Friday, February 20, 2009

Review: All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy


Book: All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
Genre: Lit. Fiction
Rating: A
For: Lit Flicks Challenge and Awards Challenge (National Book Award 1992)


I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing, except for the fact that the author is well-known for his book The Road. I came out of the book with the idea that this author has a very unique writing style, one of those styles that you have to kinda of get into the grove and flow before you start feeling it. Know what I mean?

Luckily for me, I got in the groove and ended up really liking this book.

Basically, this is the story of John Grady Cole (LOVE that name!) who, along with his buddy, decides to take off from his home in Texas and head to Mexico, just to see what would happen I think. Along they way, they meet another kid whose story they never really learn, but he adds some excitement to their life in a big way! They end up at a big horse ranch, and make quite an impression on everyone with their horse wrangling abilities. Of course, before long a girl gets involved in it all and then things get really messy. Poor poor John Grady Cole!

Even though the writing style was quite unemotional, plain and blunt, and even a bit stream-of-conscious at times, I still totally connected to this dude, and cared about what happened to him. However, this book may not be for everyone. I stumbled upon the reviews about it over at Goodreads and wow, people are all over the board with it!

Anyway, I've rented the movie from the library, and hope to get to that this weekend, so stay tuned for that mini-review.

Other reviews:




10 comments:

  1. I have yet to read a Cormac McCarthy book, but apparently Hollywood likes his stuff for films, eh?

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  2. Good review! I agree with your assessment (plain, blunt, unemotional, stream of consciousness) but I ended up really liking this book. I read it out loud to my husband on a road trip from California to Colorado when it first came out. My husband (not a reader) was really into it too!

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  3. I am planning to start reading Cormac McCarthy this year. And I liked your review and I think it sounds like something I may like. But I am looking forward to see if that holds true! It sounds like an interesting author and I've heard so much about him by now that I feel I should check him out :-)

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  4. Several people have recommended this book to me, and I own it, but the only thing I have read by him is The Road. I liked it, though. Just a matter of working him into the reading line-up again!

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  5. I read The Crossing in my contemporary american lit (post modern) class who was taught by a real piece of work. It would take a visitation for me to read anything else by that......author. (See me being nice! I'm so WELL behaved. I need a cookie.)

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  6. I've got this waiting to be read. But I've also got The Road waiting aswell so it will be pot luck as to which comes first.

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  7. I havent read this author, but I have this book in my TBR.
    Glad you enjoyed it.
    http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

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  8. I don't know which I should read first, this one or the Road, but they're both on my TBR.

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  9. I agree with your description of the writing style. He does creat an ambience though. I felt positively dusty by the time the riders got to Mexico. I have "No Country for Old Men" waiting on the shelves but can't get myself worked up to read it.

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  10. I currently have two Cormac McCarthy books on my TBR pile (The Road, and No Country for Old Men), but it sounds like I need to add this one too!

    Make sure to add these Lit Flicks reviews to the Mister Linky on the site, so you get entries in the final drawing!

    Jessica @ The Bluestocking Society

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