Probably not the best book to read on Halloween… but it was on the shelf and so I picked it up. Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses. A semi-romantic story, where two young Texans (John Grady Cole and Lacey Rawlins) leave for a better life, in Mexico?, hmmm. They meet up with a young teen that they reluctantly allow to join them on their trip. After the youth, Blevins, loses his horse and pistol, he decides to break in and steal it back from a Mexican ranch, the whole group is doomed, well sort of… Cole and Rawlins stay together and find work at a high-end ranch where Cole finds the love of his life, the daughter (Alejandra) of the rancher. They have a torrid love affair but old aunt finds out and guess what? She sends niece away at the same time that the Mexican police find Blevins (who stole his horse back and decided to kill the culprit) and then they round up Cole and Rawlins, whom they thought were involved in the shooting/robbery. Young Blevins is killed by the sheriff but Cole and Rawlins get to visit the penitentiary where they almost die. Alejandra’s aunt pays off the police to get them out with the one condition that Alejandra causes no more damage to honor by breaking off with her love Cole. This love affair ends and in the final pages, Cole has his revenge by taking the sheriff hostage as he takes all three horses (his own, Blevins, and Rawlins) back to the states. A nice, tidy story where all loose ends are tied up. This western story was fine, but not sure if it deserves best selling status. Story moves along and after yesterday’s lack of character development, I’ll take it. Middle of road book for me.
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