All the Pretty HorsesAll the Pretty Horses
Score Modern
What it's about
In 1949, sixteen-year-old John Grady Cole loses the Texas ranch he grew up on when his grandfather dies. With his friend Lacey Rawlins, he rides south into Mexico, looking for a life as a cowboy. They find work on a huge hacienda, where John Grady proves himself with horses and falls in love with the owner's daughter, Alejandra. Then things go terribly wrong, and the boys find themselves fighting to survive.
Why it's worth reading
It won both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. It's McCarthy's most accessible novel, a romantic western with gorgeous prose.
You'll love it if you liked
Lonesome Dove
The Road
Blood MeridianGood to know
McCarthy doesn't use quotation marks, and there's a fair amount of untranslated Spanish. It's the first of the Border Trilogy.
By the numbers
- Readers58 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics84 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller30 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #44 of the 116 historical novels we rank
- #231 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #462 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Moving
More by Cormac McCarthy
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The Help
Pachinko
Shuggie Bain
Half of a Yellow Sun
My Brilliant FriendExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is All the Pretty Horses worth reading?
Yes. It won both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. It ranks #462 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 78.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is All the Pretty Horses about?
In 1949, sixteen-year-old John Grady Cole loses the Texas ranch he grew up on when his grandfather dies. With his friend Lacey Rawlins, he rides south into Mexico, looking for a life as a cowboy. They find work on a huge hacienda, where John Grady proves himself with horses and falls in love with the owner's daughter, Alejandra. Then things go terribly wrong, and the boys find themselves fighting to survive.
How long does it take to read All the Pretty Horses?
About 8 hours (322 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has All the Pretty Horses won?
National Book Award (Fiction) winner (1992); NBCC Award (Fiction) winner (1992).
What should I read after All the Pretty Horses?
If you liked it, try Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, The Road by Cormac McCarthy or Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.