All the Pretty Horses is a novel by American author Cormac McCarthy published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1992. It was a bestseller, winning both the U.S. National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. It is the first of McCarthy's "Border Trilogy". The book follows John Grady Cole. In 1949, his grandfather dies, and his family ranch is being sold. He and his best friend, Lacey Rawlins, travel to Mexico via horseback to find work as cowboys. The two friends team up with mysterious Jimmy Blevins and escape arrest. Eventually, the three find work at a ranch. There, John Grady has an affair with the ranch owner's daughter, Alejandra. The three boys are eventually found and arrested. In his escape, John Grady is severely wounded. He eventually returns to the United States after rescuing Rawlins and Blevins and Alejandra rejects his marriage proposal. He eventually goes out West with Blevins after the last link to his family dies. The book was adapted as a 2000 film starring Matt Damon and Penélope Cruz and directed by Billy Bob Thornton. Source: Wikipedia (en)