Wow! I just finished this book tonight, and it is amazing. McCarthy's writing is brilliant throughout all three novels with highlights being Parham's journey to return the wolf in The Crossing and Grady taming the horses in All the Pretty Horses. All three novels are very moving and beautifully told, but it was the epilogue that most affected me. I was left with a great sense of peace and hope despite the bleakness of the trilogy.

McCarthy's greatest strength in these three books is in his characterization. This is what allows the books to have such a profound effect on people. By the end of the book, I came to love John Cole Grady and Billy Parham, and I deeply cared about their pain and suffering. Getting the reader this emotionally involved without over the top melodrama is one of the marks of a great author. As with other great characters in literature such as Tom Joad, Scout Finch, and Prince Myshkin, I feel like I have made a real emotional connection with these characters, and I will not soon forget them. ( )

Beautifully written, this is an epic tale that you really don't want to end. in fact I think I'll read it again when I go on my holidays in a week or two. ( )

A novelist of rare poetry of language, sustained in its pared-down beauty and bleakness. A remarkable and unique voice. ( )

Read All the Pretty Horses for Anthenaeum class. First Cormac McCarthy I read. Listened to the tape also, would probably not have read the book but really enjoyed listening. Then got tapes of rest of book and listened to them. ( )