Cormac McCarthy
All the Pretty Horses (1992)
Author: Cormac McCarthy
Genre: Western/Literary
Plot Summary:
Sixteen-year old John Grady sees that his life in Texas is not progressing as he would like. His father is apathetic and lonely, and his mother is always away and adamant about selling the family’s ranch. So John Grady and his best friend Rawlins abruptly leave their lives in Texas and head to Mexico on horseback. Along the way they meet a young boy, Jimmy Blevins, who takes up with them. Blevins loses all of his belongings in a storm and coerces John Grady and Rawlins to help him steal back his horse from the men who find and take it. In doing so, all three become outlaws. John Grady and Rawlins get away and find work as caretakers for a wealthy man’s horses. While there, John Grady falls in love with the rich man’s daughter. The combination of his forbidden love and the boys’ past association with Blevins contribute to their eventual incarceration, where they are reunited with Blevins, who is then murdered at the hands of police. After being set free, John Grady finds that his love refuses to be with him and so heads back to Texas, where he tries to come to terms with all that has happened to him.
Geographical Setting: Texas and Mexico
Time Period: 1940s
Series: Border Trilogy, #1
Appeal Characteristics:
The story mostly consists of the relationships between the main characters and their values and struggles. The pace is slow. A major appeal element would be the integration of horses throughout. The book might also appeal to those interested in: Texan and Mexican landscape, rural life in Mexico, the friendship between two independent young men, a quiet yet strong protagonist, and survival in the Texas and Mexican countryside. The main characters also discuss major issues of life, morality and faith intermittently; the philosophical undertones may appeal to some readers. While the romance plays a significant role in the story, the book does not really examine the relationship but rather the forbidden romance within Mexican culture and history. The intended audience is broad.
Red Flags: There is profanity throughout. There is some description of violence. There are references to sexual activity but no explicit description.
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