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bcrosser's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
tnews333's review against another edition
4.0
I still like the protagonist. He's named almost the same as my dad. I read this years ago when it first came out as a paperback. And thought it well written and lovely in a West Texas environment sort of way.
Enjoyed it a bit more having spent time in Big Bend.
Wish that I had a way to spend time in Northern Mexico and read it again.
That is not likely to happen.
Enjoyed it a bit more having spent time in Big Bend.
Wish that I had a way to spend time in Northern Mexico and read it again.
That is not likely to happen.
chrissych's review against another edition
4.0
This is certainly the most sentimental and forgiving Cormac McCarthy novel I've read, but I don't feel that this is a flaw. McCarthy paints a vivid and awe-inspiring portrait of the deep South after World War II, a land changing with the times and dusting away its traditions while just on the other side of a fence another country, alike in as many ways as it is different, clings to its own. John Grady Cole is a likable protagonist, though I would argue that the supporting character of his friend Lacey Rawlins is more rounded and relatable. Together the two of them share an interesting dynamic, and the story of their fateful journey to Mexico and back is an unforgettably haunting one, fraught with some of the most fantastic and florid imagery put on paper, the most memorable of which are about horses and their place in the world (and by extension man's place in the world). Romantic sub-plot notwithstanding, this is ultimately a study on a theme that McCarthy seems to explore in all his work: that the world contains chaos and darkness and good, and that there is a certain beauty in each of these qualities as well as in the unbreakable relationships between them. I believe that others of his books explore this theme more thoroughly, but All the Pretty Horses is still an excellent read, and may perhaps be considered a slightly softer introduction to such ideas for readers who haven't tried him before.
monkeelino's review against another edition
4.0
McCarthy gives us the romantic myth of the American cowboy who no longer has a country in which to ride free and thrive. John Grady heads south to Mexico believing he'll find something of a life there... an escape from family, a cowboy's honest work off the land handling horses, a step back in time... a sense of purpose?
What he finds is the kind of brutal reality in which, I'm given to understand, McCarthy frequently traffics. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but it goes down somewhat easier than might be expected thanks to the stark beauty conveyed by the rhythmic prose, brief-but-hilarious interludes, and wonderful character dynamics.
A coming of age tale where life grows a young fella up right fast if it doesn't kill him first in the process. I've got next to no experience with westerns as a genre, but it strikes me that this one takes some of the familiar tropes and uses them to explore deeper questions of friendship, love, honor, and how inextricably woven together are culture, history, and place.
What he finds is the kind of brutal reality in which, I'm given to understand, McCarthy frequently traffics. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but it goes down somewhat easier than might be expected thanks to the stark beauty conveyed by the rhythmic prose, brief-but-hilarious interludes, and wonderful character dynamics.
A coming of age tale where life grows a young fella up right fast if it doesn't kill him first in the process. I've got next to no experience with westerns as a genre, but it strikes me that this one takes some of the familiar tropes and uses them to explore deeper questions of friendship, love, honor, and how inextricably woven together are culture, history, and place.
lil_nuke23's review against another edition
3.0
Overall a good book...took me awhile to get used to the dialogue with no punctuation....I think it didn't need to be as long as it was. But he is a beautiful writer and paints a detailed picture of the landscape and the characters, etc.
ethaninglis72's review against another edition
5.0
As perfect of a novel as I’ve ever read: probably the lightest of his works that still absolutely devastates by the end. Beautiful prose, beautiful characters, and beautiful stories and the landscapes they take place in.
Starts as the most fun I’ve seen CM have and ends with a most somber and beautiful reflection. If this is any indication of the quality of the other two: it’ll be a beautiful time reading the rest of the Border Trilogy.
Starts as the most fun I’ve seen CM have and ends with a most somber and beautiful reflection. If this is any indication of the quality of the other two: it’ll be a beautiful time reading the rest of the Border Trilogy.
montysmith's review against another edition
5.0
Quite simply one of the finest books I've ever read. Except there's nothing simple about it, of course. This book was my introduction to McCarthy, and instantly solidified him as one of my favorite authors. Indelible.
ptchronic's review against another edition
5.0
Spent the first half of this thinking, "Oh this is actually kind of a pleasant coming of age story for Cormac McCarthy, admittedly still gritty, but quite nice." Then the second half becomes far more what I was expecting from the author.
McCarthy just writes exquisite, evocative prose and monologues. Easy to see why this is considered one of his more famous novels (outside of those adapted for the screen). Absolutely loved it.
McCarthy just writes exquisite, evocative prose and monologues. Easy to see why this is considered one of his more famous novels (outside of those adapted for the screen). Absolutely loved it.
kimrosenfield's review against another edition
4.0
I consumed the first book Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy in record time. Knowing only a marginal amount about this book, but a bit of background about the author's style of prose, I was drawn into the rambling nature of his writing almost immediately.
This isn't the typical American Western, where there was a clear dichotomy between Good vs. Evil, Right vs. Wrong. Instead, McCarthy masterfully weaves together a narrative where there is only gray space for the characters to play in; like life, in which events occur at random and with no clear trajectory, so too do the main characters ramble in and out of a rich, colorful landscape. Death and love happen suddenly, randomly.
If you are looking for the traditional happy ending with the familiar Americana tropes and structure, I would move elsewhere. But if you are looking for a book that will suck you into the wild prairie rhythms of McCarthy's language and prose, I highly recommend it. It's poetry in narrative form, a must read American classic.
This isn't the typical American Western, where there was a clear dichotomy between Good vs. Evil, Right vs. Wrong. Instead, McCarthy masterfully weaves together a narrative where there is only gray space for the characters to play in; like life, in which events occur at random and with no clear trajectory, so too do the main characters ramble in and out of a rich, colorful landscape. Death and love happen suddenly, randomly.
If you are looking for the traditional happy ending with the familiar Americana tropes and structure, I would move elsewhere. But if you are looking for a book that will suck you into the wild prairie rhythms of McCarthy's language and prose, I highly recommend it. It's poetry in narrative form, a must read American classic.
irelandhayes's review against another edition
3.0
3.5⭐️the beginning was a bit of a struggle for me to get into, but once I picked it back up and I got about a quarter of the way through the story picked up! I just hated the dialogue not being in quotations…but overall a good story.
“He felt wholly alien to the world although he loved it still. He thought that in the beauty of the world were hid a secret.
He thought the world's heart beat at some terrible cost and that the world's pain and its beauty moved in a relationship of diverging equity and that in this headlong deficit the blood of multitudes might ultimately be exacted for the vision of a single flower.” (Love. Love. Love this quote)
“He felt wholly alien to the world although he loved it still. He thought that in the beauty of the world were hid a secret.
He thought the world's heart beat at some terrible cost and that the world's pain and its beauty moved in a relationship of diverging equity and that in this headlong deficit the blood of multitudes might ultimately be exacted for the vision of a single flower.” (Love. Love. Love this quote)