46 pages • 1 hour read
Cormac McCarthyA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy follows John Grady Cole and Billy Parham as they work on a cattle ranch near the US-Mexico border. John Grady falls in love with Magdalena, a teenager in a Mexican brothel, and enlists Billy's help to save her. Their lives become entangled with violence, and the changing world threatens their cowboy lifestyle. Sensitive topics include violence, sex work, and death.
Comprising the final installment of McCarthy's Border Trilogy, Cities of the Plain melds poetic prose with stark narratives, resonating deeply with fans of his previous works. While some critics laud its evocative landscapes and profound themes, others find the pacing sluggish and the plot somewhat predictable. Nonetheless, its elegiac tone and vivid character portrayals make it a compelling read.
Fans of spare, lyrical prose and complex explorations of morality, like those found in Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea or William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, will appreciate Cormac McCarthy's Cities of the Plain. It's ideal for readers who enjoy Western settings and deeply human stories.
Lexile Level
680LWestern
Historical Fiction
American Literature
Emotions/Behavior: Memory
Values/Ideas: Fate
Natural World: Animals
Trauma / Abuse / Violence
Post-War Era