History Literature / AllThePrettyHorses

Set in 1949 Texas, it follows John Grady Cole, a 16-year-old boy who is cut off from his family's generation-long ranch life that he only dreamed of. Unable to accept this, he sets off south to Mexico with his friend Lacey Rawlins and acquires a younger companion along the way to find work on the ranch. This idyllic and sometimes comic adventure leads in fact to tragic events, where dreams are paid for in blood.

The novel not only brought [=McCarthy's=] hard-won critical acclaim and a wider audience after writing for almost 3 decades, but it also earned him two of the most prestigious literary awards, the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1993.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/81ptr8cyv_l_9.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]

->''"What he loved in horses was what he loved in men, the blood and all his fondness and all the leanings of his life were for the ardenthearted and they would always be so and never be otherwise."''

Set in 1949 Texas, it follows John Grady Cole, a 16-year-old rancher who is cut off from his family's generation-long ranch life that he only dreamed of. Unable to accept this, he sets off south to Mexico with his friend Lacey Rawlins and acquires a younger companion along the way to find work on the ranch. This idyllic and sometimes comic adventure leads in fact to tragic events, where dreams are paid for in blood.

The novel not only brought [=McCarthy's=] hard-won critical acclaim and a wider audience after writing for almost 3 decades, but it also earned him two of the most prestigious literary awards, the National Book Award and the National Critics Circle Award in 1993.

Set in 1949, it follows John Grady Cole, a 16-year-old rancher who is cut off from his family's generation-long ranch life that he only dreamed of. Unable to accept this, he sets off south to Mexico with his friend Lacey Rawlins and acquires a younger companion along the way to find work on the ranch. This idyllic and sometimes comic adventure leads in fact to tragic events, where dreams are paid for in blood.

A sequel, ''The Crossing'', was published in 1994.

The novel tells the story of John Grady Cole, who grew up on his grandfather's ranch in San Angelo, Texas. In 1949, when Cole is 16 years old, his grandfather dies and Cole learns the ranch is to be sold. With no home and faced with the prospect of moving into town, Cole asks his best friend Lacey Rawlins to join him to travel to Mexico, to seek work as cowboys. After an encounter with a peculiar 13-year-old boy named Jimmy Blevins during their trail, they find employment at a large ranch, where Cole falls in love with the owner’s daughter, Alejandra Villarreal. But Cole's romantic interest in Alejandra is not welcomed by her wealthy aunt, and that’s not the last of his troubles.

The novel not only brought [[=McCarthy's=]] hard-won critical acclaim and a wider audience after writing for almost 3 decades, but it also earned him two of the most prestigious literary awards, the National Book Award and the National Critics Circle Award in 1993.

''All the Pretty Horses'' is a 1992 Western novel by Creator/CormacMcCarthy.

->"What he loved in horses was what he loved in men, the blood and all his fondness and all the leanings of his life were for the ardenthearted and they would always be so and never be otherwise."

''All the Pretty Horses'' is a 1992 novel by Creator/CormacMcCarthy.

The book was adapted as a 2000 film, starring Creator/MattDamon and Creator/PenelopeCruz, and directed by Creator/BillyBobThornton.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/atph.JPG]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/atph.JPG]]

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/all_the_pretty_horses.jpg]]

The novel tells the story of John Grady Cole, who grew up on his grandfather's ranch in San Angelo, Texas. In 1949, when Cole is 16 years old, his grandfather dies and Cole learns the ranch is to be sold. With no home and faced with the prospect of moving into town, Cole asks his best friend Lacey Rawlins to join him to travel to Mexico, to seek work as cowboys. After an encounter with a peculiar 13-year-old boy named Jimmy Blevins during their trail, they find employment at a large ranch, where Cole falls in love with the owner's daughter, Alejandra Villarreal. But Cole's romantic interest in Alejandra is not welcomed by her wealthy aunt, and that's not the last of his troubles.