An American Classic

Cormac McCarthy pays homage to the American greats with his drawn out sentences and highly sensory descriptions. He also refuses to use any sort of punctuation, a choice that is rather troublesome during long conversations, but overall compliments the book's tone. McCarthy possesses a keen ability to manipulate the language to appeal to the reader on a sensory, emotional, and intellectual level. In addition, he applies this language to a story with infinite depth and intrigue that will captivate the reader.

In the opening pages the hero, John Grady Cole, walks down the hall of his grandfather's house and he passes by the portraits of ancestors long dead. By no small coincidence, the Gospel of Matthew begins with a listing of the ancestry of Jesus. This is but one of the many Biblical allusions in All the Pretty Horses. Ignoring McCarthy's language reminiscent of the Holy Book, one notices many physical and literary parallels between the two texts. Several events in the novel have Biblical origins including John Grady's interrogation, his relationship with children, and other occurrences.

But these allusions are only a small part of McCarthy's brilliance. My own language skills are insufficient to provide a more complimentary opinion of this book besides that it is a captivating story and a fine example of brilliant use of the English language.