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It's a rare case where it's actually rather difficult to decide which is better between the book and the film (which sticks closely to the last two-thirds of the book). The book does give us a lot more details of Joe's early life (mostly in fact in New Mexico rather than Texas) and takes us deeper inside his head. The descriptions are vivid and somewhat unssettling. On the other hand, that tight-third narrative gives us a more restricted view of events than the camera can do, and the fact is that Joe is not all that interesting or nice a person to spend time with. It's a memorable (and short) read all the same. ( )

I happened to be reading a book about iconic movies and up popped "Midnight Cowboy" the 1969 mega-hit that broke a lot of ground in the industry. It peaked my curiosity enough to want to read the actual novel and see how closely it followed the film. The novel I found absorbing and Helihy's style an enjoyable and captivating read. I was surprised that the book was covered rather well in detail in the movie itself. The only difference was the movie skipped much if the detail of Joe Buck's early life and time before heading to New York. Also it changed a few of those details. The remainder however followed true to form of the novel. Herlihy relays the exploits of Joe Buck and Rico "Ratso" Rizzo, the alienation and loneliness that life can present for many in society and those whose lives are played out on the streets in a very indifferent world. A worthwhile read for anyone wanting to explore this realm. ( )

In the movie, Joe Buck comes off as just an arrogant hayseed who has no brains. In the book, there's more to Joe than just that. Joe is a man whose life has been touched by many people who seem to really take no notice of him. They're not mean people, just don't know any better except to be self-centered. So Joe grows into a man who himself knows no other way, and yet is taken aback when people take advantage of him. There's a sweet innocence about Joe which keeps our interest until the very end, despite the rigors of his life, both in Texas and New York City.

The movie takes up when Joe boards the bus in Houston headed for NYC to be a cowboy hustler, because someone told him most hustlers were gay, and there were no cowboys.

Rico "Ratso" Rizzo bursts the last of Joe's optimistic outlook by hustling him out of his last bits of money. When they encounter each other again, Joe is determined to teach Ratso a lesson with his fist. But something in Joe gets a good look at Ratso's physical deformity and watches others bully him and begins to show fumbling compassion to the man who doesn't have cowboy good looks to work with.

Here's where a lot of people might write something about this "unlikely friendship." But I don't think their friendship is unlikely at all. People find each other for reasons we can't understand, and Joe and Ratso found each other because they need the other.

Living in squalor in an abandoned building, grubbing every day for food and coin absolutely changes them. These are odd people trying to shift for themselves in a world which didn't bother to teach them anything. They live on survival instincts, which often include Ratso pimping Joe out for sexual favors in dirty allies. Theirs is not a pretty life.

As Ratso's illness progresses, Joe realizes not only are they true friends, but that he likes taking care of this odd little hustler. Ratso and Joe are the only two people who have paid attention to the other and taken the other into consideration. It starts as a matter of survival and turns into deep abiding friendship. ( )

Midnight Cowboy is a tale about survival amidst loss, loneliness and a lack of guidance. Herlihy's underrated classic sends us on a bizarre and slightly homoerotic journey with a simpleton, Joe Buck, who is full of insight, although he's completely oblivious to this trait. Along the way Joe befriends a crippled street-kid named Rico ‘Ratso’ Rizzo, and together they form an endearing duo that depend on each other the way only two strangers without a soul in the world to care for them, can. The message is touching, the text gripping, and Herlihy’s writing so enjoyable that he makes a simple bus ride seem exhilarating.

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Short, beautifully written book about a couple of losers surviving in squallor in 1960's New York. Remembered today as the basis of the classic movie.

The first third of the book deals with Joe's life prior to heading to New York. The movie almost entirely cuts this section, and I can see why. The story doesn't really find its footing until Joe arrives in New York and meets Ratso. Their unlikely relationship is the heart of the book and what makes it worth reading.

Good luck getting Nilsson's "Everybody's Talkin'" out of your head as you read it. ( )