All The Pretty Horses

ALL THE PRETTY HORSES
by Cormac McCarthy

 Awards: National Book Winner 1992, National Book Critics Circle Winner 1992

 Date Read: February 12, 2019

 I continually wonder what happened in McCarthy's life to make him the author of such tragic tales. Lordy! All The Pretty Horses is yet another heartbreaking novel written with exquisite beauty. After reading this novel for the first 30 pages or so, the plot felt so familiar to me and I realized I had seen the movie at some point in my past.

 John Grady Cole is a cowboy who, along with his friend Lacey, decide to head into Mexico to find work as cowboys. John is only 16. Before crossing into Mexico, John and Lacey encounter a young boy named Blevins, who is clearly riding a stolen horse and Blevins shortly loses the horse and his pistol in a thunderstorm. This chance encounter will be the undoing of John and Lacey.

 John and Lacey travel further south and find work on a large ranch and John falls in love with the owners' beautiful daughter Alejandra. Against better judgement, they begin an intense affair, which is quickly found out by Alejandra's family. Largely because of this, John and Lacey are arrested by Rangers and are hopelessly imprisoned, being attacked every moment by other prisoners. They realize they are not going to survive. Both do survive after Alejandra's family intercedes, with the condition John never contact Alejandra again.

 The ending of this novel really touched me as both men end up safely back in the US and John returns Lacey's horse. It wasn't saying good bye to young love, but the two friends encountering each other again, after everything they had been through and realizing they won't ever see each other again. The finality of this scene was truly touching and displays all the reasons McCarthy is a masterful storyteller.

 Looking Back: The Road

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