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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