All the Pretty Horses

This book glows with the power that any real work of art possesses; it is not so easy to explain where it comes from, but you can feel the heat. Three teenaged riders flee the US for Mexico, each with his own reasons, and encounter a radically different culture. They discover alien savagery and beauty and risk their own destruction.

The narration is from super-reader Frank Muller, and it surpasses even his superb reading of Moby Dick. The book bears relistening very well, as I discovered as I rewound to nail down details that I missed on my first time through. I found the beginning difficult to follow at first, but it soon became crystal clear. The novel is a dark and grey and magnificent classic; I'm glad that this spoken-word edition helped me find my way into this essential work, which is part of a trilogy. I hope that the other two works become available on Audible soon.

This book is fantastic, and is read to wonderful effect. It's one of my favorite books, and audiobooks, so far. However, to achieve the effect, the narrator reads in a somewhat silent, breathy voice. I found I couldn't listen to this on my commute (all interstate at highway speed) because of road noise--I had to turn it up so loud it was painful. I'd advise not planning to listen to this in a car unless you're not on the highway or you've got a pretty silent car.

Before you listen to this book, you should understand what it is-- and more importantly what it is not. This book is not a western in the traditional sense, although it takes place in the American West as well as in Mexico. And this book is certainly not a bestseller in the popular, mass-produced, summer-blockbuster, movie-novelization sense, although it was a commercial success (Cormac McCathy's first commercial success, though his sixth novel).

Instead, this is a remarkable work of literature (it won the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award) written by a brilliant author.

This is a book for people who love language and for people who like to think. This is not a book for children or for childish adults. It is a book that is both horrifyingly beautiful and seductively horrible. It is not a book for either the fainthearted or faintminded.

This is a book that rewards the reader. I have read it four times and listened to it twice. And each time, I come away from the experience with something new, something meaningful, and something to enrich the soul.

And THAT, after all, is what literature is all about.

After reading all of McCarthy's novels and viewing the film, I must say this audible book is the rendition I enjoyed the most. Lets have more of McCarthy narrated by Frank Muller. The Crossing would be an excellent listen.

This is a great story, I loved every minute of it and was always kept on my toes, not knowing where the next chapter would lead to or how this book would end. Cormac McCarthy is a very talented writer and I will be looking for more stories from him. Frank Muller is very easy to listen to and was a perfect choice for this book.

This story is captivating and believeable. It is a tall tale about three Texan teens on a rideabout in Northern Mexico. Two of the three, Cole and Blevins, have unique, almost superhuman capabilities. Cole, who is the principled, taciturn protagonist, is extremely gifted with horses. Blevins is a gifted marksman. The third musketeer is Rollins, who is decidedly more normal. Blevins' actions regarding a horse are the fulcrum for the story which drive the characters to flee deeper into Mexico as fugitives. It is great tale of comradeship, horsemanship, revenge, justice and learning to love. The prose is brilliant at times. The narrator is pitch perfect. At the conclusion of the story we realize that our protagonist has grown through the adventures to become a scarred man of some spiritual substance. The spiritual substance is not intellectual, but has been distilled from the big Western horizons, the intrinsic goodness of horses and the complexity and creulty of men and women. It is my first Cormac McCarthy book and definitely not my last.

I listened to this book after having read it when it first came out. I liked the book enough for a repeat, and was encouraged to write this because I thought the narration was exceptional. I often get put off by bad narration even for a very good book. So thumbs up for me on a great listen.

My book club is about ten years old.
I like this book as an audio book because as I listened it became a great movie that contrasted Texas and Mexico right after WWII. We had a brief discussion about how that era was effecting (right word?) both countries. (We all live in Southern California (So Cal).
I wonder what the dream is about? A great opening for a sequel.
Have a Great Day!

There are very few books that are of this caliber. I Love this author and the narrator. It is a perfect combination of style and form. I can't recommend it enough.

WOW! This book is absolutely deserving of the National Book Award. It is not a "western" but a passage. These characters' journeys are physical and spiritual and lead the reader through a space which surpasses time and borders. John Grady Cole is a monumental character. If you love great prose and purposeful storytelling, you will adore this book. It ranks in my top five. Cormac McCarthy may be the greatest of our modern authors.