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All the Pretty Horses
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All the Pretty Horses - Through the End
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Tamara
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rated it 5 stars
Apr 18, 2014 08:08PM
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I finished. The longer I read, the less distracting I found the writing. Although I came to appreciate what the author was creating and the skill behind it, I never really found a foot hold into this story. It was an alien culture to begin with an I never connected with the characters nor the situation. It was a pleasant enough read, but I don't think it will stay with me very long.
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I thought there was so much awesome action in the last third of this book, but not typical gross McCarthy action, not too bloody and graphic.
I also super loved the scene with the judge. It was an interesting juxtaposition with the lawmakers in Mexico regarding the same horse.
I'm excited to see where this story goes. It obviously keeps going because there's a whole trilogy, and I am looking forward to reading the other two books this summer. Side reads anyone?!
Okay so I think I might have a lot to say about this one...this is my first McCarthy novel and according to the shelves it won't be my last. I have two remarks in regards to this: Foremost, the first McCarthy novel I attempted ending up on my did not finish shelf (I just couldn't get into the mofo) and second, this one I managed to not only enjoy but to realize that it's the first in a trilogy which I wish to endeavor to read (sigh). Clearly, I have mixed aspirations when it comes to this author. Hence, the reason I struggled so with .... what was it?... Oh right, Blood Meridian. Alas, that book was immensely reflective on Cormac's aptness at freaking elaboration. This is my struggle - Description to the point wherein I lose all interest. I mean the sunset took a chapter to remark upon?! This latter statement is of course an elaboration but albeit, I cannot sustain interest in his oftentimes overly illustrative account of loading a freaking gun, maddening scenery or the complex task of saddling horses that do not feel myself totally glazing over. Regardless, somehow this book managed to grasp ahold of me and severely maintain my interest (via the storyline and its grittiness). Furthermore, it oftentimes caused major pause and appreciation in my skimming of the beauty of his prose... "He listened to the wind in the emptiness and watched stars trace the arc of the hemisphere and die in the darkness at the edge of the world as he lay there in agony in his heart was like a stake. He imagined the pain of the world to be like some formless parasitic being seeking out he warmth of human souls wherein to incubate and he thought he knew hat made one liable to its visitations. What he had not known was that it was mindless and so had no way to know the limits of whose souls and what he feared was that there might not be no limits". Possibly, I was rash and impatient with McCarthy previously. I am glad I stuck in there for this one, for John Grady, I must see what will come.
Oh right, I almost forgot why I right reviews... so I can remember what the frack the book was about. Right, John Grady (mad props) the main character, endeavors to run his family ranch. Well, that shit doesn't pan out. So, what does he do? Well saddles up and meanders into Mexico with his bad ass self. Now please note that when I say bad ass I am certainly not referring to some character whose bad moves reflect some dumb ass self. Oh no, this cowboy has mad integrity, humility included. What a down and dirty straightforward champ. Anyways, adventures follow. And, I'm Cormac McCarthy sold out.
Tamara wrote: "I finished too! I finished a few days ago and can't stop thinking about how much I enjoyed this book, which completely surprised me because I haven't like anything else that I've read by McCarthy a..."Feel the same way! Question. why did those cowboys stalking him and the captain let his ass go?
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this is my first McCarthy novel and according to the shelves it won't be my last. I have two remarks in regards to this: Foremost, the fi..."
I was also enamored with McCarthy's prose in this book. It never waxed poetic for too long but was absolutely beautiful.
John Grady is definitely one of my favorite literary characters at this point. I think I might have a crush on him.
Also, I think those cowboys let him go because they wanted the captain, not him, for some sort of revenge, but of course he didn't know that until they let him go scott free.
Will you be reading the whole trilogy? I want to.
I also never felt connected to the characters or situation. I did enjoy the novel from the jail part onwards, but really struggled with the beginning part. It was jumpy and I was rereading lots of pages and paragraphs to try and figure out what was going on.I thought it was ok but I don't think it interested me enough to read the other novels in the trilogy.
And I finished. I'm glad we chosen this book, I had fun reading it. I gave it eventually 3 stars, mostly because of the very end of the book (otherwise it would be 4).What I liked was McCarthy ability to change narrative and the way he played with the genre. There’s western, but unlike the western stories our hero was not able to get the girl, to outwit his enemies (even El Capitan is taken over by Men of the Country so Grady was unable to fully take revenge), to win the ranch. Then we have a romance story. However, in a pivotal moment when everything seems to be lost and romantic protagonist, Grady is declaring love the future is not turning bright and “happily ever after”. Instead, Alejandra expresses her self-doubt, saying she doesn’t know him, doesn’t know what kind of men he is.
What I didn’t like, although I’m sure it was done on purpose, was the fact that apart from Grady almost everybody else seems like a background for him. Motives of other characters are vogue. It’s never shown how the experience that Rawlins or Alejandra shared with John Grady affected them. The only character that was given the voice, apart from Grady, was Dona Alfonsa. And the part when she’s telling her story I loved the most. I felt like she was the most complex character in the story and I regret she wasn’t showcased more.
The end of the book was just bad, in my opinion. To pushy, condescending even. Purity of Grady character was almost annoying too me. It was showcased in too didactic manner. Maybe it’s my problem, maybe I’m too cynical or maybe it’d be better if instead of giving everything on the plate, in a lecture manner McCarthy left the judgment to the reader.
I read this book several years ago -- long enough ago that I remember few details. It has been great to read everyone's take on it and refresh my memory on some of the story. I do remember absolutely loving it and wallowing in McCarthy's prose. I have always wanted to read more of McCarthy's work, but have only read The Road, which I also like (I like dystopian fiction a great deal). They were so different and I read them so far apart that it's hard to compare the two.
Well, I finished and have to say I really liked this one! I would definitely read the rest of the series as side-reads with you. I really like how the prose described the settings without going on too long. Kamil, like you, I really enjoyed Dona Alfonsa's stories and the little wisdom-kernels she shared with Cole.
Rawlins seemed to be giving Blevins an unduly hard time at the beginning and maybe it was that he saw himself in him. That could also be why he had such a hard time with the goodbye, even long after it was done.
When I first read about Blevin's walk with the Captain out to the field, I thought that the scene was abrupt and lacked closure, but the more I think about it, isn't that how most of those walks we face finish?
Hi, I'm new here, just joined as you are reading this. I've just finished it, and although it took a while to get used to the writing style, I found the narrative voice stayed with me, almost haunting - in fact I just started reading another book, totally different style, but found I'm not ready to read anything else yet, I need to read more McCarthy! I have the other two books in the trilogy, so I might just have to read them straightaway! I loved the descriptive writing and although I don't know much about horses, it didn't seem to matter at all.
I finished AtPH this morning. I loved it. It's the third McCarthy novel I've read, and it compared very favourably to the other two (Blood Meridian and The Road). His prose style always takes me twenty or so pages to get back into, but once I'm immersed I always think it's some of the best I've ever read.I thought Cole was a great character, albeit one with superhuman reserves of tenacity for a sixteen-year-old. McCarthy allows the youthfulness of Rawlins and Cole to come to the surface just often enough to remind the reader that they really are that young.
This novel won't haunt me the same way that The Road and Blood Meridian did, but it was a joy to read, and I'll certainly be following up the rest of the trilogy.
I read this book for the first time near 20 years ago. It was my first McCarthy book. I got hooked. I read the rest of the trilogy then everything else the man wrote.I find myself going back to these stories. The seeming simplicity. The language masks a deeper complexity. This is as a good as a coming of age story as it gets.
Great choice, Laura Jean! I read this book about ten years ago and somehow in that time completely forgot about the jail sections. Guess I was only interested in the love story the first time around! A lot of people have mentioned Blood Meridian and The Road. I'm curious what people think about why ATPH is so much less gruesome. There are some gross scenes here, but for McCarthy this is positively PG-13. Even Rawlins' torture scene goes on without graphic description--it is barely alluded to. I can't help but wonder if its relative cleanness has played a role in its popularity (especially when compared with Blood Meridian). And I wonder too if some of this relates to Cole's character. Violence happens to him and around him (as the aunt points out), but only when there are others nearby who are themselves disposed to violence. His time at the ranch is essentially edenic (complete with an Eve figure, no less), and certainly not defined by violence (except, noticeably, the careless violence of the immature young men at the dance who drive by throwing beer cans). Still, reading this book against something like Blood Meridian (which takes place in the late 1840s, almost exactly 100 years before ATPH), it's hard not to read McCarthy's version of Mexico as a place where violence is always bubbling out, just barely contained, and certainly not controllable. That's very different from how things go for Cole back in the US, where he can be charged with theft of a horse, have the proceedings decorously worked out in a court of law, and then later visit the judge for moral rather than legal absolvement. I can't decide whether or not Cole, on some level, wants the kind of violence he imagines is still present in Mexico (but supposedly no longer present in the US).
Darcy wrote: "Great choice, Laura Jean! I read this book about ten years ago and somehow in that time completely forgot about the jail sections. Guess I was only interested in the love story the first time aroun..."Interesting points Darcy. I've read only The Road, so I do not really have a scale to compare in regards with violence, but as for popularity of All The Pretty Horses I've read that while McCarthy's earlier works were circulating basically in critics and more advance readers circles, making him kind of a sophisticated treat, few things were made differently with ATPH publicity. He gave a review to New York Times before publishing this novel, a thing he hardly ever done before (it's said that this time he was convinced by his publisher). Then there was a few favorable reviews of ATPH in the same newspaper and the book was recommended as a great summer read (which I find a bit controversial). For the first time in his career there was a buzz surrounding publication of his novel. It debuted quite high on NYT Bestseller list and then the awords etc.
Yeah, I can see how his willingness to (somewhat) market the book would have played a role. I remember when The Road was chosen by Oprah and he went on the show--I was really surprised that he had agreed to do so given his previous disinclination for that sort of thing. Still, I can't help but wonder if ATPH was chosen for lists and reviewed in part because it is less gory than some of his previous works. In other words, ATPH perhaps struck some fans of McCarthy as the kind of McCarthy novel that more mainstream readers could finally get into. Imagine recommending Blood Meridian as a summer read--probably not going to happen. There's something sweet about ATPH, though, with its emphasis on the romance, the bond between Rawlins and Grady, and even the clear love of horses that comes through in the novel. You don't really get much of that in some of his previous works.
