New Yorker Recommends Post-'Lonesome Dove' Reads

The New Yorker published a feature on July 21, 2025, offering reading recommendations for those who have finished Larry McMurtry's 'Lonesome Dove.' The novel, first published in 1985, saw a surge in popularity in 2025, selling more copies than in the previous thirty years and trending on Google Trends. Contributing writer Rachel Monroe, based in Texas, suggests alternatives to McMurtry's sequels, which she considers diminishing returns. Her picks include McMurtry's own 1966 novel 'The Last Picture Show,' a semi-autobiographical tale set in 1950s Texas; Carmen Boullosa's 2014 historical fiction 'Texas: The Great Theft,' which features over two hundred characters; and Piers Paul Read's 1975 account 'Alive,' about the Uruguayan rugby team's survival in the Andes. Staff writer Jia Tolentino recommends Margaret Mitchell's 1936 epic 'Gone with the Wind,' despite acknowledging its racist elements, praising its depiction of American political consciousness. The feature also highlights upcoming releases: Téa Obreht's 'Sunrise' (August 11), Liane Moriarty's 'Big Little Truths' (August 25), and Jill Lepore's 'The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State' (August 25), the latter based on a 2024 New Yorker piece. The New Yorker's original 1985 review of 'Lonesome Dove' is quoted, describing the novel as a sponge that swells with reading.