14 replies to this topic

[mada]

Hi, anyone have any thoughts on Cormac Mccarthy, he is my favourite author,a nd seems to write with a profound theological insight.
I would love to hear from anyone with thoughts on this.

[Overstreet]

I'm a big fan. I loved All the Pretty Horses, laughed and screamed and became sick to my stomach over No Country for Old Men, and now I'm caught in the horror of The Road.

And by the way, The Road just won the Pulitzer.

I think there's another thread on this somewhere, but I can't find it right now.

[Christian]

I finished disc one of "The Road" today, and I'm into it. Much better than "No Country for Old Men," at least in the early going. But if "The Road" keeps up, I may revisit "No Country" soon.

[Christian]

Jeffrey's holding back on the bigger Pulitzer news, which is this richly deserved award (mentioned in the headline of the linked story).

A phenomenal book that everyone must read.

No joke.

If you haven't read it, read it. Now.

Edited by Christian, 16 April 2007 - 08:34 PM.

[Jason Panella]

I'm also a big McCarthy fan. The Road is jaw-dropping. Blood Meridian is jaw-dropping as well (and so incredibly dense!). I really liked No Country For Old Men, and look forward to the Coen bros. film version. I own the Border Trilogy and will try to read them sometime this year.

I'm so glad he won.

[Christian]

The Road is jaw-dropping.

I loved it. Makes me want to try "No Country for Old Men" again.

[Christian]

Jim Emerson goes long in his praise of the book. Don't read the post if you haven't already read the book.

[NBooth]

Great write-up; my appetite is now even more whetted--I've got "The Road" and "All the Pretty Horses" on my shelf, awaiting my attention.
I read "No Country" some time ago and 'blogged my impressions (with possible spoilers) here. I was intrigued and disturbed by the book; the imagery of the last couple of paragraphs is so vivid that, even now, it stands clearly before my mind's eye. I look forward to reading more Mccarthy.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Links to threads on the book and film versions of The Road, and to the thread on the film version of No Country for Old Men.

[Buckeye Jones]

Just finished "Blood Meridian" last night. Powerful, haunting, malignant, confusing. I need to reread the last chapter; I flew through so quickly.

Would love to talk about it if any one else has read it. I'll start a dedicated thread.

[chuckster]

It doesn't look like there has been much activity on this topic other than Buckeye's comment from a couple of months ago. I have not read any of Cormac Mccarthy's work, but I am hoping to over the Holidays. My question for any of you is, what is a good one to start with? I was actually leaning towards Blood Meridian after reading a review a few months ago and reading some of the comments on the dedicated thread from Buckeye, but when I looked it up at the bookstore, I thought I saw something about it being part of a trilogy. If that is the case, I didn't know if I needed to read something else in order to get the background before jumping into this one. Any suggestions on what would be a good first read from this author would be appreciated.

[Jason Panella]

Though I'm a fan of McCarthy, I've not read all of his works and might not be able to give you the best answer. That said, Blood Meridian might be a rough start. Yes, it's unlike anything I've ever read (or ever will read, probably), it's pretty daunting to get through. It's a shaky comparison, but it's almost like being unfamiliar with Joyce and starting with Finnegan's Wake (instead of, say, The Dubliners or Portrait of the Artist...).

Also, the trilogy of books doesn't include Meridian, but All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing and Cities of the Plain. Those might worth starting with. Maybe Suttree? I've not read it, but a few friends have and loved it. My vote, though, is for The Road. I feel like it sums up his career themes well.

[chuckster]

Thanks Jason. I think I will take your advice and hold off on Blood Meridian. Suttree actually sounds pretty appealing to me since I grew up about an hour west of Knoxville.

[NBooth]

[via the Reading Copy 'blog]

[Ryan H.]

Very funny.

As far as McCarthy goes, I love BLOOD MERIDIAN and don't really get the enthusiasm for THE ROAD.