All the Pretty Horses

The Border Trilogy, Book One

By: Cormac McCarthy

Narrated by: Frank Muller

Cormac McCarthy is a quiet, unassuming presence in American fiction today, but like the slow, measured voices of many of his characters, he speaks with an authority and conviction that demands an audience. All the Pretty Horses, McCarthy's sixth novel, is a cowboy odyssey for modern times. Set in the late 1940s, it features the travels and toils of a 16-year-old East Texan named John Grady Cole, caught in the agonizing purgatory between adolescence and adulthood.

At the start of the novel, Cole's grandfather has just died, his parents have permanently separated, and the family ranch, upon which he had placed so many boyish hopes, has been sold. Rootless and increasingly restive, Cole leaves Texas, accompanied by his friend Lacey Rawlins, and begins a journey across the vaquero frontier into the badlands of northern Mexico. In spite of its hard realities and spare telling, All the Pretty Horses is a lyrical and richly romantic story, chronicling - along with the erosion of the frontier - the loss of an era.

©1992 Cormac McCarthy (P)1992 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

National Book Award, 1992

"This is a novel so exuberant in its prose, so offbeat in its setting and so mordant and profound in its deliberations that one searches in vain for comparisons in American literature." (Publishers Weekly)

Stupendously Magnificent

This is a book of such astounding magnificence it is hard to believe. In 50 years of reading fiction I have rarely, if ever, come across such proud literary merit. I have read other Cormack McCarthy books and had developed great respect for his talent, but "All The Pretty Horses" is a masterpiece. The presentation is also the best I've ever encountered with Audiobooks. Don't miss it.

McCarthy is just a great writer

Another stark, gut wrenching window into the depths of a soul by McCarthy. He is such a powerful writer and captures the horror and beauty of humanity, and "all the Pretty Horses" just does that. The book will leave you raw and disquieted and wondering what does anything mean.....powerful writing!

Vaqueros

The author is matched by the narrator in this tale of adventure and loss.

An ending that will do to a story that should never have been. This won't make you feel good, happy, satisfied, angry, excited, or mournful. The events and dialogue are mostly matter of fact and down to earth with little dramatic flare.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. I believed it happened and could happen again. It's difficult to describe the feelings evoked or ignored by this work and that's precisely what makes McCarthy's writing so compelling.

A flat out masterpiece

I had tears in my eyes more than once while listening to this story. It is a masterpiece, narrated by a master, Frank Muller.

A World of It's Own

A western set in Texas and Mexico with description and detail that create a real feeling place and story. I listened to it in one sitting.

outstanding narration!!

the novel is obviously amazing, however, I was pleasantly surprised by how well done the narration is.

Long, slow, mesmerizing.

I really don't quite know what to say about this book. There were things I didn't like, such as the slow progress, but maybe that is why I couldn't stop listening. Along the journey I learned a lot about Mexico in the '40s. I learned about unspeakable poverty. I learned about accepting things we can't change. The poetic language kept me enthralled. But I'm not sure I would read/listen to another book by this author. A little too depressing.

A wonderful story.

I have postponed reading this book for a long time. I am such a fan of MCcarthy's work, yet, having read the description of this book, I just wasn't sure it was for me.
Boy, was I wrong. All the Pretty Horses is as faithful, and honest a book as one could hope for, carrying Cormac McCarthy's name. So many hints of his other works, It feels like putting on an old shirt. Comfortable and familiar.
I loved it, and am now on to the next in the series.

A deep, wild book...

All The Pretty Horses is remarkable. It’s a deep, wild, soft-spoken, and somber book that is profound literature of another era. Listen to this book as you would to great poetry or ancient tales of quests or voyages into the unknown. I understand all of the one star reviews—this is rare work and not for everyone. But don’t be put off by the bad reviews if you’re partial to literature that goes deep and spares nothing...

Awesome

A supreme example from the greatest living author in our time and one of the greatest of all times!