I loved this book. I loved reading it. I loved the characters. I even loved the setting, and I'm not normally a fan of westerns or stories that seem to mostly take place on horseback.

But at the end all I could think was "Why did I read this?!"
Or, to quote one of my favourite movies: "Geez, Grandpa! Why'd You Read Me This Stuff?"

It hurt. And not exactly in a bittersweet way.

Also, I just finished a 1000 page book (give or take). That was a lot of work for a story that can be summarised pretty accurately in a paragraph or two.

All of which speaks to McMurtry's skill as a writer. He could have added another 100 pages of characters getting stuck in thorn-bushes and falling off horses and I would still have read it, because he makes even the most mundane hardships seem interesting.

I am annoyed, however, that I only now learned that there are 3 more books in the series, and I don't know if I have time to read 2000 pages. Excuse me while I grumble and go look for the other books.