Cormac McCarthy - All the Pretty Horses: Movie Tie-in Edition

Pros: Great saga, superb characterizations, thought provoking

Cons: Style is initially challenging

Review: (This is a review of the complete BORDER TRILOGY, ALL THE PRETTY HORSES is the first book in the trilogy)

I finished Cormac McCarthy's BORDER TRILOGY (ALL THE PRETTY HORSES, THE CROSSING, and CITIES OF THE PLAIN) this afternoon. I knew last...

Pros: beautiful, poetic writing

Cons: ends too quickly

Review: Here's another of my genre book reviews! I must note that I loved this book. If my analysis of ALL THE PRETTY HORSES suggests to you that I think the book failed, then I'm sorry. All I'm saying is that the book failed as a western; it succeeds...

Pros: Incredible descriptions and complex emotions

Cons: Difficult reading because of McCarthy's style

Review: All the Pretty Horses, the first book in Cormac McCarthy's The Border Trilogy, is the kind of book that pushes beyond the boundary of genre. Here, McCarthy sets up a typical western plot. John Grady, a youth, and his friend Blevins ride into Mexico...

Pros: Story, characters, setting, strength of style...

Cons: ...But that style is too easy, and sometimes dubious.

The Bottom Line: rode a horse, once. When he was 7.

Review: After reading Cormac McCarthy's stellar The Road, I immediately felt pressed to pick up the older and more popular All the Pretty Horses. Some might label the author's...

Pros: Great Entertainment

Cons: Bad guys die

Review: I think that all western movies are great for the kids and the whole family! There is something about them that make the movies so great and makes you want to watch them over and over. Now days it seems that everyone has lost touch with the western...

Pros: writing writing writing

Cons: possibly difficult to read (if you're looking for an excuse to not read it)

The Bottom Line: Highly recommended, especially for those who think American literature has lost its artistic integrity...

Review:
Cormac McCarthy writes likes he doesn't care if you ever read one of his books. Many authors, even the good ones at times, are guilty of pandering to an audience or trying a bit too hard to please others outside of themselves. From the very...

Pros: Amazing prose, stories and characters

Cons: Unusual prose may not be for everyone

Review: When I think of Westerns, I think of John Wayne and maybe Clint Eastwood. I think of hokey films where the only women are prostitutes and the only men who do good are big white guys with strong jaws. It might be a generational thing, but I've never...

Pros: An excellent story

Cons: Mr. McCarthy, please consider using more commas in the future. Do it for your readers!

Review: I liked this story very much. I felt a great deal of sympathy for the main character, John Grady Cole, and his companion, Lacey Rawlins. I thought the plot was well done and not unbelievable, and its epic-like structure adds a lot to John Grady's...

Pros: powerful prose in a simple coming-of-age tale

Cons: some passages may require translation

Review: I love stories of the American West, particularly those with stoic, rugged characters such as in Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove. John Grady Cole, protagonist in All the Pretty Horses, is pretty much a descendant of such characters. A 16-year-old...

Pros: The story!!

Cons: The writing style.

Review: I finished reading All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy a couple of
days ago. I've got good news, and I've got bad news. But maybe the
bad news is merely irritating.

All The Pretty Horses is as magnificent as Lonesome Dove, and...