All the Pretty Horses book review

I am a big fan of Cormac McCarthy’s honest depictions of the unforgiving Old West. Naturally, I thought I should read his best-selling novel, All the Pretty Horses, so that’s exactly what I did! Here is our All the Pretty Horses book review and book banter.

Back in 1949, two young men, teenagers really, decide to run away from their border-town homes in Texas. They want to experience the idyllic and unbridled, free life of a cowboy in Mexico.

Fortunately, both young men have ranching experiences, and know how to survive in the wild. Along the way, they meet up with another very young outcast who is also running away, and who is also hoping for something better in life.

Together, they ride their horses, shoot game to survive, and camp out in the hills. Alone, they face their own fears, questions about life, and even experience forbidden romance.

Unfortunately, unplanned moments of chaos unravel all of their idyllic plans for a better life.

One boy faces his overwhelming fear of thunderstorms. Another faces a wealthy Mexican family who does not want their daughter involved with a poor ranch hand from the United States.

Together, they all confront their fears of dying at a young age, and not living out their dreams for a better life. In other words, chaos threatens to turn all their dreams into dust, while they are far away from home in Mexico.

Like many of us, John Grady Cole has had troubling family life issues. He’s only 16-years-old, and he’s coping with the pain of his mother leaving home. In addition, John is wondering what he will do with his life as adulthood approaches. He seems to have limited options.

So, just like many of us, he decides to run away from his troubled home-life, and create a new life. He wants to start over again. For John, that means taking his horse, some supplies, and heading to Mexico to live a free and unbridled life as a cowboy.

Fortunately, John knows horses, and loves working with them, so he hopes to find meaningful work on a ranch. So, will John survive in Mexico? And, will he find a job where he can work with horses, the one thing he loves most in life?

Unfortunately, despite being the main protagonist, I didn’t feel much empathy for John Grady Cole. To me, he seemed to have no character flaws. Usually, the characters in McCarthy’s novels have some serious character flaws.

However, I could understand Cole’s motivations, especially when he wanted to run away and start a new life.

Rawlins is John Grady Cole’s best friend. He’s a little older than John, so he has a more rational, adult outlook on life. Still, he is also not happy with his life in small-town-Texas, so he is also eager to start life all over again.

Together, Lacey Rawlins agrees to run away with John Grady Cole, in the hopes of living an independent and rewarding life as a cowboy. Fortunately, Rawlins and Cole make a good team—both are experienced ranch hands, and love working with horses.

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel much empathy for this character, either. Nevertheless, he was believable, and I could understand his motivations.

This poor young guy, Jimmy Blevins, latches onto Cole and Rawlins early in their life-altering adventures in Mexico. As the story progressed, I felt more and more sad and sorry about this unwanted guy’s seemingly wretched life.

While we don’t learn much-of-anything about his background, I suspected that Blevins (which probably wasn’t his real name) had been an unwanted orphan. However, I am not sure about that. Either way, he must have had a very unhappy life, so far.

However, Blevins demonstrated his valuable survival skills to the two older runaways. For instance, he was an expert sharpshooter, and he new how to handle horses.

Surprisingly, this seemingly desperate, poor young boy was riding a very expensive-looking horse. Later, that horse would get everybody into a lot of hair-raising trouble. Not surprisingly, some of them might not make it out alive.

Unfortunately, maybe because he had been an unwanted child, Blevins desperately clung to the two older young men. And, as the story progressed, we learn that this wanna-be desperado is also very sensitive and superstitious.

Overall, I really empathized with the Blevins character. And, even though he wasn’t the main protagonist, I feel he was one of the most important and most moving characters in this story.

As a beautiful and wealthy latina, Alejandra is used to having the attention of men and boys wherever she goes. In this case, her father owns a ranch with lots of horses in Mexico.

And one day, two hungry, scruffy, and unkempt young gringos wander onto their large estancia. They are famished, and the welcoming staff feed them.

After recovering, they start working as ranch hands. Soon, Alejandra notices John Grady Cole as he relentlessly tames a corral full of broncos.

Naturally, she is quietly smitten with this seemingly magical young cowboy. Of course, John notices her beauty immediately, and they soon begin their forbidden love affair.

As Alejandra’s quiet but principled father, Don Héctor de Rocha y Villareal is a careful guardian of the family’s large Mexican ranch. Not surprisingly, he is also a careful protector of his beautiful daughter, Alejandra.

Of course, Alejandra’s father was very impressed as he learned of John Grady Cole’s prowess in taming his herd of wild broncos. But, as he learns of the illicit, budding romance between the young ranch hand and his beautiful daughter, he grows more concerned.

Would he put an end to their romance? Or, would he eliminate his problem the old fashioned way—with violence?

Alejandra’s grandaunt, Alfonsa, develops a grudging respect for John Grady Cole. At the same time, this aged guardian of the family’s honor and wealth, eventually forbids Alejandra from seeing Cole again.

Throughout their interactions, Cole develops a deep respect for Alfonsa. He learns all about her eventful history during the Mexican Revolution, and how it was up to her to ultimately protect Alejandra and the ranch.

Between the grandaunt and Alejandra’s father, the forbidden young love seems doomed. But, can the two lovers find a way to unite their love in marriage?

As is the case in all of Cormac McCarthy’s novels, there are other compelling and interesting characters. One is a local Mexican ‘peace officer’, who often bends or breaks the rules to keep the locals happy.

Another is a wealthy and influential prisoner in a brutal Mexican jail. This man helps Cole by giving him survival advice, but also warns him of impending doom.

And finally, there is a judge in Texas who sees all the good aspects in John Grady Cole. He patiently listens to his story, and is a final arbiter of right and wrong in an otherwise cruel, unforgiving world.

This film adaptation for All the Pretty Horses is a few decades old by now. For me, the book looks much better. The movie looks too happy, but the book felt more real, more dramatically overpowering. But, that’s just my opinion!

I especially appreciate Cormac McCarthy’s uniquely immersive writing style. In a way, the author’s words flow without restraint, almost as if you are reading the character’s mind and feeling each emotional upheaval.

For me, the author’s bare writing style, without quotations marks, or without commas or pauses or even periods, reminds me of the renowned stream-of-consciousness authors like Virginia Woolf or James Joyce, or even J.D. Salinger.

They all use a similar style where the text flows from one moment to the next. It paints haunting moods of foreboding, or uplifting moods like hope for another moment of life and romance.

FINAL VERDICT:

Cormac McCarthy’s award-winning novel (National Book Award), All the Pretty Horses, started out by setting the stage. We meet the characters, and begin to empathize with their plights.

For me, the secondary character of Jimmy Blevins really engaged me. His plight seemed hopeless, but that was what was so riveting.

I empathized with this guy, and his story was compelling. In fact, Blevins was almost more spellbinding than the main character, John Grady Cole.

Blevins had more character flaws, and that is what made him interesting.

Unfortunately, after the initial few chapters, I had to force myself to continue reading. I just could not get engaged with Cole’s character. Maybe he was too ordinary—he didn’t seem to have any character flaws.

On the other hand, the young Jimmy Blevins had lots of character flaws. And, as the story continued, Blevins’ flaws was what got everybody else into trouble, and that’s what really compelled me to keep reading.

For me, the romance between Cole and Alejandra was boring. It was too stereotypical. Don’t get me wrong—the romance was believable, but it wasn’t compelling!

However, as the story continued, bad things began to pile up, and the character flaws for each person were exposed raw. Slowly, I became so absorbed that it was difficult to stop reading.

By the last few chapters, I was so caught up in the elegant beauty of the author’s phrases, and the poignant conversations between the good and the bad guys. Oh, it was so good!

As I finished reading this book, I marveled at the author’s unrivaled talent. He conjured up such bleak, hopeless, but also magical images of living life—of the lives of each character in this poetic story, and of our lives, too!

Thanks for reading our All the Pretty Horses book review and book banter. If you’ve read this novel, or saw the film adaptation, please share you thoughts in the comments section below!

Content and photos by Doug Martin and Our Book Banter