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This is a McCarthy novel, not Old Yeller, and so Billy's trek inevitably becomes more ominous than sweet. It boasts some chilling meditations on the simple ferocity McCarthy sees as necessary for all creatures who aim to continue living. But Billy is McCarthy's most loving--and therefore damageable--character, and his story has its own haunted melancholy.
Billy eventually returns to his ranch. Then, finding himself and his world changed, he returns to Mexico with his younger brother, and the book begins meandering. Though full of hypnotically barren landscapes and McCarthy's trademark western-gothic imagery (like the soldier who sucks eyes from sockets), these latter stages become tedious at times, thanks partly to the female characters, who exist solely as ghosts to haunt the men.
But that opening is glorious, and the whole book finally transcends its shortcomings to achieve a grim and poignant grandeur. --Glen Hirshberg
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another McCarthy Masterpiece,
By
This review is from: The Crossing: Border Trilogy (2) (Paperback)
I loved "All the Pretty Horses" and came to "The Crossing" with high expectations, yet I wasn't disappointed. "The Crossing" begins with teenage Billy Parham attempting to return a wolf, trapped on his New Mexico ranch, to its native home in Mexico. Along the way, the wolf is killed and Billy gets in trouble, and upon his return home he finds it abandoned, his horses stolen and evidence that his family was murdered. It is a violent and dramatic introduction to the book, but the action and description is phenomenal. After this section, Billy finds his younger brother unharmed and they decide to return to Mexico in search of their family's horses. Once they have made their crossing, they face several trials and adventures and they experience everything from love to betrayal to death. All of this is expertly described by McCarthy, who is simply and incredible story teller and writer. This is a superb sequel to "All the Pretty Horses" and again makes the reader long for the days of the open frontier. This is a great book for any reader.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best book I have read in many years,
By "mypinion" (Southeast USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Crossing: Border Trilogy (2) (Paperback)
First: I read the Border Trilogy this week. I haven't read any other McCarthy literature. I was told that if I liked Larry McMurtry, Steinbeck, and Salinger then I would love McCarthy. The first thing I bought was The Crossing. Upon realizing it was part of a trilogy with All The Pretty Horses as the first installment, I was very disappointed. I had no intrest in a Hollywood western novel. But, I grudgingly purchased All The Pretty Horses and read it. (Have not watched movie). That said...Cormac McCarthy far surpasses any living writer with which I have come in contact. If I had the masterful ability with language that he does, I could express that in a much more emphatic manner. Any reviewer who complains about things such as puncuation, grammer, or spanish-I feel compelled to respond with this: On to the review: The Crossing's main character is just the opposite of the first installment of this triogy's main character. Billy Parnham will never get anything he for which he fights. He will always align himself most closely with a losing cause. It seems that he is completely a-sexual, and the closest bonds he forms almost always precede the demise of said character/animal. There is something striking in the fact that the moral stance, character, sense of justice are nearly identical for John Grady Cole (the main character in All the Pretty Horses) and Billy. Yet John wins, and Billy loses. Repeatedly. Yet it is Billy who survives all contests, all tragedies, all of his closest bonds. Billy's 'heart' is never joined with any group or idea or convention larger than land and animals. At some points his 'heart' is rejected; but is his survival possibly attributed to his lack of truly 'giving' his 'heart' to any passionate cause? The passion Billy gives us in the final scene of The Crossing, the self-realization and anger and utter despairing are so exceedingly rare that your tears are nearly required after finishing this book. The wolf's climax was another section that makes this book stunning and irresistable.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stark, substantial...Exotic, familiar,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Crossing: Border Trilogy (2) (Paperback)
I finished the border trilogy this evening.The final scene of The Crossing which depicts a tragic self-realization for Billy Parnham may leave the reader with a thumping heart, a feeling of bleak despair and a sense of emotional exhaustion--but--unless the reader has untreated attention deficit disorder, it should also do this: Invoke that sated feeling one gets after a stark but substantial, exotic but familiar feast. As someone who has never read a book twice, this one could be read many more times than that and have deep, new, meaning derived each time. As stated, if you do not have the focus to enjoy this amazing work, it truly is your own personal loss. That said, I wish everyone I knew had read it--there is so much to discuss. I recommend the entire Border Trilogy.
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