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tichbou's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
i find people are drawn to his "darker" work (which is for the most part all excellent) but i consider the border trilogy to be his finest works.
all the pretty horses inspired me to spend my 20s seeing the country which have been the most important and formative experiences of my life, so it is not hyperbollic to describe them as lifechangingly good.
all the pretty horses inspired me to spend my 20s seeing the country which have been the most important and formative experiences of my life, so it is not hyperbollic to describe them as lifechangingly good.
derrydavis's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful stories about the American - Mexican frontier of the late 19 and early 20th century. Incredible depiction of the country and the souls who inhabited it. Be aware that Mr. McCarthy has a penchat of less than joyous endings.
stephanie_roberts's review against another edition
5.0
I am haunted by the tenderness and the brutality of these stories. Haunted.
thevanbusco's review against another edition
5.0
Finally finished this recently. Although Cormac McCarthy's style is refined in itself and can tire the reader out after reading it a while, I can sincerely say that I loved reading every page of this trilogy. Each book is very different in its inclusion of distinctive characters, and the story it tells. I feel that there is a definite love story in every book of the trilogy, in All The Pretty Horses it's John Grady Cole and the daughter of the hacienda owner, Alejandra; in The Crossing it could be between either Billy and his brother Boyd or the wolf (one replaces the other, in fact); and the strongest and deepest of those love stories is in the last book of the trilogy, Cities of the Plain. McCarthy's villains have always been intimidating to me-in No Country, it was Anton Chigurh; in The Road, death, in all its forms; and in Blood Meridian, the judge. However, it is in Cities of the Plain that McCarthy pits his villain, Eduardo, the pimp, against the young lover John Grady Cole and gives us a truly timeless love story. The awkward pause is a device McCarthy uses to no end in this trilogy; I noticed it a bit in No Country but not in his other works, and, partially because of the characters in the books, it makes them that much more hilarious. My 5 star review is for the books themselves as works, and for their presentation in the beautiful Everyman's library dust jacket, hardcover and crisp, acid-free paper.
griffinwords's review against another edition
5.0
I reviewed all three of these books individually, and gave them all five stars, so it makes sense the collected trilogy deserves the same five stars. This collection is actually my preferred edition of these novels.
fabydemar's review against another edition
5.0
Mi mancheranno i fagioli con tortillas di questi cowboy, nonché l'amore per i cavalli di John Grady <3
jaydgreen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
tomstbr's review against another edition
5.0
Superb. Each book out did the former. Actually indescribable how good it is. The epilogue of Cities will require a re-read...
woody1881's review against another edition
4.0
These three books are quite a good read. I liked the first book better than the second. The third was pretty decent as well. What makes these books great is the characters. Authentic and interesting people throughout the story. The stories are exceptionally detailed and very well set.
The books were excellent but there is a couple of things that made me have to power through certain parts. I took a lot longer to read these than most other books. There are several times in the books where there is a long philosophical aside that can take pages and pages. These don't seem to add to the overall story or understanding of the characters. My biggest complaint is the use of Spanish throughout the first two books especially. There are entire conversations in Spanish that are never translated into English. I spent a lot of time finding translations to avoid missing something. If only there was a glossary or something with the books for quick reference. I liked how the languages were used, adding to the authenticity, but wow did it drag out the time it took to get through to the story.
The books were excellent but there is a couple of things that made me have to power through certain parts. I took a lot longer to read these than most other books. There are several times in the books where there is a long philosophical aside that can take pages and pages. These don't seem to add to the overall story or understanding of the characters. My biggest complaint is the use of Spanish throughout the first two books especially. There are entire conversations in Spanish that are never translated into English. I spent a lot of time finding translations to avoid missing something. If only there was a glossary or something with the books for quick reference. I liked how the languages were used, adding to the authenticity, but wow did it drag out the time it took to get through to the story.