All the Pretty Horses (302 pages)
16-year-old John Grady Cole (protagonist) and best friend (Rawlins) depart for Mexico in 1949 - little to keep them home in Texas as ranch where protagonist grew up was being sold following his grandfather's death and as part of his parents splitting. They intend to find work on a ranch and see what develops. Encounter Blevins (and his too-good horse) while crossing into Mexico; he seems to be about 13. Blevins's horse is stolen; they help him steal it back; this has some consequences. Cole and Rawlins find work on a huge ranch - old school Mexican wealth. Cole in particular has superior skills with horses and gets promoted. Adventures; Rawlins back to Texas and Cole follows briefly.
The Crossing (426 pages)
Story line starts just before WWII. Liked it better. Billy Parham obsessed with wolves from earliest; ends up trapping one that had strayed up to New Mexico from Mexico; decides to return it. Long discussions of trapping technique; many adventures escorting a wolf through this kind of terrain.
Eventually returns to NM to find out his parents were killed (and horses stolen by killers); picks up his younger brother (Boyd) and they head into Mexico, with an idea of retrieving the horses; they encounter lots of adventures. Billy makes a third trip to Mexico, alone.
Cities of the Plain (292 pages)
Story line starts in 1952. John Grady Cole and Billy Parham (protagonists of the first two novels in the trilogy) are working on a ranch in New Mexico - near Mexican border, El Paso. Their way of life is dying out; land being taken by defense department. John Grady falls in love but problems. Epilogue shows Billy as an old man.
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The trilogy is very much worth reading - I much enjoyed. We've lived in Arizona since 1986 and it's easy to be captivated by author's description of SW scenes. So much about horses - I personally don't know anything about them, but the descriptions are continually interesting. Youthful protagonists seem a bit too accomplished, but that's a minor criticism. Northern Mexico in hard times; in book 2 with its late 1930s setting - many folks with vivid recall of the messy 1910 revolution and its even messier aftermath.
Wonderful discussions of the countryside; what rural Mexico may have felt like in those days; without romanticizing - some rough characters, rule of law more an idea than reality. Generosity of poor people. Lead characters are interesting.
