Maine Books

Oh my word. I don't know what most reviewers are talking about. Tis is a true gift to readers who're interested in the author's life. Angela's Ashes had more poetry while Tis has more modern day cynicism being caged to a life imposes. In transparent words, this is the book where McCourt grows up in the USA. It's about his odd and awkward days of longing for women and wondering why he was the odd one out, about days when he wanted to be disconnected from his family and despite not being poor, the author finds himself in another predicament of missing Limerick, Ireland.

Frank McCourt is my favourite author. I don't know about writing styles because I've never read many books but Tis truly broke my heart a few times and it made me laugh out loud atleast six times. In my opinion, it is a bit criminal to say that this book is better than Angela's Ashes but I must admit I enjoyed reading this even more.

Do me a favour and ignore all the negative reviews. Arm chair critics wouldn't know better.

I thought Tis was a better read than Angela's Ashes. Being an American born in 1970, I can not relate to Ireland circa 1925 (it was apparently an awful place - move on). However, I found McCourt's historical accounts of WWII America to be fascinating reading. Americans were so openly racist back then toward every group imaginable. If anyone can claim a reason for America's greatness, it's her ability to change for the better, although Iraq is a bad example. But then again, GW Bush actually lost those two elections, so we tried. I suppose there will always be material for books, like Tis, about ugly Americans who despite themselves turn out to have functioning hearts. A sincere thank you, Frank.

I ordered this book USED/GOOD CONDITION. It came in Very good condition. I was very pleased and will not hesitate to order a used book again.

This book was great and was definitely more light-hearted than Angela's Ashes. You don't need to have read his first book (Angela's Ashes) to enjoy this part of his memoir; in fact reading the first book made me enjoy this one less simply because there was just no way for it to compare to the first.

Frank McCourt wrote "'Tis" as an obvious follow-up after the success of "Angela's Ashes". This second memoir is less visceral and dramatic, perhaps because it does not deal with memories of a childhood in poverty. Nevertheless, it is still engrossing and emotionally moving, full of humor and sadness, revealing the deep family feelings and the individual self of the author.

Starting with his arrival in New York City at the age of 19, McCourt describes his first shocking experience with the priest at the hotel (I could not stop laughing, although, sadly, this is not something to be taken lightly), which led to his first janitorial job in a hotel lobby. His struggle for money to sustain himself and send enough to his mother in Limerick led him to work at the docks, where he met a plethora of people and started experiencing the true New York diversity. In his pursuit of education, he discovered the library, but could not even imagine a way to get a college degree...until he was drafted to serve in the Korea war.

Never actually sent to Korea, Frank spent his army time in Germany instead, first working with dog training, and then as a clerk. He became a skilled typist, which allowed him to get a clerical job back in New York City. Another benefit of serving in the military was his entitlement to go to the university. Despite his lack of high school diploma and massive inferiority complex, Frank got a degree in English and became a teacher. In college, he met a beautiful girl, Alberta, who later became his wife (perhaps he viewed her as a challenge? A woman epitomizing everything American?). I loved his descriptions of problems with students and the school system, the family perturbations a little less so - but, all in all, "'Tis" is a great book, which reads very well and is hard to put down. I enjoyed it as much as "Angela's Ashes": in a little bit different way, but I did not expect it to be the same - the period of Frank's life here is that of a young man, and he focuses more on his personal development and experience, not so much on his family (which, anyway, is an eternal presence). Is it a typical route an immigrant could follow at that time, or highly personal? I think it is both, in a way...
I like McCourt's language, the flow of his sentences like a story told at the fireplace, his sensitivity and eye to detail. I enjoyed his view of the New York City, too.

I assume will read the third part, "Teacher Man", with equal pleasure and I am looking forward to it.

I enjoy most of Crichton's books, they are usually unique and intriguing . I was surprised that he was able to still have more story left after Jurassic Park, but this book was equally entertaining.

I just read this book in little over a week and I am a slow reader. Michael Crichton is a very good writer and this book is an easy read. It picks up a few years later after Jurassic Park. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was nice to read more about the dino behavior. Overall all a good fun read - you will be satisfied.

This book fell far from the tree when compared to Jurassic Park. I started reading it and had to put it down because it didn't hold my attention much but a few years later picked it up again and finished it. Just not as intense of Jurassic Park and seemed a little forced.

Show me the right way to live life. That's the moral of this one.
Ian Malcolm has always been my Favorite Crichton character. He exhibits the true thinking mind.
It's a must have.
(^_^)

Dino somewhat disappointment.


Especially if you are going to take the title of a classic novel with a straight face, also about dinosaurs, etc., and come up ordinary.

It appears that not content to just mess up with the original Jurassic Park there is a second site with such beasts, and they, too, are restless.

Throw another crew together, complete with a couple of kids, and do it all again, just not as well.

An ok book but, but not in the same league as the first.

I was looking for a good fiction novel since I mostly read non-fiction. I figured I couldn't go wrong with a Pulitzer Prize winner. I was wrong. Not only that, it eventually became a chore to read. Too many stories within a story and too many characters to develop. There was one 'storylet' about Miles as a child on vacation with his mother which I could've kept reading but it was only a few pages. The writing is good, I enjoyed his style, but the story itself didn't grab me and I couldn't make a connection with any of the characters. As much as I hate to do it, I finally (after many nights of being able to read 2 or 3 pages because it was so sleep-inducing, just called it quits halfway through the book.

I would rather stare blankly into space on than try to read this book during my morning commute. I painfully labored with the first few pages before allowing myself to skip to Chapter 1. I tried to get involved. I tried to get interested. I tried to figure out where the plot would pick up. After an entire week of trying to muster interest in "Empire Falls," I decided that that I'd rather leave it in my pocket book than be bothered with trying to determine where the story was going. It's a shame because Russo's "Straight Man" is also sitting on my "to read" pile.

Was so relishing reading this book as I'd heard such great things about it....and it won the Pulitzer of course. What a disappointment! It's literature light, really. I found the characters annoying and utterly unlikable. I was hoping bad things would happen to them, especially Miles who was not at all sympathetic but rather annoying and shallow. Russell Banks gets small town blue collar life much better than this. It was like a made-for-tv-movie in book form. How did this win the Pulitzer??

As someone who grew up in a mill down in Maine that is in decline, I can attest to easily recognizing the fictitious town of Empire Falls, Maine. The novel tells the story of Miles Roby, the owner of the Empire Grill, as he discovers the truth about his past and struggles to break free of the situation he finds himself in. It is an immensely engaging novel that is a pleasure to read.

Russo creates a cast of characters that are on one hand recognizable in any old factory town. While the story takes place between the end of summer into the next spring, the story travels back and forth between the past and present revealing details that gradual climax in an ending that is satisfying and unpredictable.

Russo does an amazing job at making one feel both disgust and sympathy for a decidedly unsympathetic group of people who find themselves trapped in this central Maine town. In this he does a remarkably good job of making all of his characters recognizable and human which is one of the things that makes this novel so great.

The insights that he brings out through Jennine, Walt, Horace, Tick, Bea, Mrs. Whitting, Jimmy Minty and all of the other characters are rather profound through their setting. While the book does not entirely avoid a cliché ending, it does a good job wrapping up the rich plot of a great story.

VERY disturbing child abuse and animal abuse.

The story was good but I wish there was a rating system for books (like the movies) to warn you that the book contains explict violent material.

I didn't have a problem reading the book from beginning to end, however the storyline was a bit predictable. Everything just came together so perfect and in such a cutesy romantic fashion, that it made the book less enjoyable. The character development could have been better. Its always good to read a happy ending, but the book was too happy and a bit unrealistic, even the terminal illness thrown in didn't seem to shake the characters up.

This book was basically a filler for me. I was waiting for another book to come in the mail and this one came first. I was impressed. I have never really touched on the topic of HIV and i think this opened my eyes and created a real person in my mind and their feelings. Ending is predictable but i felt good about it. Days after finishing I kept thinking about the book.

This story started out strong but was incredibly predictable. I kept reading because I thought it would get better. It didn't. What bugged me the most was that Eddie was ready to kill the teenage hoodlum for throwing a bottle thru the window - yikes!!! The teenager was completely unredeemable to him, which was totally weird since Eddie did much worse in his lifetime (that's putting it mildly), and he seemed redeemed. In fact, he had become a saint of sorts. And what about crazy church lady's motives? That part of the story was weak and just did not make much sense.

I wanted Ava to continue doing hair - that was much more interesting than her ridiculously perfect romance. I gave it two stars because I did chuckle a few times, and some of the story was original and interesting. Sorry, Oprah, this was a dud.

I didnt pick this book up because it was on Oprah's Book Club, I picked it up while browsing Costco for a new fiction book, YEARS ago when it first came out. I absolutely LOVED this book! Made me want to move to the south and get back to whats real. It has a genuine down-home charm and who would imagine she falls in love? Its an AMAZING BOOK! You wont be disappointed!

My cousin suggested that I read this novel a long time ago. When she told me what the title of the book was, I was immediately interested. First of all, it's a lengthy title. Secondly, I was internally wondering, what does look like crazy on an ordinary day? I asked my cousin to give me a brief synopsis on the book, and she did, and I was even more interested after listening to the synopsis. After reading "What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day", I was intrigued more so than anything. One critic said Pearl Cleage tells a story better than Terry McMillan. Terry McMillan? Really? I have read a plethora of books and not many authors can tell a story better than Terry McMillan, and honestly, Cleage didn't even come close. However, the plot was brilliant. The story could have been executed better, though.

"What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day" is the story of Ava, a hairdresser living with AIDS who resides in Atlanta. She used to be a very promiscuous woman and decides that she wants to inform all of her sex partners of her diagnosis so they can get tested, too. The wife of one of her old sex partners reads the letter and comes to her salon and tells everyone that she has AIDS. Embarrassed, Ava decides to visit her sister, Joyce, in Idlewild, Michigan. While she is there, she meets Eddie, a Vietnam veteran and former murderer. Eddie is attracted to Ava, but shows her only subtly. Their relationship begins by the middle of the book. Pearl Cleage created one of the most beautiful literary love scenes I have ever read with these two people (when they have their first sexual encounter.) There are many subplots in this story. Joyce is the foster mother of a crack baby, Imani, and she does any and everything to keep her safe.

Collectively, this is a beautiful story and I highly recommend it. Cleage did a very nice job.

On the first page of her novel(?), Susanna Kaysen says she had to live for two years in a "parallel universe" when she became a patient in a psychiatric hospital. In the chapter "Elementary Topography," she poses a question, how did I get to be in here?
The answer she gives, other than her being delusional, is that she was in a "state of contrariety." She goes on, "All of my integrity seemed to lie in saying No."
Two other chapters bear witness to the adversarial character of her illness, "Velocity vs. Viscosity," which deals with her obsessive thought patterns, and "Mind vs. Brain:"
"Whatever we call it--mind, character, soul--we like to think it possesses something that is greater than the sum of its neurons, and that 'animates' us."
In yet another chapter, Kaysen derides her former therapist, who was named "Melvin," and who was to become her analyst. She acts like she tolerated him as someone imposed on her, and says that she "felt sorry for him" on account of his funny name. In an internal memo, however, a nurse reported that she experienced extreme anxiety over her therapist being absent.
Part of Kaysen's "state of contrariety," then, must be seen in the light of an abject, back-against-the-wall helplessness caused by the mental illness. I pity Kaysen for her interrupted life. Her novel makes a compelling case for mental-illness research.
In the Charleston County Library, >Girl, Interrupted< is located in the "Young Adult Fiction" section, which is inappropriate for such a rough, lurid story.

Susanna Kaysen shares an episodic account of her two-year stay in a mental institution during her late teens. She recounts the ailments and behavior which led her to the hospital, while also questioning her diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder, as well as the manner in which mental illnesses are treated. In order to portray her experience and the experiences of the other young women she encountered within the institution accurately, Kaysen recounts a variety of occurrences, ranging from the grim to the lighthearted. Among Kaysen's recollections are one girl's experience with shock therapy, her own attempt to bite into her hand to ensure that she is "real," and the girls' humorous outing to an ice cream shop.

Copies of Kaysen's medical records are juxtaposed against her personal accounts, often making the tone of the former documents unsettlingly cold and detached. Her personal account is often moving, and even the logic Kaysen uses to explain some of her most unusual behavior can make sense. At the same time, she strives for a relatively objective account of her interaction with mental health professionals. Kaysen presents a strong case to support her belief that the line between "normalcy" and mental illness is often muddied,--a thought she summarizes beautifully at the beginning of the book, writing that "Every window in Alcatraz has a view of San Francisco"-- without becoming overly critical of those who diagnosed and treated her.

Having PTSD myself from Wars and other things, I thought this was a great movie! I didn't read the book first however and normally I do but from what I gather the movie in this instance was much better than the book...

I have read One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and in many ways this reminded me of that, only in the setting of a female dominated one vice a male one....

Maybe in the future if time permits I will read the book itself to see if the movie which I have already seen and truly thought was great stacks up...

If not...

It was that book which inspired the movie and it's a great movie...

And mental illness isn't just something that people are born with, some times they receive it through traumatic experiences such as tragedies or war or the like...

In my opinion it is something that really needs to be given far more attention than it is receiving and this movie sheds light on it like few have...

Your Chance to Hear The Last Panther Speak

Usually books are much better than the movie . In this case its the other way round . The book while interesting- is flat . The movie actually has much more going for it .

This was...senseless jibberjaw..Truly that is the only word that comes to mind. The movie was wonderful, but I can see now that it was very loosely based on this book.. It took a few characters and added on to their personalities.. the book was mostly just rambling and opinions. Half of the interesting things that occured in the movie were not in this book. Those that love the movie will be greatly disapointed in this. I would also like to add, you will have in completely read in one or two sittings.

I've read all 6 major DeMille books with Paul Brenner/John Corey. This one was NOT a page-turner. I felt like it was more a romance novel -- for guys. The motorcycling around Vietnam with a hot chick thing occupies 700 pages. The last 100 has the actual mystery and resolution. And it's not that compelling.

Retired CID Officer Paul Brenner is called by his superior to return to Vietnam to find a North Vietnamese solder who witnessed an American Captain murdering an American Lieutenant in 1968. Brenner knows that there has to be more to the situation (and there is) but he takes on the challenge and returns to Communist Vietnam. His task is daunting but he receives help from the beautiful and mysterious expat Susan Weber.

Now the beginning and ending of the book focus on this issue while the middle strays more into the realm of Brenner's past tours of duty in Vietnam (in 1968 and 1972), the history of the war, and culture and geography of Vietnam. The last few hundred pages are great. I liked most of the middle although I could see others getting bored (if you aren't into the history and culture of Vietnam). I did get a little bored with the narrative when Paul and Susan were finishing their travels around central Vietnam. The other part of the book that was somewhat disappointing was the ambiguous ending.

I think Up Country is a more heartfelt and thought-provoking novel than its predecessor The General's Daughter. It raises complex issues of law and order, justice and duty during war. In this way, its similar to DeMille's earlier classic work Word of Honor. It was interesting to compare and think about the issues and situations presented in both. But for me, Up Country didn't reach my three favorite DeMille novels (Word of Honor, Lion's Game, Gold Coast).

As someone who is too young to know much about Vietnam from personal experience, this book provided me a great historical escape into Vietnam and the effect it had on the men who were there. It is a little slow in places, but it still provides a great story and great historic context. It also explains a great deal about what it is currently like in Vietnam. This is not a high octane action book, but it is very powerful and creates a great setting.

Up Country is Nelson Demille's suspense thriller set in post-Vietnam. Full of exciting escapes and tense drama, Demille takes the reader on a dangerous adventure through a country teaming with ghosts from previous wars. Superbly researched. Brilliantly paced. A must read for DeMille fans.

Donald Gallinger is the author of The Master Planets

That's besides the pompous main character's use of racial slurs, which the Vietnamese by and large dismiss as the mouthing-offs of immature children. Name calling doesn't impress them much. What troubled me more about this book were the many errors in language, culture, customs, etc. that it made me wonder how an experienced author like Mr. DeMille failed to catch these in his research. He did not acknowledge any Vietnamese person at the end, so I would have to deduce that no Vietnamese person was consulted for a book that was 90% about everything Vietnam and Vietnamese. So you can learn from this mistake, Mr. DeMille, let me point out a few of the errors you made.

1. Ethnographical error: There are NO Montagnards in northern Vietnam. Montagnards are a generic grouping of a few dozen ethnic groups living exclusively in the Central Highlands of southern Vietnam.

2. Linguistic error: "Biet" means "to know," but the author seems to think that it means "to understand" (the word for which is "hieu"). "Biet" is misused not only by the non-Vietnamese speaking main character, but also by the "native" Vietnamese characters in the book.

3. Cultural error: Vietnamese women are properly respected in Vietnamese culture. They are not ignored when men talk (what?). They do not walk on their knees with bowed heads to bring tea to their husbands (ridiculous!). I'm surprised Mr. DeMille missed the patriarchal/matriarchal balance of Vietnamese culture, despite having spent time there both as a combat soldier and when researching for this book. Read about the Trung Queens and Lady Trieu Au, Mr. DeMille, and you'll understand what I mean. Vietnamese culture is not at all like the more strictly patriarchal cultures in the Sinosphere.

4. Personal name error: There is no Vietnamese name spelled "Lee." The nearest sounding equivalents are "Ly" and "Le."

5. Locality description error: Hoi An is NOT a Chinese town. It was once a Cham port, which attracted settlers from all over Asia, including different groups of Chinese, but also Japanese, Indians, Malays, and the majority Vietnamese.

6. Historical error: The Citadel of Quang Tri was built in 1824 during the reign of the famously Francosceptic Emperor Minh Mang. It was NOT built by the French, who didn't successfully occupy the city for another 4+ decades.

And on and on it goes. Next time, just have someone who understands the subject culture edit your manuscript first, Mr. DeMille. Yes?

This is my favorite book of the Dark Tower series.

I've never been a huge fan of horror (Stephen King's or anyone's else) but the fantasy aspect of this particular series has really caught my attention.

In their ongoing quest to reach the Black Tower, Roland and his Ka-tet (Eddie, Jake, Susannah and Oy) come to a farm village called Calla Bryn Sturgis where some disturbing occurrences have been happening of late. Strange wolves started raiding the area about the same time children began to disappear, only to reappear, but drastically changed. Does it have something to do with the arrival of the 'wolves'? What is going on with the children? Is Andy the Robot all that he appears? And what is going on with Susannah? Reasonable questions that are all answered by books end.

I found that this 5th installment had a high level of suspense. I could not wait to get to the end of this book as I knew it would be climaxing with a terrific battle; a battle that I felt (IMHO) was one of the best actions of the entire series.

Other reviewers mentioned that there were some areas of this novel that dragged a bit, e.g. the return trip to New York. However, I felt that not only did this side 'trip' add information regarding the entire series, but also allowed me more time to anticipate and appreciate the final sections of this thrilling 5th installment.

Conclusion:
Stephen King at his best; high fantasy that is intriguing, page turning and extremely well done.

Ray Nicholson

This book picks right up where the previous installment ("Wizard and Glass") left off, with Roland and his ka-tet still following the Path of the Beam towards the Dark Tower. However, the group is quickly given a proposition by the townspeople of Calla Bryn Sturgis (a town on the brink of entering the mysterious Thunderclap world where the Dark Tower itself lays), who have seen their babies taken by "Wolves" each generation and finally want to put a stop to it. Being a man of honor, Roland of Gilead accepts the offer and he and his crew are sidetracked for a bit longer in their quest for the Tower.

Now, despite the notion that the goings-on in Calla Bryn Sturgis could be considered "filler", it is very interesting, exciting "filler" that makes for an entertaining read. The main plotline consists of Roland, Eddie, Susannah, and Jake scoping out the city in order to plan the best defense (much akin to Roland, Cuthbert, and Alain in Roland's tale from "Wizard and Glass"), and finally taking on the "Wolves" in the end (though not before uncovering a sinister plot they never expected).

Besides that main story, however, is the character development that takes place. Roland begins showing the first signs (arthritis) of his long trek for the Tower, Susannah's multiply-personalities return in a way you will not expect, Eddie's love for Susannah is only strengthened, and Jake fights an internal battle between having a normal childhood and being with Roland. So, while the characters are not actually continuing their quest for the Tower in this book, it still is entertaining to see the characters being further developed.

Also, the book takes a bizarre twist when Father Callahan (of "Salem's Lot" fame!) shows up, throwing the reader into a bit of confusion once again regarding how "our" world aligns with "Roland's world" and prompting a return trip to New York(s) via another magical door.

Overall, this is another thrilling installment in Stephen King's Dark Tower series. It contains an inspired main plot, crucial character development, and throws at the reader a few more mysteries that will likely be solved in the remaining two editions of the series.

Stephen King is a genious. This series is fantastic. This series will blow your mind and keep your imagination running! If you like the idea of an alternate reality this series is really for you!

I won't rehash everyone's opinions on what's wrong with this book and the way the series has turned with book 5. I'll just say books 1-4 are definitely worth reading, but 5 dragged like nobody's business and I don't like where King is dragging me. From the way the plot is going now, and King's "old man trapped in the '70s-'80s" and repeated writing style/themes, I will NOT be finishing the series. I read enough spoiler reviews to get a gist of it, and don't like what's going on. What a waste of a good beginning (books 1-4) of the series. Especially dissapointing after the awesome book 4 (my favorite in the series).

I will preface my review by saying SPOILERS!

I took a long break after reading book 4 "wizard and glass". For some reason, I had an especially hard time with Susan Delgado dying - not that it happened, because I knew it was coming, but dang it! I liked her. I found Roland's story in that book awesome, and was disapointed when the narrative came back to the 'ka-tet'.
After taking a year, I picked up book 5, which was not even close to the length of time between those two books' publications.

When the katet came to the Calla, I enjoyed every minute of the story. I really feel like King explored what it would being a gunslinger actually involved. What feels like a detour to some (and even characters mentioned this) Roland describes as their duty. The answering of the three questions, the investigation and the plan to ambush the Wolves was great. I enjoyed the dialogue and vernacular of the Calla people.

I didn't mind all of the back story with Father Callahan. I have gotten used to the fact that storytelling is a large part of the Dark Tower series, going back to book #1.

The parts of the book where the group goes back to New York were a little out of place. I didn't mind them because it felt as if King is now moving his readers toward the end of the series, as the last three books I believed were published right after each other almost in a trilogy format. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as the story in the Calla.

The biggest gripe I have with the story, is that after hundreds of pages of buildup to the Wolves attacking, the fight is anti-climactic. The Wolves are almost too easily disposed of. Yeah, I realize that's a spoiler, but I did warn you :).

I don't think it will be a year before I read the sixth book. I enjoyed the fifth, may it do ya fine.

I can't praise this book enough. I loved The Five People You Meet in Heaven so I decided to try this. I LOVED this one so much more. I didn't want to put it down.

Has there ever been a person who did not wish For One More Day with a deceased loved one? This little book is a bit of wish fulfillment that is filled with hope and love. Charley Benetto is fortunate enough to get one more day with his deceased mother, as he lay dying in the grass after a botched suicide attempt. His mother teaches him lessons that help him to turn his broken life around, allowing him to reconcile with his daughter and begin leading a productive life. This is a wonderfully-intriguing story that is cleverly fashioned and highly recommended.

I would recommend this seller to anyone. This book was in great shape and it came in no time.

This book was so wonderful! I read it in one sitting and then cried when it was over. I am no basketcase; it is just that good. I recommend it to anyone with a mother and a heart.

I read this book for a book club meeting and must say that our group discussion turned out to be more interesting than the book itself. I read this book and couldn't help but see this grown man's attachment to his mother as a little abnormal. It seemed as if he contstantly pined for her as if he were still a little child. Although this story was told from his point of view, I actually related more with the mother - her pain, struggles and fears that he never saw while he was growing up. It was an okay read but may be a bit more interesting if you have people to discuss it after.

I'm a history geek and I love Beowulf and those sort of lyrically prose of the olden days but this was just too boring for me. I finished the book just out of principle but I think this one is overrated.

The premise takes quite a while to get under way and the characters are very comic bookish.Maybe I'm being a bit harsh but I wasn't really involved with the story. Didn't grab me, the style was interesting but not nearly enough.

I read this directly after finishing Sphere. It's a very fun book and Crichton does a good job getting you into the culture. Good action and good character development.

Ugh. No wonder it was on the list of "The Great Bores". Michael Crichton had a chance to give it life, yet it still reads just as boring as the original Beowulf. The one fun thing about it was all the "fake" footnotes and sources that he inventively quotes.

This book reads well but leaves you alittle short in parts. This is the book 13th Warrior was based on worth the read in any rate

Its good. In corporating history and science, he did a great job. Superb!!! I hope there's a sequel for it.... (^-^)

I can read English, French, Italian. This novel ranks with Proust's La Recherche du temps perdu, and Manzoni's Promessi sposi. Breathtaking scenes follow more breathtaking scenes and the whole leaves the reader breathless. Magnificient, none like it.

I found this book an effort to read. Confusing at the start, yet did grab me midway but I was ready to discard with about 1/3 left, but thought better of it and completed. Yes, his writing is very descriptive and captures the essence of every sense the reader needs to be placed within the story. However, it just seemed to skip and jumble along, the ending wasn't anything like the many my mind conjured up, it wasn't really anything special at all...Grady continued on rambling as did the book. I perhaps need to read another of his works to get a better grasp of the talent of this writer, as so many have applauded his style.

Cormac McCarthy seems to be everywhere right now--Oprah's book club, a recent Coen Brothers film adaptation, one of the top novels of the past quarter-century. I decided it was time to check out his work, since he's considered the modern Faulkner, and a great depicter of the violent and beautiful American southwest. All the Pretty Horses both lives up to my expectations and kind of frustrates them. The novel starts out gloomy with the funeral for the protagonist John Grady's grandfather, turns comedic when Grady and his friend cross the border into Mexico in search of adventure, then shifts into a semi-melodramatic romance, finally returning to a state of pitch-black gloom and despair. All throughout, McCarthy retains a distance from the world of the novel, coldly surveying the raw beauty of the Mexican landscape and stubbornly refusing to enter the heads of his equally stubborn characters. In some ways, this narrative distance works quite well, amplifying the frankness and simplicity that Hemingway is known for. But it also prevents the novel from striking home on any real emotional level.

The most problematic part of the novel is Grady's passionate love for a ranch owner's daughter, Alejandra. The two are a sort of Romeo and Juliet pair, deeply desiring one another, but knowing that their love can never be allowed to flower. The romance, however, is jarringly out of place with the events in the rest of the novel, and feels a little bit contrived. Especially irritating is the lack of insight into Alejandra's character; she is given no more than a handful of lines, and it is never really clear what she sees in run-down, dirt-poor Grady.

Minor criticisms aside, the icing to top off this striking novel, however, is McCarthy's metaphysical musing that underlies all the events of the novel. Most profound is his consideration of the workings of Fate in human activities. One of the best passages in the novel occurs when Grady confronts Alejandra's grand-aunt for the second time. She is determined to prevent him from stealing off with her protégé, but respects him enough to deliver a haunting and thorough account of her reasoning. She expresses her deep frustration with the randomness of life, describing a coin minter who arbitrarily decides which way to press each coin he makes, blindly affecting countless coin flips down the road. She laments the inability of mankind to ever know the alternative course that their actions could have taken; for a history that never sees the light of day, and can never be judged against what actually transpired. Building off this theme is Grady's fascination with the long-dead frontier of the American West. Early in the novel we see him wistfully imagining the hunting parties of the glorious and departed Native American tribes, disappearing in the red light of the setting sun. At the end of the novel, Grady likewise disappears, fading into history like so many movements whose splendor the world will never see.

Adventure, full-hearted love, revenge, the majestic wilderness, and of course horses: the western-movie staples are what moves this novel. Yet if All The Pretty Horses is a classic cowboy story, it is also that of a dying world, and all the more accessible to us that it is set in the post-war era.

John Grady Cole, a young man of 16 years, leaves the country for Mexico together with his friend Lacey Rawlins, both on horseback, in search of a life that has become inaccessible to them in Texas. A cruel but romantic saga of tests and tribulations awaits them - which I won't spoil by giving too much of it.

The dialogues are suitably laconic. The characters are frank and unambiguous, except for one key exception. Nature is reserved the richer, more complex, and admiring language. While the novel begins at a slow pace, making the reader wonder whether this is really a back-to-the-wild story, the action later quickens to a satisfyingly gripping climax. One warning: a good part of the dialogue is in Spanish, untranslated; though this won't throw you off the plot, if you don't understand Spanish, it may get annoying.

I have looked at some of the reviews here, and am a bit surprised as the number of people who hated this book. It is a challenge to read, but this is no "Ulysses." The main themes can be understood with a little careful attention. Some have compared McCarthy's style to Hemingway's but this is not a fair comparision. McCarthy's prose is far more complex. Hemingway wrote arresting prose, but at times his minimalist style was cartoonish. McCarthy is simple the way Picasso is simple -- that is to say, only if you do not look hard enough.

McCarthy's skill with language is unequalled among living American authors. It is the language that is the star of this book, and if you cannot appreciate the language itself the story will not bear the weight. Yes, I found myself re-reading passages and puzzling out the construction of some sentences, but I did it with the same pleasure a sports fan looks at a replay of a spectacular play. This is a book for the patient. Not every book pays off like a James Bond novel.