The Right Stuff - Tom Wolfe ---------------- 3.5 Stars

I've had The Right Stuff on my "to read" list for a number of years, which isn't surprising as the book has been around for many years and is well reviewed. While I had a bit of a misconception (explained below) about the book, I did enjoy the read.

While this book came out in 1979, I really wasn't aware of it until much more recently. A popular book by the well regarded Tom Wolfe, it tells the story of the beginning of the US's space program. First, focusing on Chuck Yeager, the first person to break the sound barrier, and then the Mercury 7 astronauts. The book included deep research about the early start of NASA, the family of these famous astronauts, the background behind many of the space goals, and trying to explain why some people may have the "right stuff" to be pilots or astronauts.

What surprised me about the book was the way Wolfe told these stories. Incorrectly, I had assumed it would be a much slower and "academic" read than it turned out to be. Perhaps because of the dates covered, I figure this would read a bit more like a history book. So, imagine my surprise, when I picked up the book and quickly had to adjust to, what Wolfe dubbed, "new journalism." This included using many first person, point-of-view from characters, more slang and unique jargon, and a general informality that was unanticipated. 

Mostly because of this style, I found myself unable to put the book down after starting. Between his playful writing style and fascinating stories about Yeager's piloting skills, I was exhilarated by the story. As the book moved on, I continued to be interested in the fascinating details that Wolfe brough to many aspects of the story along with his interesting writing style. It was such a welcome and enjoyable surprise.

Unfortunately, as the book moved on, I found this style to begun to becoming grating. While fun and novel at the begin, it did begin to wear thin throughout the story. Sometimes I felt Wolfe just went too long with certain parts and didn't move on quick enough. Perhaps a better editor would have helped.

As a whole, I found this an interesting book that was fun to read (until it wasn't). It rekindled my interest in space and the early astronaut program (I wish he would have gone through the moon landing) and I am tempted to watch the movie based on the book now too (though, 3+ hours makes me think otherwise). While I know I am a bit late to enjoying this popular book, I am happy I circled back to it and was able to enjoy it.

Streets of Laredo - Larry McMurtry -------------------- 2 Stars

I think I made an error in deciding to read this book. I had recalled about 10 years ago reading Lonesome Dove and loving it. And, while that memory is fairly accurate, I misremembered giving it 5 stars when, in fact, it only was a 4 (review here). In retrospect, I think I loved the TV miniseries, though the book was still solid. Hoping that this sequel might provide a similar level of enjoyment, I deep dove into Streets of Laredo.

If you are not aware, Lonesome Dove and Streets of Laredo both tell the story of Captain Woodrow Call, a bounty hunter in the West in the late 1800s. Both books include a variety of interesting characters and interesting story arcs for most main players. Also, we get some great action based on the interaction between the "good"
and "bad" guys. Usually this includes killers and/or other types of lawbreakers and Captain Call and others who are trying enforce the law.

In general, I really enjoy the "old west" genre of books. Again, Lonesome Dove was one of my favorites and I figured this would be an entertaining and enjoyable read like many others. Unfortunately, I really struggled to enjoy this novel. While there were occasional exciting passages and chapters, I really struggled with slow pace and meandering drama (or lack thereof) throughout the story. Besides Captain Call being featured like a secondary or tertiary character, I found the other featured characters uninspiring and unengaging.

My other complaints come from the author's writing style. Again, I found Lonesome Dove so exciting and engaging but found this novel to constantly be disjointed and wandering. There were multiple characters that seemed to have little to no background that would be lightly featured for no apparent reason. There were many chapters that were included that I didn't feel moved the novel forward. And, while the ending was slightly satisfying, a long epilogue was offered seemingly to ensure that every character casually mentioned had some sort of finality. I found it unnecessary.

I acknowledge that may viewpoint on this book may be flawed. While I believe it's universally accepted the Lonesome Dove is the far superior novel, this book has strong reviews on Amazon and Goodreads so clearly many others enjoyed this book more than I did. As always, I leave up to readers to draw their own conclusions.