John Grady Cole is the last bewildered survivor of long generations of Texas ranchers. Finding himself cut off from the only life he has ever wanted, he sets out for Mexico with his friend Lacey Rawlins. Befriending a third boy on the way, they find a country beyond their imagining: barren and beautiful, rugged yet cruelly civilised; a place where dreams are paid for in blood. All the Pretty Horses is an acknowledged masterpiece and a grand love story: a novel about childhood passing, along with innocence and a vanished American age. Steeped in the wisdom that comes only from loss, it is a magnificent parable of responsibility, revenge and survival.Celebrating 40 years of outstanding international writing, this is one of the essential Picador novels reissued in a beautiful new series style.
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All the Pretty Horses
John Grady Cole is the last bewildered survivor of long generations of Texas ranchers. Finding himself cut off from the only life he has ever wanted, he sets out for Mexico with his friend Lacey Rawlins. Befriending a third boy on the way, they find a country beyond their imagining: barren and beautiful, rugged yet cruelly civilised; a place where dreams are paid for in blood. All the Pretty Horses is an acknowledged masterpiece and a grand love story: a novel about childhood passing, along with innocence and a vanished American age. Steeped in the wisdom that comes only from loss, it is a magnificent parable of responsibility, revenge and survival.Celebrating 40 years of outstanding international writing, this is one of the essential Picador novels reissued in a beautiful new series style.
Popular Reviews(1)
Reviewed by George Patrick HaneOh, I hate it when this happens: I finish a book, look at the reviews, and realize everyone seems to love it for the exact reasons I don't. [b:All the Pretty Horses|469571|All the Pretty Horses (The Border Trilogy, #1)|Cormac McCarthy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1706386113l/469571._SY75_.jpg|1907621] is probably McCarthy’s most accessible work, the one that catapulted him into the mainstream…and it shows. At its core, it is a generic coming-of-age story about a young guy leaving America with his friend to face the "old," the "real" Wild West in Mexico. Throw in some bonfire scenes, a lot of horses, some more violence, plenty of untranslated Spanish dialogue, and some heartwarming romance elements, and you get the picture. So if you find profound beauty in wild horses galloping through a vast landscape, you will love this book. I really don't. More than once, it reminded me of the intro to Kanye West’s "Bound 2" video…that's how schmaltzy and clichéd the imagery gets in parts. I am highly interested in McCarthy’s broader philosophical views and hoped this book would complement my insight into his Gesamtkunstwerk. Instead, in my opinion, it only weakens his oeuvre. All the classic themes (death, evil, fate…) are technically there, but they are presented in such a flat and dull way. Even language-wise, it doesn't play in the same league as [b:Blood Meridian|394535|Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West|Cormac McCarthy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1701688704l/394535._SY75_.jpg|1065465] or [b:Sutree|133297781|Sutree|Cormac McCarthy|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-1b903c9eac1b2ba789662c08a0ae41e6.png|1196119]. More often it reads like a movie script. [b:All the Pretty Horses|469571|All the Pretty Horses (The Border Trilogy, #1)|Cormac McCarthy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1706386113l/469571._SY75_.jpg|1907621] is definitely McCarthyism for beginners. A McCarthy Light to Go. Brokeback mountain but unfortunately without the fumbling.