he strikes well, making for an enjoyable read overall, even as it depicts a troubling time in our history as a nation.
When a mother (Mary Margaret) decides she's had enough of a life punctuated every year or so by an appearance by her wayward husband, resulting in yet another baby to raise alone, she embarks on a trip to confront him, family in tow. Any trek in those days was quite the undertaking, and this one was no exception. Like a frontier magnet, they attract a few other characters along the way as they dodge bears and natives and surly army men.
In McMurtry style, humor takes the edge off what could be a tragic and horrifying journey most of the time, and yet the depiction of the day by day struggles and dangers are never minimized. It's a balance he strikes well, making for an enjoyable read overall, even as it depicts a troubling time in our history as a nation.
June 1, 2022
Another McMurtry classic of the sleeping American landscapes and it's quirky inhabitants.
February 24, 2022
The "Western" has faded considerably over the years, but when a book in this genre gets it right, it absolutely shines. Boone's Lick is one such book, written by the great Larry McMurtry. The story appears to start out quite lighthearted, but gets gritty real quick, reminding you just how unforgiving and brutal (even alien) life in "The West" was once upon a time.
Boone's Lick is the story of the Cecil family, a ragtag bunch scratching out an existence in Missouri at the end of the Civil War and under the care of their matriarch, Mary Margaret. When Mary decides to track down her wayward husband, the family sets off for Wyoming on a somewhat reckless adventure that will shape their lives for years to come. One the way the family bonds, and tragically tears, as they encounter wild predators, hostile Indians, and the destructive side of Mother Nature.
A short, enjoyable read steeped in the tradition of the Western, but elevated by McMurtry's prose, Boone's lick will make you laugh and smile, recoil in horror, and add some heaviness to your heart. A recommended read.
Boone's Lick is the story of the Cecil family, a ragtag bunch scratching out an existence in Missouri at the end of the Civil War and under the care of their matriarch, Mary Margaret. When Mary decides to track down her wayward husband, the family sets off for Wyoming on a somewhat reckless adventure that will shape their lives for years to come. One the way the family bonds, and tragically tears, as they encounter wild predators, hostile Indians, and the destructive side of Mother Nature.
A short, enjoyable read steeped in the tradition of the Western, but elevated by McMurtry's prose, Boone's lick will make you laugh and smile, recoil in horror, and add some heaviness to your heart. A recommended read.
July 26, 2009
I have one question. Is the Cecil family he writes about the same Cecil family that later appears in the 20th century in the series starting with "The Last Picture Show" or does he just really like the last name Cecil?
Another descriptive and imaginative tale about life in the old west. I'm not really cowboyish type of person. However, I can't get enough of Larry McMurtry's western stories. This was a fast read and rather short compared to his other books. However, it was so well written that I found myself at home watching the characters not just reading about them. There is something about a book that makes you see it unfold as compared to just reading the words.
I was really annoyed that he did dwelve into Neva's character a little more and giver her anything else to say rather than "Oaf." That is the only part that bothered me.
Maybe it is too late to live in the West before it was settled but as long as I can read these books, its still alive with me!
Another descriptive and imaginative tale about life in the old west. I'm not really cowboyish type of person. However, I can't get enough of Larry McMurtry's western stories. This was a fast read and rather short compared to his other books. However, it was so well written that I found myself at home watching the characters not just reading about them. There is something about a book that makes you see it unfold as compared to just reading the words.
I was really annoyed that he did dwelve into Neva's character a little more and giver her anything else to say rather than "Oaf." That is the only part that bothered me.
Maybe it is too late to live in the West before it was settled but as long as I can read these books, its still alive with me!
December 31, 2022
I finished another audiobook with a good amount of time remaining while on a long drive. I had Boone’s Lick in reserve, and since it is relatively short, I had time to finish most of it, completing it after reaching home. Larry McMurtry, famous for his lengthy novel Lonesome Dove, begins the story in Boone’s Lick Missouri, located on the Missouri River. The story then moves to the journey of the Cecil family, led by the mother Mary Margaret to find the frequently absent father Dick Cecil who works out in the Wyoming frontier.
McMurtry keeps us interested with a collection of interesting characters, primarily fictional, but also with a few historical figures of the post Civil War times. Intimidated by Lonesome Dove’s massive length, this was a nice exposure to McMurtry’s writing for me. Eventually, I’ll have to dedicate some time to that longer novel - Boone’s Lick did whet my appetite for more!
Will Patton narrated the audiobook, and generally does an excellent job. When driving at highway speeds (generating background noise), he becomes a little hard to hear when he lowers his voice, but there’s no problem in a standard environment.
McMurtry keeps us interested with a collection of interesting characters, primarily fictional, but also with a few historical figures of the post Civil War times. Intimidated by Lonesome Dove’s massive length, this was a nice exposure to McMurtry’s writing for me. Eventually, I’ll have to dedicate some time to that longer novel - Boone’s Lick did whet my appetite for more!
Will Patton narrated the audiobook, and generally does an excellent job. When driving at highway speeds (generating background noise), he becomes a little hard to hear when he lowers his voice, but there’s no problem in a standard environment.
Want to read
June 17, 2024Another late-period McMurtry Western that I somehow missed. I'd better space these out....
September 3, 2025
Witty. Funny. Grabbed my attention and held it throughout.
My fave line: ‘this is beginning to be repetitive’
My fave line: ‘this is beginning to be repetitive’
April 20, 2025
hell truly hath no fury like a woman scorned.
August 19, 2012
OK, so I read an article this week about Larry McMurtry selling most of his book collection. So of course I had to find a McMurtry I hadn't read yet. Found two, so I was feeling pretty great. He is incredible, what can you say? Character development like so few authors can really do. The only reason it's a four and not a five is I guess I wish it were longer. It is a great little story, and Shay was a super narrator, keeping things going and explaining as best his 15 year old eyes and experience could explain.
August 25, 2013
How can you not love Larry McMurtry? I don't think anyone will ever call Boone's Lick his master work. It is, however, an enjoyable read, following the Missouri Cecil family after Mary Margaret decides to take her entire household on the trail to find her straying husband in Wyoming.
December 13, 2025
This was my standout book of 2025.
It was an absolute joy to read, and a perfect gift from my wife this year.
Boone's Lick is a novel about the journey, not the destination. It's about endurance rather than glory. The story feels deeply grounded while still managing to be quietly profound. Moments of levity are balanced beautifully against heavier beats, and the juxtaposition between the children's naiveté and the adults' often desperate decisions becomes one of the book's most effective storytelling tools.
The shining character here is Ma - Mary Margaret. She uproots her entire family from Boone's Lick, Missouri, to search for her husband who appears only once every year or two, stays long enough to get Ma pregnant, and disappears again. She stands out so starkly because almost no one else in the story does. I
suspect women like Mary Margaret existed in abundance on the frontier, but their stories were overshadowed by tales of Indians and cowboys, soldiers and mountain men. McMurtry gives her a quiet gravity that feels deeply earned.
Uncle Seth is hilarious and undeniably wise, but his wisdom is reactive rather than protective. He serves as the social glue of the group, offering humor and experience, yet seems fundamentally incapable of leadership. He knows how to survive hardship, but not how to shield others from it. it's a subtle but important distinction that lingers long after the book ends. Shay, G.T., and Neva the older children are written with remarkable care. Each responds to the journey differently, and those differences feel super real. Their reactions help solidify the family dynamic at the heart of the novel and reinforce why this story is so good. It's not about the myth of the frontier, but about the people forced to live inside it.
Boone's Lick doesn't romanticize the past. It observes it. And in doing so, it becomes one of the most quietly affecting novels I read this year.
It was an absolute joy to read, and a perfect gift from my wife this year.
Boone's Lick is a novel about the journey, not the destination. It's about endurance rather than glory. The story feels deeply grounded while still managing to be quietly profound. Moments of levity are balanced beautifully against heavier beats, and the juxtaposition between the children's naiveté and the adults' often desperate decisions becomes one of the book's most effective storytelling tools.
The shining character here is Ma - Mary Margaret. She uproots her entire family from Boone's Lick, Missouri, to search for her husband who appears only once every year or two, stays long enough to get Ma pregnant, and disappears again. She stands out so starkly because almost no one else in the story does. I
suspect women like Mary Margaret existed in abundance on the frontier, but their stories were overshadowed by tales of Indians and cowboys, soldiers and mountain men. McMurtry gives her a quiet gravity that feels deeply earned.
Uncle Seth is hilarious and undeniably wise, but his wisdom is reactive rather than protective. He serves as the social glue of the group, offering humor and experience, yet seems fundamentally incapable of leadership. He knows how to survive hardship, but not how to shield others from it. it's a subtle but important distinction that lingers long after the book ends. Shay, G.T., and Neva the older children are written with remarkable care. Each responds to the journey differently, and those differences feel super real. Their reactions help solidify the family dynamic at the heart of the novel and reinforce why this story is so good. It's not about the myth of the frontier, but about the people forced to live inside it.
Boone's Lick doesn't romanticize the past. It observes it. And in doing so, it becomes one of the most quietly affecting novels I read this year.
August 3, 2025
I believe Larry McMurtry probably gets it right as far as the West really was.In this delightful book, the family pulls up stakes from their Boone’s Lick home on the Missouri and travels west to Wyoming just in time for the Fetterman massacre. The chief character has to be the narrator’s mother who is fed up with the long separations from her husband. She is going to find him, his brother does everything he can to stop her. There is plenty of laughter amid the tough times just after the Civil War and the trip is not without cost. As in Lonesome Dove, I loved the characters. This is another good book from McMurtry.
March 2, 2019
A woman and her family (and her mules) travel from Missouri to Wyoming in search of her itinerant husband. Told from the perspective of her 16 year old son. Pretty good yarn, but violent. Not exactly comedic as promised in the back cover blurb. The style never gets bogged down and the story goes along easily which makes for a quick page-turning read.
Two things I found strange: 1. They leave Boone's Lick on page 120 and never go back so why name the book Boone's Lick? 2. The ending is very abrupt, the last chapter seemed like the outline for a sequel. A reviewer on Amazon has the theory that McMurtry didn't want to write a sequel so wrapped up the book in a neat family history.
Two things I found strange: 1. They leave Boone's Lick on page 120 and never go back so why name the book Boone's Lick? 2. The ending is very abrupt, the last chapter seemed like the outline for a sequel. A reviewer on Amazon has the theory that McMurtry didn't want to write a sequel so wrapped up the book in a neat family history.
June 5, 2022
Another humorous western frontier novel by Larry McMurtry, similar to the Berrybenders novels, except it’s a different family this time. Set in the 1800’s on the Missouri River, Mary Margaret Cecil packs all of her children into a small wagon, and searches for her husband who has gone awol with an Native American squaw. It’s very dangerous on the river and the prairie, but somehow they find Mr. Cecil, and a big surprise awaits all of them.
January 22, 2025
This was my first book by Larry McMurtry. This book caught my attention right away. The female main character, Mary Margaret, is a tough and stubborn woman. The descriptions of traveling by wagon over the plains was interesting to me and some of the characters the family meets along the way are interesting too.
November 26, 2018
Funny, funny book filled with chuckles in spite of the hardships. The audiobook version was perfect and had a great reader (Will Patton, an instantly recognizable American actor)!
December 27, 2022
Classic Larry McMurtry. Indians, cowboys, the west, and love.
February 5, 2025
This is not Lonesome Dove, or The Last Picture Show but it sure was fun.
August 1, 2025
"A brave woman treks across the country facing all odds. She finds her husband and...well...? It's a Western story. Not badly told, but quite humorous all the same."
December 8, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although I find Hoopla to be very frustrating to use for audio books. It was a funny, sad, and at times tragic story which was very well narrated by Will Patton.
April 21, 2021
It was nice to be taken back to my stomping grounds in Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Even better that it was McMurtry taking me there. It was a great little novel. Well written. Dependable story with his beautiful western flourish. Great read. Not a masterpiece but a good western yarn.
May 21, 2023
Larry McMurtry, never writes a dull story. Great storytelling and entertaining all the way.
March 17, 2017
McMurtry for president.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 286 reviews