Some Can Whistle

It is easy to see in reviewing the reviews, that people either love or hate this book. It is a short book which treats itself as unimportant until it reminds us to live life. It is like "For Whom the Bell Tolls" in that it teaches us that the essence of your life can be defined by a very short period of time. This can be a very moving book.

You people are incredibly rude! Please don't tell the ending of the story in the review. If you haven't read the book, don't read the reviews from Laura or Paul. Could you be more rude?By the way, I loved the book.

It's really hard to put in to words what "Some Can Whistle" does to you. You feel so sorry, you ache for happiness for all of them, and you can't put it down. It's somewhat like "Great Gatsby" in that no good deed goes unpunished. Please read it and fall in love with McMurtry's characterizations.

What an imagination this man has! How in the world does he inhabit old men and young women and gay professor brains all at the same time? This is a glorious extension of ALL MY FRIENDS, and I loved every roller-coaster minute of it. T.R. is lovable, beautiful, tragic and haunting. Danny's newfound fatherhood is hysterically funny. Vintage, vintage McMurtry, in every way. Read it and laugh out loud; finish it and weep.

Danny Deck is a character that winds through many McMurtystories, but this is his first major appearance since "All MyFriends.." In both books, Deck is like the audience watching a performance artist--set on the role of observer, but often getting sucked in (bewildered and unprepared) by the artist's actions. Things begin with Danny sitting at breakfast in his Los Dolores mansion (same house that Jacy stayed in during "Texasville"). He's stinking rich from his successful sit-com years and quarreling with Godwin, his lecherous gadfly/friend from "All My Friends.." The phone rings: his 22-year old daughter, from his short and rough marriage with Sally, is taking him to task. Danny tracks down his girl and brings her to Los Dolores along with the usual unusual cast of McMurty characters. How they get along in this group brings in some hilarious moments (the ex-con boyfriend accidently blowing up Danny's oil tanks while target shooting his AK-47 is one good example). Danny has little choice but to leap into his father/grandfather roles and finds renewed joy in life. McMurtry uses the theme of death and coping with grief thoughout much of his work--but this story is truly devastating. How Danny tries to keep going for the remnants of his new family is powerful and very moving. Although hard to read in places due to these intense moments, I count this as one of McMurtry's best. END