SOURCE: "Lonesome Jane," in New York Times, October 7, 1990, p. 3.

In the following review of Buffalo Girls, Schaeffer—also an author—praises McMurtry's work, saying the appeal of the novel stems from McMurtry's portrayal of an era at the cusp of change.

Twenty-five years ago, driving across the country for the first time and overwhelmed by the flatness and vast size of Nebraska, my husband and I rented a motel room in a small town just off the main highway. The proprietress wanted us to see two local treasures. One was her "Gone With the Wind" lamp; the other was what the town was known for: its stuffed animal museum. In this museum was a stuffed elk, a stuffed buffalo, several stuffed beavers and one towering stuffed grizzly bear. The size of the larger animals was stunning, the feeling they inspired one of terrible sadness. These animals were long...