Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

All the Pretty Horses is a novel by American author Cormac McCarthy published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1992. It was a bestseller, winning both the U.S. National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. It is the first of McCarthy's "Border Trilogy".

The novel tells of John Grady Cole, a 16-year-old who grew up on his grandfather's ranch in San Angelo, Texas. The boy was raised for a significant part of his youth, perhaps 15 of his 16 years, by a family of Mexican origin who worked on the ranch; he is a native speaker of Spanish and English. The story begins in 1949, soon after the death of John Grady's grandfather when Grady learns the ranch is to be sold. Faced with the prospect of moving into town, Grady instead chooses to leave and persuades his best friend, Lacey Rawlins, to accompany him. Traveling by horseback, the pair travel southward into Mexico, where they hope to find work as cowboys.

The book was adapted as a 2000 film starring Matt Damon and Penélope Cruz and directed by Billy Bob Thornton.

This is one I really want to read. I have seen the movie but not read the book. Movie has been such a long time ago not sure I will remember much.

The Border Trilogy is a series of novels by the American author Cormac McCarthy: All the Pretty Horses 1992, The Crossing 1994, and Cities of the Plain 1998.

If interested: The trilogy revolves around the coming of age and adventures of two young cowboys, John Grady Cole and Billy Parham, and is mainly set on the border between the Southwestern United States and Mexico.[

I read this at the end of March to get a jump start. I borrowed my copy from my dad who's read everything McCarthy has written. I really enjoyed McCarthy's writing style and the characters he describes. Grady is especially interesting.
But there are some moments that are quite sad and deeply unfair. I haven't read a lot of Westerns but I have read Shane which was more optimistic. All the Pretty Horses was somewhat depressing at points, especially when Grady and Rawlins are taken to prison.
I did find the Mexican history related by Alejandra's grandmother interesting too.
I definitely want to read more McCarthy!

I want to read all of McCarthy's books, too!

I've just started this. The only McCarthy I've read is Blood Meridian. The Border Trilogy sounded conventional to me by comparison, but he still has the same sparse, beautiful writing.

(My family has two copies each of the second two books in the trilogy, for some reason, but I had to track down this one from a secondhand bookstore.)

Vince wrote: "I've just started this. The only McCarthy I've read is Blood Meridian. The Border Trilogy sounded conventional to me by comparison, but he still has the same sparse, beautiful writing.

(My family ..."
That's pretty funny! At least you have the set now!

I’ve also read this book in March. This was my second book from him ( first one was The Road in January) I thouroughly enjoyed this read, sparking a desire to not only complete the series but also explore his entire bibliography.
Really happy the group suggested this book. As a French-Canadian city girl, Western literature holds a unique point of view, presenting a world completely different from our own. It’s very interesting!

Glad you are joining in on this one Vince, I find it more romantic than
Blood Meridian. BM is in a totally different rhelm of a coming of age story.

I will start this book tomorrow or even today.

I've finished this book today, successfully. Here's my review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Luis, Glad you really enjoyed this FWC!!

Lesle wrote: "Luis, Glad you really enjoyed this FWC!!"

Yes, I liked it. And I enjoyed so much of this author.

I am reading Blood Meridian and yes, like Leslie said it is completely different from Pretty Horses. Not sure I like it but I am at the beginning.

His lack of sentence structure (normal) makes it a little more difficult to read until you get used to it. Pretty much his use of words make it an incredible picture of the scences passing by.

BM is a bit gritty and violent that is the harshness of the time of history.

I finished this last night and loved it. Cole almost seemed like he was from another time; it was hard to remember he was just 16, and even harder to remember that the book was set in the 50s.

The imagery was very vivid ("transported into the landscape" is a cliche I try to avoid, but it's so fitting in this case); in combination with a plot that's high on character development and low on "events" I can certainly see why it was chosen for a screen adaptation.

4 Stars and my review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Hoping to watch the movie soon.