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All the Pretty Horses Audiobook
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(3.00) - 37,283 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
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.
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"Great novel. Aligns itself with a lot of my personal thoughts and experiences. I have ridden my motorcycle throughout most of Texas and Coahuila (Mexico), so the descriptions of the towns and cities like Monclova (Coah), Cuatro Cienegas (Coah), Saltillo (Coah), Parras de La Fuente (Coah), Bracketville (TX), Ozona (TX), Del Rio (TX), etc., sat well with me. I've been to all of them. I can relate to the travels of the protagonists of this novel that made these travels on horseback while dealing with the weather, horse "maintenance," and other issues that come from unconventional travel. However, of greater meaning to me were the morals of the protagonists. They displayed moral and physical courage, something that I think has slipped away from today's modern, trendy, and effeminate male. My wife tells me there was a movie made of this novel. I wonder how much of it was metrosexualized by Hollywood. I will be reading the remaining novels of this trilogy for sure. Read on my Kindle."
— Michael (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Rambunctious, high-spirited…A true American original.”
— Newsweek -
“Part bildungsroman, part horse opera, part meditation on courage and loyalty.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review -
“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
Awards
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Winner of the 1992 National Book Award for Fiction
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Winner of the 1992 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction
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A New York Times bestseller
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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Nominated for the Barnes & Noble Discover Award
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An ALA Notable Book Finalist for Fiction
All the Pretty Horses Listener Reviews
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Hannah Hollahan, 1/8/2024
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" I saw the movie years ago, and finally just got around to reading this. I like McCarthy's simple writing style and how well he's able to use it to convey the passion of these cowboys, but I had a hard time picturing where they were. Maybe it was the images of Matt Damon and Penelope Cruz taking up too much space in my brain. "
— Ellen, 2/10/2014 -
" In this first volume of the Border Trilogy, the reader goes along on an adventurous ride with three "youngins" across the border to the beautiful and rugged northern area of Mexico. The adventure is sometimes comical, sometimes emotional, often dangerous, and always experiential in a beyond-the-ordinary sort of way. This adventure is beautifully presented and it is well-worth getting involved in the life-learning experiences of the three young cowboys. "
— Arlene, 2/5/2014 -
" incredible. Cormac McCarthy is a genius. His writing style is so rich without being boring. This particular story took my breath away. "
— Alyson, 2/2/2014 -
" Interesting read -- a 16-year old Texan wonders in Mexico (I think in 1950s), learning some hard knocks. I can see this book on a high school reading list, and there were some interesting thought-provoking parts. Ultimately, it's a boy's coming of age book that I just didn't get that into. "
— Dina, 1/25/2014 -
" Wow! Love this story... love John Grady. These last few pages I read and re-read so slowly. I did not want this one to end. "
— Kelsie, 1/25/2014 -
" Re-reading to teach to senior English class after Thanksgiving. "
— Jdchaffe, 1/22/2014 -
" OMG! Again, rereading to teach it. It doesn't matter how many times I read this book. It still staggers me. The Road is my favorite book of all time, but I will never read it again, the first time was too traumatic. But this one? It is always such a lush experience. "
— Dana, 1/14/2014 -
" A classic coming of age story for a reason. McCarthy's language is so beautiful and evocative, it's like reading a painting. "
— Barb, 1/10/2014 -
" Maybe even 4 1/2, a really beautiful book "
— Sholeen, 1/8/2014 -
" Pretty damn cold. Not something that made me want to read a lot more Cormac McCarthy (in fact I struggled getting through this), but I'd be lying if I weren't envious of/ impressed by his swift precision. "
— Adam, 10/20/2013 -
" a real western and not of the propoganda variety. i definately want to read the rest of the border trilogy now. i loved the gritty western imagery, and the reality of the book. the characters were real and flawed but still lovely. the best western i've ever read. "
— Lena, 10/15/2013 -
" Fantastic. I can't wait to read the rest of the Border Trilogy, "
— Lance, 8/21/2013 -
" Absolutely love this book. I spent many a college course studying Mexican history and politics, especially around the late 19th early 20th century. This book take place during this time following "two good ol boys" as they cross into Mexico from Texas. They have some crazy adventures! "
— Liz, 10/6/2012 -
" I'm pretty sure I didn't understand all there was to understand about this book. It didn't hold my interest well, and I may not read the next two books in the trilogy. "
— Ashley, 4/21/2012 -
" Loved this story about 3 young men who wanted to keep the old west alive. They had such courage and integrity. "
— Vicki, 3/14/2012 -
" Amazing. Heavy and powerful. "
— Fitgeek, 1/15/2012 -
" My least favorite McCarthy book to-date. It wasn't compelling enough to continue with the balance of the trilogy. "
— Razorboy, 9/21/2011 -
" It reads like a translation of a foreign novel, making the language sound distant. Not that great a book. "
— Nureyev25, 8/20/2011 -
" Good read about a young teenager's journey to Mexico from Texas. McCarthy is great at creating mood with his sentence style. Not much character development, but lots of imagery and emotion. "
— Ryan, 7/1/2011 -
" Wonderful coming of age book. I was touched by the friendship between the young men in this book. They cared for each other as friends without the macho crap. "
— Nancy, 6/27/2011 -
" One of<br/>My favorite books of all time. Just a great story. "
— Robert, 6/25/2011 -
" GREAT book for the advanced reader with lots of themes, complex characters, etc. I would definitely recommend it to just about anyone, but beware as there is a mild sex scene in the middle. "
— Matt, 6/22/2011 -
" Though objectively I accept the argument that Blood Meridian is McCarthy's best, this is still probably my favorite. Because I like love stories. "
— Ben, 6/11/2011
About Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy (1933-2023) was an award-winning American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. The Road won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. All the Pretty Horses won the National Book Award. His works adapted to film include All the Pretty Horses, The Road, and No Country for Old Men—the latter film receiving four Academy Awards, including the award for Best Picture.
About Frank Muller
Frank Muller (1951–2008) was an Audie Award–winning narrator. A classically trained actor, Frank appeared on both television and the stage. His credits include Hamlet, The Crucible, The Taming of the Shrew, The Importance of Being Earnest, Law & Order, All My Children, and many, many more. In 1999 Frank was awarded the AudioFile Lifetime Achievement Award, the top honor in the audiobook community. He has also won twenty-three Earphones Awards.