About this title: The third and last volume of Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy, CITIES OF THE PLAIN continues the story of Billy Pawson, the cowboy with the heart of an outlaw. Billy becomes involved in the relationship between his friend and fellow ranch-hand John Grady--hero of ALL THE PRETTY HORSES--and a Mexican prostitute under the control of a brutal, violent pimp. Billy's obsession with being a kind of savior who rescues the down-and-out ultimately proves to be a destructive force. At the end of the novel (and the trilogy) Billy is an old man telling his story to a stranger he meets on the road--a ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Picador
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780330390163ISBN:0330390163
Description: Very Good. Family business dispatching books to all over the world within 24/48 hours. Next day delivery and gist wrapping are available. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Random House USA Inc
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780679423904ISBN:0679423907
Description: Good. All orders are dispatched from our UK warehouse within one working day. Established in 2004. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Picador
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780330344487ISBN:033034448X
Description: Fine. ~~1ST EDITION PAPERBACK~~ VG+ 1ST IMPRESSION 1ST 1998 PICADOR PB, LARGER FORMAT WITH ORIGINAL COVER ARTWORK. RIVETING NOVEL IN THE BORDER TRILOGY-MORE CORMAC MCCARTHY FIRST EDITIONS AVAILABLE. LIGHT SHELF-RUB TO BASE OF SPINE ONLY, VG UNMARKED COPY. IMMEDIATE 1ST CLASS/AIRMAIL DISPATCH WORLDWIDE. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Picador
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780330344487ISBN:033034448X
Description: Very good in very good dust jacket. Hardback, 8vo, 292 pp, black cloth, pictorial dj; very good/very good, moderate bumping to top edge of dj; volume three of the border trilogy. read more
Edition: First
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Date Published: 5/12/1998
ISBN-13:9780679423904ISBN:0679423907
Description: Good. 0679423907 Ex-library book with usual markings. Clean text. SATISF GNTD + SHIPS W/IN 24 HRS. Sorry, no APO deliveries. Ships in a padded envelope with free tracking. 48, 310. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Vintage Books USA
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780679747192ISBN:0679747192
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. like new, Clean and crisp. FAST shipping. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 304 p. Border Trilogy (Paperback), 3. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780679423904ISBN:0679423907
Description: Very good in very good dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 304 p. Border Trilogy (Hardcover), 3. Audience: General/trade. No CANADIAN buyers, please! read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Vintage Books USA
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780679747192ISBN:0679747192
Description: Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Like new condition with minor corner edgewear. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 304 p. Border Trilogy (Paperback), 3. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Good. Warped., Used-Good. Sound Copy. Mild Reading Wear. Books uploaded via isbn and stock photos may be different than actual book. read more
"The time and place for the Border Series were well chosen. People of the time and place were plain spoken, didn't meddle, sacrificied for one another, and took the good and bad of life with a matter of fact attitude. McCarthy avoids varnishing the experiences of the characters in his books. The reader is forced to see things with an unblinking eye. In Cities of the Plain, a compelling story of stubborn and seemingly hopeless love pulls the reader through its pages. As always, the story is much more than that, weaving together the lives of remarkable people of the south Texas plain. Fiercely independent, yet fiercely devoted to one another when the need pressed. When the love story between the young cowboy John Grady and his Mexican novia moves toward its conclusion, the suspense is so powerful that the reader turns the page with one, and sometimes both, eyes closed. There are times of remarkable sweetness in this story and, as with life, unthinkable cruelty. The end of this tale is a gentle good night. The life of the main protagonist of the trilogy is wound up with dignity in a charming and, of course, a completely unexpected manner. Cities of the Plain and its predecessor books of the series are must reads, even if you struggle a little with McCarthy's spare prose."
"The way I see it the Border Trilogy is made up of two different types of narratives: it's bookended by a 'western romance' type tale. Pretty Horses follows John Grady Cole as he leaves his ranch to wander the mexican campo looking for work. When he finds work, he also finds himself involved in a doomed trist with the ranchers daughter. This is the softer side of McCarthy.
The Crossing, (spoiler ahead) on the other hand, is filled with the lonesome, 'laconic man in the saddle' imagery. The sun setting to his back, bedding down and watering his horse where he decides at that moment. This is very much the protagonist as folk-hero (which was even a subplot in the Crossing), not altogether dissimilar to The Kid in Blood Meridian. Skin like leather, an immoveable figure from the landscape. It begins with Billy Parham leading a wild, yet collared wolf across the border and ends with Billy dragging, behind his horse, the bones of his dead brother.
Cities on the Plain is very much like ...Horses. John Grady returns, and guess what...he falls in love with a mexican prostitute. (If thats not doomed from the beginning...).
Anyway, my point is that I am more fond of the Crossing type narrative. Seems so much more powerful, although I can appreciate the romance aspects may resonate better with most readers. Not me, however."
"This is a mediocre book in my opinion. Kind of a let down from "all the pretty horses", especially since he sets the world up so well in that book, you inherently want it to continue to be good. As in the second book in the series, this one gets strange, and has more intricate dialogue from random characters at certain points. I enjoy the characters and think the book is okay, but if you fell in love with all the pretty horses you'll probably not like this.
Actually i'm not sure why these books are considered a trilogy...they have little relation to each other, besides their life outlook and the border itself. I think you could even swap the characters out in the third book for ones you aren't familiar with and it wouldn't make a difference...strange.
The epilogue is worthless, a lot of high minded jazz about how life is unpredictable and you shouldn't expect it to change...i think.
That all said, there are some exciting moments towards the middle and end of the book if you are a fan of mccarthy's writing."
"I found this one a little disappointing, really. The other two were so moody, so sepia toned, full of such great storytelling, that I expected the drama to come to a head for all three books in this one. Not so. It was a great story and I enjoyed it by itself, and McCarthy can sure discribe the southwest, but I got nothing out of the characters I had spent two other books getting to know. It was like McCarthy just used the names of the main characters from the other two books and told another story in the third. Very flat for me, and my least favorite out of all I have read from McCarthy so far."
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