53 pages • 1 hour read
Cormac McCarthyAll The Pretty Horses
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1992A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
All the Pretty Horses, a novel by Cormac McCarthy, follows young John Grady Cole and his friend Lacey Rawlins as they flee to Mexico on horseback in the late 1940s, seeking a life centered around horses. They face numerous trials, including conflict with local authorities, imprisonment, and heartbreak, ultimately forcing John Grady to confront harsh realities and his shattered dreams.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy has received widespread acclaim for its lyrical prose and vivid depiction of the American West. Critics praise its complex characters and philosophical depth. However, some find the narrative's pace slow and the dialogue challenging due to minimal punctuation. Overall, it’s a must-read for fans of literary fiction and Westerns.
Who Should Read All The Pretty Horses?
A reader who enjoys Cormac McCarthy’s All The Pretty Horses typically appreciates richly descriptive prose, and deeply explores themes of adventure, existentialism, and human struggle. Fans of Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea and Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men will find the novel’s rugged yet poetic narrative captivating.
RecommendedReading Age
18+yearsLexile Level
940LBook Details
Historical Fiction
Western
American Literature
Trauma / Abuse / Violence
Life/Time: Coming of Age
Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Natural World: Animals