Texasville

Texasville returns to the small Texas town of Thalia thirty years after The Last Picture Show, following Duane Moore and other characters from the original novel during the oil boom of the 1980s. The town has transformed from a quiet backwater into a place of sudden wealth and excess. Duane Moore, once a high school athlete, is now a struggling oil businessman with mounting debts and a chaotic family life. His relationships with his wife Karla, their children, and the reappearance of his former love interest Jacy force him to confront both his past and present circumstances. The novel captures the stark economic and social changes in rural Texas during the oil boom and bust cycle of the 1970s and 80s. McMurtry's portrayal of life in a small Texas town extends beyond the central characters to create a panoramic view of a community in transition. The book examines themes of memory, change, and the impact of economic forces on human relationships. Through its exploration of boom-and-bust cycles, the novel reflects on how sudden wealth can alter both individual lives and entire communities.

Readers describe Texasville as a darker and more meandering follow-up to The Last Picture Show. Most find it lacks the emotional impact and tight narrative of its predecessor. Readers appreciated: - The authentic portrayal of small-town Texas life in the 1980s oil bust - The complex evolution of familiar characters - McMurtry's humor and dialogue - The depiction of economic hardship and midlife crises Common criticisms: - Too long and unfocused compared to Last Picture Show - Characters seem more cynical and less sympathetic - Multiple plot threads left unresolved - Repetitive scenes and conversations Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 3.8/5 (120+ ratings) Several readers noted it works better as a standalone novel than as a sequel. One reviewer wrote: "Like the characters themselves, the book meanders through life without clear purpose." Another said: "McMurtry captures the listlessness of small-town Texas, perhaps too well."

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🎬 The Last Picture Show (the prequel to Texasville) was adapted into an acclaimed 1971 film starring Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepherd. The film won two Academy Awards. 📚 Larry McMurtry owned and operated a vast rare book store called "Booked Up" in Archer City, Texas, which at its peak contained approximately 450,000 books. 💰 The 1980s Texas oil boom described in Texasville saw crude oil prices reach a high of $35 per barrel in 1981 (equivalent to over $100 in today's money), before crashing to below $10 by 1986. 🌟 Like the fictional town of Thalia, many small Texas towns experienced dramatic transformations during the oil boom, with some residents becoming overnight millionaires known as "Texas Rich." 🖋️ McMurtry wrote both Texasville and its predecessor The Last Picture Show in near-total isolation on a typewriter, maintaining his lifelong preference for this writing method even in the digital age.