Texasville - (Thalia Trilogy) by Larry McMurtry (Paperback)

About the Book

The brilliant sequel to The Last Picture Show is McMurtry's richest novel to date, as moving as Terms of Endearment and as full of real and memorable characters as Lonesome Dove. "Texasville crackles with energy, humor and passion".--Washington Post Book World.

Book Synopsis

With Texasville, Larry McMurtry returns to the unforgettable Texas town and entertaining characters from one of his best-loved books, The Last Picture Show.

This is a Texas-sized story brimming with home truths of the heart, and men and women we recognize, believe in, and care about deeply. Set in the post-oil-boom 1980s, Texasville brings us up to date with Duane, who's got an adoring dog, a sassy wife, a twelve-million-dollar debt, and a hot tub by the pool; Jacy, who's finished playing "Jungla" in Italian movies and who's returned to Thalia; and Sonny--Duane's teenage rival for Jacy's affections--who owns the car wash, the Kwik-Sackstore, and the video arcade.

With his talent for writing lovable, eccentric characters, Texasville is one of Larry McMurtry's funniest and most touching contemporary novels.

From the Back Cover

Larry McMurtry returns to the unforgettable Texas town and characters of one of his best-loved books, The Last Picture Show. Texasville is a Texas-sized story brimming with home truths of the heart, and the men and women we recognize, believe in, and care about deeply. Set in the post-oil-boom 1980s, Texasville brings us up to date with Duane, who's got an adoring dog, a sassy wife, a twelve-million-dollar debt, and a hot tub by the pool; Jacy, who's finished playing "Jungla" in Italian movies and who's returned to Thalia; and Sonny -- Duane's teenage rival for Jacy's affections -- who owns the car wash, the Kwik-Sack store, and the video arcade.

Review Quotes

New York Post As Texasville unfolds, sentences practically tumble over one another in a race for laughs....McMurtry is hot after a seriocomic study of a man trying to find mental balance in a Texas of which he observes, "Seems to me it's so glorious it's just about driven us all crazy."...There are plenty of eye-catching roadside sights to enjoy along the route.

San Francisco Chronicle A raucous farce and coming-of-age without growing up...

The Cleveland Plain Dealer Larry McMurtry is the most entertaining novelist in America.

The New York Times Texasville shows off at his popular storytelling best.

The Philadelphia Inquirer Texasville is simply great.

The Wall Street Journal Mr. McMurtry's town, Thalia, is glutted with bed hoppers, maniacs, juvenile delinquents, stupid pets, suicidal bankers, and war mongering OPEC bashers -- all brought to peaks of comic energy....Madness reigns and it is quite amusing.

The Washington Post Texasville crackles with energy, humor, and passion.

The Washington Post Texasville is a big ol' mess of a book: long, haphazardly plotted, exuberant, populous, good-spirited...the sexual activity is vigorous and varied and described with considerable relish...the novel's intelligence and its compassion are what really matter, and in this, Texasville is of a piece with all of McMurtry's best work.

Liz Smith New York Daily News Texasville is just as funny as can be. Such a kick to read that I predict its popularity may well outstrip Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer Prize-winner, Lonesome Dove.

United Press International With Texasville, McMurtry has written an ideal sequel. The characters from The Last Picture Show have grown deeper, wiser, and more interesting, just as McMurtry's writing has done.

About the Author

Larry McMurtry (1936-2021) was the author of twenty-nine novels, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lonesome Dove, three memoirs, two collections of essays, and more than thirty screenplays. He lived in Archer City, Texas.