parkersanchezz's review against another edition
4.0
this was the most mccarthy mccarthy book i’ve read so far, but not my favorite. very sparse and beautiful and the texas/mexico landscape is especially alluring for me.
jarichan's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, was für ein Buch. Wieder einmal hat mich McCarthy völlig in seine Welt und seine Sprache hineingezogen, mich festgebunden und nicht mehr losgelassen. Und nein, man muss kein Pferdenarr sein, um dieses Buch zu lesen. Auch wird ein Pferdefreund nicht automatisch Freude an diesem Werk haben.
Die gesamte Ausstrahlung des Buches passt in die Welt, in der es spielt. In die trockene Welt von Texas und Mexiko, in die Wüste und das Ödland. Hier spielt einem das Leben manchmal übel mit und nicht umsonst erinnert unser Held ein wenig an einen modernen Michael Kohlhaas.
Die gesamte Ausstrahlung des Buches passt in die Welt, in der es spielt. In die trockene Welt von Texas und Mexiko, in die Wüste und das Ödland. Hier spielt einem das Leben manchmal übel mit und nicht umsonst erinnert unser Held ein wenig an einen modernen Michael Kohlhaas.
highestiqinfresno's review against another edition
3.0
A beautifully written, if completely humorless, novel about coming of age in a transitional period of American history. John Grady Cole, the protagonist, is born in the wrong time. He's more in tune with horses than cars and can't see himself in a rapidly modernizing America. So, he travels south to Mexico with his friend Rawlings. In Mexico, he gets into all sorts of trouble, falls in love, and endures the brutality of prison.
As always, McCarthy's descriptions of nature are beautiful and fully realized. His characters are less so. Cole is the kind of wooden cowboy you see in spaghetti westerns. The romance at the center of the story lacks both steam and feeling. Like in Blood Meridian, the setting as often the most compelling character. Unlike Blood Meridian, however, All the Pretty Horses isn't interested in large philosophical questions about good and evil. It's a much smaller book.
While reading All the Pretty Horses I felt like it was an inverted take on Huckleberry Finn. Both protagonists go on these coming of age journeys where they encounter new people and ideas. While Huck grows and matures through his experiences, Cole is stagnant. McCarthy, by contrast, rejects personal growth as part of the coming of age narrative - it's a story where, in the immortal words of Craig Finn, no one learns a lesson. Ultimately, this is kind of unsatisfying from a narrative perspective. There are two more books in this trilogy, but All the Pretty Horses just kind of peters out. The question with the trilogy is: if Cole learned and changed so little from his time in Mexico, why should I follow him on his next adventure?
As always, McCarthy's descriptions of nature are beautiful and fully realized. His characters are less so. Cole is the kind of wooden cowboy you see in spaghetti westerns. The romance at the center of the story lacks both steam and feeling. Like in Blood Meridian, the setting as often the most compelling character. Unlike Blood Meridian, however, All the Pretty Horses isn't interested in large philosophical questions about good and evil. It's a much smaller book.
While reading All the Pretty Horses I felt like it was an inverted take on Huckleberry Finn. Both protagonists go on these coming of age journeys where they encounter new people and ideas. While Huck grows and matures through his experiences, Cole is stagnant. McCarthy, by contrast, rejects personal growth as part of the coming of age narrative - it's a story where, in the immortal words of Craig Finn, no one learns a lesson. Ultimately, this is kind of unsatisfying from a narrative perspective. There are two more books in this trilogy, but All the Pretty Horses just kind of peters out. The question with the trilogy is: if Cole learned and changed so little from his time in Mexico, why should I follow him on his next adventure?
nrphoto's review against another edition
4.0
From what I can tell, there are two kinds of people out there. People who love Cormac McCarthy and people who think he's a blasphemer of the holy book of grammar and punctuation. Count me squarely in the first group. He's a gifted storyteller, and a master wordsmith and stylist.
This book is based around themes I care very little about. I'm not into westerns, I've never owned a pair of cowboy boots, I don't know anything about horses, I'm not particularly enamored with the old west or cowboy culture. Nevertheless, from the second I opened the first page I was swallowed whole.
All the pretty horses is a love story. A love story between John Crady Gole and his horse--or maybe more precisely horses. There's a girl in there too, and the girl gets him in trouble and lots of horrible things happen, and alas, he and the girl are not to be. But that's okay, because it's not really a story about her. It's about the horses. And it is beautiful.
This book is based around themes I care very little about. I'm not into westerns, I've never owned a pair of cowboy boots, I don't know anything about horses, I'm not particularly enamored with the old west or cowboy culture. Nevertheless, from the second I opened the first page I was swallowed whole.
All the pretty horses is a love story. A love story between John Crady Gole and his horse--or maybe more precisely horses. There's a girl in there too, and the girl gets him in trouble and lots of horrible things happen, and alas, he and the girl are not to be. But that's okay, because it's not really a story about her. It's about the horses. And it is beautiful.
maxinraye's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
moggy_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes