Cormac McCarthy's The Road

[10Kilr]

I enjoyed the book. McCarthy's writing style is very vivid and interesting to me much like a poet. The ending left something to be desired in my opinion but overall a good book.

[Guest Grout]

I read No Country for Old Men and The Road then tried to read All the Pretty Horses and could not get into it.His writing style was a little different in that book.I am looking forward to the movie version of The Road.It was supposed to come out last Thanksgiving but I heard they were going back over the entire film and digitally removing all the trees.

[Smith]

Just read the synopsis on IMDB and man! It sure seems dark and depressing.

[Punisher84]

I read No Country for Old Men and The Road then tried to read All the Pretty Horses and could not get into it.His writing style was a little different in that book.I am looking forward to the movie version of The Road.It was supposed to come out last Thanksgiving but I heard they were going back over the entire film and digitally removing all the trees.

There was alot of special effects stuff and I think in certain parts they had to remove trees to make the landscape look burned out and barren.

I finished it last night and the ending wasn't what I had hoped, but it was what I expected. I guess that's life lol

[bteague2]

I know you're in Knoxville, but maybe we should get a TGO group and go to a matinee one Sunday or something in our locals?

I'd be game if anyone in Knoxville wants to get together, or maybe we could plan a big state-wide TGO meet around the time the movie opens in Nashville.

[Guest Revelator]

This thread inspired me to pick up this book from the library. I'm almost finished, and it's kind of like Cold Mountain but way more extreme. I tell you what, it'll make you grateful that you've got a warm bed and food in the pantry.

[G27]

This thread inspired me to pick up this book from the library. I'm almost finished, and it's kind of like Cold Mountain but way more extreme. I tell you what, it'll make you grateful that you've got a warm bed and food in the pantry.

I can't wait to read it, it's been added to my Amazon wish list so I don't forget to buy it.

Is he a really good writer, though? So many books I read nowadays are really boringly written - the author tries to write compellingly but it's obvious they're really just average writers overall. For example, Steven Hunter writes interesting stories but his writing is rather 'eh'...

[Guest Revelator]

MaCarthy writes kind of like Hemingway, who's my favorite author. It's definitely a different style. I like it, but not everyone will. And I'd agree with what some of the others said, he does use some pretty off-the-wall words.

[Punisher84]

I can't wait to read it, it's been added to my Amazon wish list so I don't forget to buy it.

Is he a really good writer, though? So many books I read nowadays are really boringly written - the author tries to write compellingly but it's obvious they're really just average writers overall. For example, Steven Hunter writes interesting stories but his writing is rather 'eh'...

If you want to borrow it just let me know. You can use my copy man.

[Punisher84]

MaCarthy writes kind of like Hemingway, who's my favorite author. It's definitely a different style. I like it, but not everyone will. And I'd agree with what some of the others said, he does use some pretty off-the-wall words.

That man's vocabulary astounds me lol

[G27]

If you want to borrow it just let me know. You can use my copy man.

Thanks, but I'm a bit of a book-whore - I buy everything I want to read, in hardcover if available.

[Guest superdrew4000]

Thanks, but I'm a bit of a book-whore - I buy everything I want to read, in hardcover if available.

My wife and I were "book whores" until we actually had the room in our new house to unpack ALL of our books and put them on nice shelves. Ain't no way I'm moving all those friggin' books again.

[G27]

My wife and I were "book whores" until we actually had the room in our new house to unpack ALL of our books and put them on nice shelves. Ain't no way I'm moving all those friggin' books again.

Haha, yah, I'm in the process of building another bookshelf (this one will take up half of one of our walls - probably 9-10' tall and 15' wide).

If we ever move - ugh - I shudder to think about it.

[-boatman-]

I just picked up a copy at the used bookstore. I can't wait to get to work this afternoon and get started reading it.

[Hooker771]

His writing style is different but the way he writes is second to none. It takes a second to get use to no punctuations though

[Punisher84]

His writing style is different but the way he writes is second to none. It takes a second to get use to no punctuations though

That was the biggest issue for me at first, but after the first few pages you get sucked into the story and it doesn't matter.

[Guest Revelator]

One thing that's so chilling about it, and Punisher mentioned this, is that it takes place years and years after the event, whatever it was. (Nuclear war, I'm thinking?) In a situation like the book presents, initial survival is the easy part. It only gets more difficult and dire as the years go by. No matter how many cans of food you've stocked up you're eventually going to run out, and no matter how many pairs of shoes you have they're eventually going to rot and you don't have the materials to make more. So after ten years you're scavaging the ground and wearing rags on your feet. That's your reward for making it that far. This book basically puts humanity back to the beginning of time, which is a pretty awesome, scary concept.

[Moped]

I read The Road after he won the Pulitzer for it and loved it! It's a great book. I've tried to read other books by Cormac, Sutree and All the Pretty Horses. However with Sutree, I just got disgusted with the character and All the Pretty Horse bored me to no end after a 100 pages or so. Both were returned to the library unfinished. I intend to pick up Blood Meridan and read it next though.

[Punisher84]

One thing that's so chilling about it, and Punisher mentioned this, is that it takes place years and years after the event, whatever it was. (Nuclear war, I'm thinking?) In a situation like the book presents, initial survival is the easy part. It only gets more difficult and dire as the years go by. No matter how many cans of food you've stocked up you're eventually going to run out, and no matter how many pairs of shoes you have they're eventually going to rot and you don't have the materials to make more. So after ten years you're scavaging the ground and wearing rags on your feet. That's your reward for making it that far. This book basically puts humanity back to the beginning of time, which is a pretty awesome, scary concept.

That was what I loved about it and hated at the same time. Cormac said his view was that it was after a comet or asteroid strike on earth, even though he never really says in the book. I think even with all out nuclear war there would be places to go and survive similar to the "Jericho" tv show situation.

The thing about The Road is that while you could survive for a length of time on what you had and hoarded eventually you are reduced to scavenging and hoping for the best. It's a very dark theory and something that no one could really prepare for all that well.

[Guest Grout]

I read The Road after he won the Pulitzer for it and loved it! It's a great book. I've tried to read other books by Cormac, Sutree and All the Pretty Horses. However with Sutree, I just got disgusted with the character and All the Pretty Horse bored me to no end after a 100 pages or so. Both were returned to the library unfinished. I intend to pick up Blood Meridan and read it next though.

+1.I think I made it about 50 pages into All The Pretty Horses.The Road and No Country are his two latest works,maybe he is finally putting it together as a writer cuz IMHO his earler stuff sucks.

[Oh Shoot]

+1.I think I made it about 50 pages into All The Pretty Horses.The Road and No Country are his two latest works,maybe he is finally putting it together as a writer cuz IMHO his earler stuff sucks.

Well, all I can say is there are readers and there are readers.

All The Pretty Horses won a National Book Award, made a pretty fine movie also. Personally, I loved it, marvelous coming of age saga -- a growing up journey young men in America sadly can't emulate anymore.

- OS

[Guest Grout]

I have never found an author whose every work has appealed to me.I also hardly ever agree with critics.

Edited February 27, 2009 by Grout

[Guest Seminole]

I read The Road last year after seeing the movie version of No Country for Old Men. Someone earlier in the thread said he found it to be a quick read. My experience was exactly the opposite. It took me what felt like forever, but only because I kept putting it down because I was afraid of what was going to happen next. Maybe it was so hard because I have a son the same age as the boy.

Talk about bleak!

It did make me go back and read No Country. It's always interesting to read a book after having seen the movie first. Now, of course, I'm going to have to do it the opposite way when the movie version of The Road comes out.

[Guest bkelm18]

I just finished The Road last night. It only took about a week to read. Great story, powerful themes of survival throughout as well as the nature of man. Some said they didn't like the ending. I'll say this, I liken it to the ending of No Country (the movie, haven't read the book), its not the ending that you were wanting, but it was the ending you were expecting. It really made me think a few times when I was reading it. Could I have lasted so long as them? I doubt it. Not because I lack the skills but because whats the point of keeping on when you know it isn't going to get any better? I suppose the Man had his son, and thats why he kept going. And vice versa. Just a great book by a great writer. I definitely recommend it.

[G27]

Just ordered The Road (found the hardcover on Amazon!) along with a few more books yesterday. Will re-read hunter's Master Sniper to hold me over until the new shipment arrives...