What a trip. Read this entire series in a 10-day sprint. Sadly, Cities of the Plain wasn't on the same level as All The Pretty Horses and The Crossing for me. I felt like this book lacked the headlong intensity in the writing that those books had. There were times in the first two books when I wanted to quit reading (for the night) but the writing just wouldn't let me go.

Don't get me wrong, this book still had some beautiful writing and some great moments. I really liked the interactions and dialogue between Billy and John Grady. I liked any part involving John Grady and horses. The last scene between John Grady and Eduardo was fantastic. And of course, McCarthy would never ruin a book by having a "happy" ending. Speaking of which, I kind of wish this book had ended without the Epilogue tacked on. It didn't really add anything for me and I think emotionally, the story would've had more impact without it. I also felt like the romance fall-in-love-with-a-prostitute part of the story is a little bit too "tried and true" to have much impact. For me, the major themes of this series were loneliness, reflection, and perseverance even when it seems like everything is an exercise in futility.

However, this is still a great series and probably the best "western" books I've read. I'm actually getting a custom-made hardcover set made of these books, which I can't wait to see in person.