Short Book Clips
Cadillac Jack, Larry McMurtry
With the exception of reviews
of the book and movie version of The Last Picture Show the usual mention
that I make about Larry McMurtry revolves around his reviews works of the
history of the Old West (most recently on General Custer) in the New York Review of Books. I know three
things about him from those articles. He loves books, I mean he really loves
them. He loves the Old West, a place where he grew up (deep in the heart of
Texas). And he loves to talk about swap meets, etc. That is important here
because this seemingly bedraggled profession is central to the story that he
tells here.
Cadillac Jack is an
ex-professional cowboy turned (to be kind) second-hand enterpreour. At least,
that is his cover for this story. The major action of the story is centered in
the secondary power lanes of Washington, D.C., the Beltway, but not, you the
big guys, yah, not the lobbyist on 14th and K. But still inside 495 so watch out-those guys
have that mean and hungry look that Shakespeare warned about in Julius Caesar. Now what can one expect from an old cowboy
trying to get messed up with that crowd. Those guys will eat toy for lunch and
have time for dessert. They make bull riding or auction cruising seem like a
day in the park. What really ails old Cadillac
is his success with the women (surprise, surprise) although he seems to have
had his fair share of experiences with them. What ties the whole story
together, as in my limited experience with McMurtry’s work seems
to always do, is the doings (and undoings) of a strong secondary set of characters
who are either buying or selling something, not always legally. Needless to say I need to investigate Mr.
McMurtry’s work further. But, dear reader, this is not a bad place to start.
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