Rating: Summary: A Book I couldn't put down. Review: I finally read this book after having it in my possession from about 92? Whenever it was released. I could not put the book down from day one; the sometimes comical adventures of the two boys, and their progress toward Mexico is entertaining. However lacking Spanish translations I was unable to understand most of the Spanish dialogues! The boys do seem quite mature for their age, though, but all in all it is an excellent read, especially if one is inclined toward Western reads or loves horses as I most certainly do.
Rating: Summary: More readable than Faulkner- barely Review: I would consider this a masterpiece but for one thing- large amounts of the dialog is in Spanish. I damn myself for quiting on Spanish after the Ninth grade but that self-criticism doesn't help me now. This would make a great movie but for the fact that there are few talented, serious directors left in film.
Rating: Summary: This book is as realistic as unicorns! Review: I had to read reviews to see what I was missing and I still don't get it. The hero is no 16 year old. He reminds me of McGiver on horseback. Descriptions are the only realistic element to the book. I'll pass on the rest of the triology.
Rating: Summary: The parthenon of literature Review: Briefly noted: McCarthy's body of work has thus far been compared to: Homer, Dante, Milton, Cervantes, Shakespeare, Melville, Faulkner, Joyce, Woolf. Among others. Need we explicate further?
Rating: Summary: Dissapointing after all the hype Review: You too can be Cormac McCarthy--here's how: 1) plunk down interchangable teenage cowboy parts into approapriate southwestern landscape (this lack of individuated character apparently counts as mythic power these days. 2) kill off the most interesting characters before the second act. 3) Make sure interchangable teenage cowboy parts eventually land in jail where they have painful, violent experiences (apparently considered "rites of passage" to manhood). 3) Neglect to write a convincing or engaging ending. 4)Omit any sense of humor and be sure to take yourself quite seriously--after all, these ain't westerns, they's lit-rit-chure! Congratualtions. You have written both "All the Pretty Horses" and the darker (and better) "Blood Meridian" ("The Crossing," too, from what I hear). Perhaps I exaggerate. But it is a little disconcerting to get the earthy, believeable, Hemmingway-esque dialogue jammed next to the Faulkerian flights of literary fancy--sort of like mixing champagne and whiskey. And sure, you're better off reading McCarthy than most of the dreck that captures the reading public's jaundiced eye, but how much is that saying? For my money, Larry McMurtry may finally be repeating himself as much as McCarthy does, but at least he's got a sense of humor and doesn't take himself anywhere near as seriously.
Rating: Summary: Lyrically written novel echoes nursery rhyme and Edwin Muir. Review: McCarthy's lyrical novel has its origins in the nursery rhyme "All the Pretty Little Horses", emphasizing the rhyme's two-part structure of soothing, comforting images, and the bleak, harsh reality of the natural world. It also may have its roots in the poetry of Edwin Muir, particularly the images of "Horses": "so wild and strange, / Like magic power ...", "Their hooves like pistons in an ancient mill", etc. The apocalyptic sequel, by Muir, "The Horses" offers correspondences with the malevolence of the earth, and yet the centrality of horses to human endeavours. Besides these literary allusions and those to Faulkner's prose structures, McCarthy has written a beautifully pained evocation of man's adjustment from innocence to experience.
Rating: Summary: Best American novelist alive; possibly this century. Review: His prose and his ability to make you taste the Mexico-Texas landscape are what make him truly an extraordinary contributor to all of American literature. The way he can evoke characters, setting and theme will rock you, and remain with you for a long time. I recommend beginning with the Texas border trilogy, and then, only then, digesting on of the best books of all-time, and McCarthy's best work to date, Blood Meridien.
Rating: Summary: The best book by one of the best American authors Review: A stunning work of fiction which is tightly written and with a definite aim in mind. I would say the central idea of the story is the inability to belong in a particular place or time. McCarthy's ability to choose just the right words and sparingly but perfectly describe a place or feeling is only matched by the greatest American writers of the early part of this century. The style is distinctive and not difficult to follow after a few pages. I will eagerly await the last book of this trilogy.
Rating: Summary: One of the best! Review: This book is wonderful.A great story line filled with passion and adventure. Poetic prose that transported me to Mexico in the 40s. This is a book to be savored through the years.
Rating: Summary: A very human book Review: I am not often moved to recommend books, but this is one for which I have gone out on that limb several times. This is a quiet book. This is an emotional book. This is not a cowboy book. This is a masterpiece. One thing - girls, please don't think that McCarthy is a guy's writer...this is a very important read.
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