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A review by asadaniels
The Border Trilogy: All the Pretty Horses, the Crossing, Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
McCarthy's epic is certainly a behemoth to behold, as the reader traverses the landscapes of Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico. Readers are greeted with a funeral and this slow-paced trilogy gradually unravels a series of events fitting of a drama and an ensemble of characters who share in flaws and humanity - some more morally good than others but all a product of their world and time.
That was the impression I got from McCarthy, anyway. He presents his characters with a physical description lacking in detail compared to the environments he describes, but no less poetic and even in its paucity, one is able to conjure an image of how the characters may look. Likewise, his practice of describing movement down to the detail allows one to follow the capturing of a wolf or visualize the bloody killing of a character. This gruesome detailing may turn off some readers, akin to a prose-form of Quinton Tarantino's gratuitous gore, but that has not been my experience. For me, McCarthy's violence with its anatomical details seems almost scientifically detached from the violence's emotional force, lending itself to be a presentation of the blind state in which some murders may occur. Even so, the depth of the violence allows the reader to still feel a disgust or awe in what is happening.
Scenes of violence and meandering across the desert are broken up by lengthy monologues by characters, which gives the reader the opportunity to pause and consider some philosophical and theological questions. McCarthy touches on God, mortality, the changing of the American West in the twentieth-century, and, of course, love. Not just romantic love, but that love which young people possess through which they see the beauty of life and think that their time and place in the world is unique to all of those who came before. More than just stating these points, McCarthy presents them as arguments, either of himself or just of his characters. No right answers are presented, arguably, but the points are made for the reader to at least consider.
McCarthy's attention to detail as he describes a scene is quite powerful and leads to the reader being mentally in those spaces, as they can see the desert, the bushes, and the sky. In fact, while I did not do this, one may be aided if they pulled up a map that includes the various towns and mesa's described and they can trace the path of the various characters as they follow along.
A note on narrative perspective. McCarthy uses third-person omniscient, which one would expect to allow the reader to see-all and know-all in terms of what is happening. However, I think McCarthy's writing style, such as dropping readers into the middle of a scene or simply omitting certain details, allows the reader to experience a sense of confusion or mystery while reading his trilogy, instead of feeling their hand is being held. Of course, the usefulness of such a style depends on the subjective opinions of the reader.
I personally choose "The Crossing" as my favorite book from The Border Trilogy. I choose it due to the highlighting of McCarthy's unique prose, the monologue by one of the characters regarding "the cities of the plain", and the fraternal love and drama of the main characters.
That being said, all three books are a great read and each contribute to the rich artistic power of the complete trilogy. I cannot wait to read them all again!
That was the impression I got from McCarthy, anyway. He presents his characters with a physical description lacking in detail compared to the environments he describes, but no less poetic and even in its paucity, one is able to conjure an image of how the characters may look. Likewise, his practice of describing movement down to the detail allows one to follow the capturing of a wolf or visualize the bloody killing of a character. This gruesome detailing may turn off some readers, akin to a prose-form of Quinton Tarantino's gratuitous gore, but that has not been my experience. For me, McCarthy's violence with its anatomical details seems almost scientifically detached from the violence's emotional force, lending itself to be a presentation of the blind state in which some murders may occur. Even so, the depth of the violence allows the reader to still feel a disgust or awe in what is happening.
Scenes of violence and meandering across the desert are broken up by lengthy monologues by characters, which gives the reader the opportunity to pause and consider some philosophical and theological questions. McCarthy touches on God, mortality, the changing of the American West in the twentieth-century, and, of course, love. Not just romantic love, but that love which young people possess through which they see the beauty of life and think that their time and place in the world is unique to all of those who came before. More than just stating these points, McCarthy presents them as arguments, either of himself or just of his characters. No right answers are presented, arguably, but the points are made for the reader to at least consider.
McCarthy's attention to detail as he describes a scene is quite powerful and leads to the reader being mentally in those spaces, as they can see the desert, the bushes, and the sky. In fact, while I did not do this, one may be aided if they pulled up a map that includes the various towns and mesa's described and they can trace the path of the various characters as they follow along.
A note on narrative perspective. McCarthy uses third-person omniscient, which one would expect to allow the reader to see-all and know-all in terms of what is happening. However, I think McCarthy's writing style, such as dropping readers into the middle of a scene or simply omitting certain details, allows the reader to experience a sense of confusion or mystery while reading his trilogy, instead of feeling their hand is being held. Of course, the usefulness of such a style depends on the subjective opinions of the reader.
I personally choose "The Crossing" as my favorite book from The Border Trilogy. I choose it due to the highlighting of McCarthy's unique prose, the monologue by one of the characters regarding "the cities of the plain", and the fraternal love and drama of the main characters.
That being said, all three books are a great read and each contribute to the rich artistic power of the complete trilogy. I cannot wait to read them all again!