Cities of the Plain, Cormac McCarthy
Cities of the Plain, Cormac McCarthy
7 Rating(s)
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
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Cities of the Plain

Author: Cormac McCarthy

Narrator: Frank Muller

Unabridged: 9 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 02/25/2011


Synopsis

In his novels, best-selling author Cormac McCarthy creates a western landscape filled with characters that are both myhic and authentic. Cities of the Plain, the stunning conclusion of his award-winning Border trilogy, brings together John Grady Cole and Billy Parham-the two lifelong friends who began their adventures in All the Pretty Horses. It is 1952. As Grady and Billy work a remote New Mexico ranch, Grady falls in love with a young Mexican prostitute. Determined to free her from her owner, Grady embarks on his dangerous quest of the heart. Billy tries to protect and help him, but the forces at work soon demand sacrifices greater than either can control. Capturing visions of the American West during its last decades, McCarthy's powerful work is destined to leave a permanent mark on contemporary literature. You don't have to read the other books in the trilogy to enjoy superstar narrator Frank Muller's performance, which brings a dramatic intensity to Cities of the Plain and makes it an exceptional listening experience.

Reviews

Goodreads review by William2 on November 08, 2023

The novel starts with a bunch of young cowboys in the American southwest — just after World War II — volubly choosing whores in a tavern-cum-bordello. That image evokes the cities of the title, which were in the end, it should be observed, destroyed by God. This is the last volume of a border trilog......more

Goodreads review by Jaline on October 11, 2018

The Border Trilogy – Part 3 of 3 In this final novel of The Border Trilogy, both John Grady Cole and Billy Parham are working at Mac Ranch, owned by a fellow named McGovern. Everyone calls him Mac, and all the cowboys on the ranch know that their time together appears to be limited as the government......more

Goodreads review by Tadas on May 06, 2025

Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy is a masterfully crafted conclusion to the Border Trilogy, blending lyrical prose with profound themes of love, loss, and fate. McCarthy's writing is hauntingly beautiful, immersing readers in a stark, yet deeply human world. The characters are rich and complex......more

Goodreads review by Katie on March 01, 2019

For me the least successful of the trilogy though there was still much to love. This brings back the central characters of books one and two. It's essentially a love story. John Grady Cole falls in love with a young girl who suffers from epilepsy and works in a Mexican brothel. His aim to rescue and......more

Goodreads review by Jessaka on November 20, 2022

A Real Cowboy Never Sells His Horse Billy, from “The Crossing,’ is older now and is working on a ranch in Southeastern New Mexico. The year is 1952. John Grady, a character from maybe “All the Pretty Horses,” is there too. Ranch work can be interesting, that is, if you only talk about the interesting......more