Ride with John Grady Cole through Texas into Mexico in Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses. When sixteen-year old Cole realizes at his grandfather’s funeral that his ranch home will most likely be sold (by his estranged mother), he sets out for a better life in Mexico. He takes his horse and his buddy, Rawlins. Not long after they set out, they come across another young man named Blevins. Cole welcomes him into their group, shares his food and tries to learn more about the stranger. Most impressive to Cole is Blevins’ magnificent horse. Rawlins, however, feels uneasy about both Blevins and his horse. He thinks they’ll lead to trouble—and they soon find out which man’s feeling is right.
McCarthy’s lyrical style takes a few pages to adapt to, yet the effort is worthwhile. His description of the Texan landscape and Mexican villages is realistic and leaves readers feeling as if they are riding alongside the main characters. McCarthy’s depiction of old Mexico is honest—harsh and raw, yet hopeful and full of beauty. Readers who enjoyed McCarthy’s The Road or are looking for a memorable story/series (Border Trilogy) will enjoy All the Pretty Horses. ( )

Great coming of age story in the west. Well developed characters and interactions ( )

More user-friendly than The Road and No Country for Old Men ( )

Delusione. McCarthy - a mio parere - è uno dei più grandi scrittori viventi. Nei suoi libri ci sono semptre una padronanza perfetta della materia narrativa, un assoluto controllo del linguaggio, un uso sapiente delle parole, dosate e spesso centellinate ma proprio per questo ancora più incisive. In questo libro queste caratteristiche - invece di produrre un congegno letterario a orologeria - hanno dato vita a una narrazione che spesso mi pare gratuita e priva di mordente. ( )

I first "read" this book as an audiobook years ago. I loved it then, but I have to say, I loved reading it much more. McCarthy has some incredibly large, beautiful sentences throughout this book. His sense of feeling and detail permeates even the most rough scenes in the story. This will truly sit in my rereading list.

A few noteworthy observations (spoiler alert!!): The character Lacey Rawlins clearly holds Jimmy Blevins in contempt at the beginning of the book; this is witnessed repeatedly and John Grady Cole is the voice of reason and caring. It struck me late in the book, after Jimmy is no longer around, how it becomes clear that Lacey really did care and felt the weight of sadness and guilt on the way life unfolded for him. McCarthy captures these feelings with a minimum of text and a maximum of power. ( )