Hello, I'm David Kern.

I'm Heidi White.

And I'm Tim McIntosh.

And you are listening to Close Reads, a podcast for the Incurable Reader, on which we are discussing Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses.

And on this episode, we are going to discuss the pages that take us up through the end of part two.

If you're reading the vintage edition, it's through page 151. But basically, just through the end of part two. If you're reading the vintage edition, it's through page 151,

but basically just through the end of part two. And where should we start? This is an incredible

section. One thing that I was struck by, Tim, I want to mention this to you first because

of how many times you've read this book,

and I want to see what you think of this before we go to Heidi.

This is a book that is many different kinds of books.

Would you agree with that?

Can you say more?

I was afraid you'd say that.

It's an adventure.

It's a romance. It's a romance.

It's, what are the other?

It's a classic.

Yeah, there's got the trappings of a classic Western, but, you know, this section is in particular, very much the sort of budding romance story, but a lot of the elements of what makes a Western romantic, right?

In this section. First, at the beginning, it looked like it was a Western romantic, right? In this section. First, at the beginning,

it looked like it was a road book, right? With a road building's Roman. And then we lose,

we lose their old friend, right? But then in this section, he gains a new friend of sorts.

...