From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
I have heard that Cormac McCarthy is the greatest living author. Well, I don't know about that, but I can tell you that this first book in the Border Trilogy is beautifully written. Loved the landscape and the characters. I felt as though I was right there riding with the teenage cowboys in Mexico.
I have only one complaint. I don't know Spanish (I took French and Italian). There was a lot of Spanish in this book without any translation. Although, I was able to figure many things out. I think it ...more
I have only one complaint. I don't know Spanish (I took French and Italian). There was a lot of Spanish in this book without any translation. Although, I was able to figure many things out. I think it ...more
Very lyrical book, with a dreamy first half and a jolting, suspenseful second. The descriptions of west Texas are spot-on (and I am guessing that the terrain doesn't change too much immediately over the border, so this could be right for McCarthy's prose on northern Mexico as well). The landscape was so eerie and the ripping away of innocence so jarring, that I finished the book and felt the world was bleak. Though it may not be a feeling we want to feel, that an author can completely convince u
...more
A taut, disturbing, heavy story about three riders--one uninvited--who cross from Texas into Mexico, and end up in various kinds of difficult situations. McCarthy's prose is taut, heavy, dense, and beautiful (and unconventional). This is Vol. 1 in McCarthy's Border Trilogy; looking forward to reading the next 2 volumes as well.
...more
Much information about the people who live across the Texas border in Mexico.
Sparely written but beautifully done, and really packs a punch in its final third.
McCarthy's writing style is not for me. The lack of quotation marks and commas drove me nuts. he's also too vague in some parts of the story and then goes into huge details about the landscape.
...more
His prose is spare, descriptive, poetic and immersive. It's a cowboy adventure with depth.
...more
Jun 24, 2009
Catherine
marked it as to-read
Dec 12, 2012
Kent Winward
added it
Jun 15, 2013
Wanda
marked it as to-read
Jun 26, 2013
Ginger
marked it as to-read
Feb 08, 2016
Dana Arbelaez
marked it as to-read
Jul 01, 2018
Brenda
marked it as to-read
Nov 26, 2019
Kathy Jo
marked it as to-read
May 12, 2023
Melissa
marked it as to-read
Jun 13, 2023
Crystal
marked it as to-read
Jun 29, 2025
Janet
marked it as to-read
Aug 09, 2025
Davida "Davi"
marked it as to-read
