The Last Picture Show

By Larry McMurtry,

Book cover of The Last Picture Show

Book description

This is one of McMurtry's most memorable novels - the basis for the film of the same name. Set in a small, dusty Texas town, it introduces Jacy, Duane and Sonny, teenagers stumbling towards adulthood, discovering the beguiling mysteries of sex and the even more baffling mysteries of love.

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Last Picture Show as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I love this story! It’s a wonderful romp through the lives of the characters, characters who are like everyday people that we could know.

It’s at once bizarre yet relatable, imaginative yet real, and just all-around fantastic. This is a story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading the first time and one that I would read again.

I’ve read this book twice. I read it first as a teenager anxious to escape my rural upbringing, seeing more of the ugly in the written words, the dying town, and the bitterness and hopelessness exhibited by some of the characters.
But reading it as an adult some years removed from my country roots, I saw it in a different light. Then it pulled me into the kindness and sense of community that is almost unique to rural areas, such as the way Sam keeps a kind eye on the young folks of the town, especially those he fears may…

From Jeff's list on an honest look at rural America.

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