The English major in me hated it but the book reader in me loved it.

books:


	• The Road (Oprah's Book Club) Cormac McCarthy Vintage Books, 2007 - 287 pages average customer review:based on 1529 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

"Left Behind"...for secularists

Very seldom do I read fiction, but at the suggestion of a friend... At first, I balked because it looked like a long book, but when I opened it and saw the large print and lots of dialogue, I went ahead and started it.

The premise seemed unlikely and obviously driven by the current "doomsday" future scenarios we hear from extreme environmentalist groups. It read like the book of Daniel or Revelations as far as it being a likely extension of their brand of scientific "prophecy". Since I don't buy into that, it turned me off at first. Determined to finish the book, I just decided to enjoy the story.

I have never read anything by McCarthy. I found his writing style to be infectious and inspiring. The story was easy to read and the imagery was plentiful. It keeps you thinking that something significant will happen on the next page, but it never does. He used the hopelessness of the situation and the mundane day to day existence of the characters to bring out a few (very few) deep human insights. These were well worth trudging through the more boring parts. The end was especially satisfying.

All in all, I'm glad I read the book and I would recommend it. I am anxiously awaiting the movie that comes out in November. Now I'm going back to reading non-fiction.

for more information click here

The English major in me hated it but the book reader in me loved it.

"The Road" is the first novel that I have read by Cormac McCarthy. It will not be the last.

The story revolves around a man and his son traveling through a post-apocalyptic world. There is little backstory and the reader knows next to nothing of these characters' lives before the nuclear winter that has killed off virtually all animal and plant life. The Man and the Boy, for we have no other names to call them, are constantly on the move with hunger and fear as their only other companions.

In this world, that is all but biologically dead, their only sources of food are canned goods and other non-perishables. However, such items are rare and seem almost anachronistically out of place in this gray and cold primitive world into which the author has dropped us. Of course, the roving bands of cannibals have opted for a more eclectic menu from which to choose.

In a world that is forever shrouded from the sun, the one ray of light is that of the love between the man and the boy. The only good the man sees in the world is wholly encompassed in his son. All that he does, including choosing to live, is done solely for the boy. It is this relationship that most keeps the reader vested in the story.

It takes a little time to become accustomed to McCarthy's style of writing. The incomplete sentences and apostropheless contractions got under the skin of the English major in me at times but the book lover in me came to appreciate it. The truncated grammar actually plays a role in relaying the spartan world in which the story unfolds.

My only qualm with the novel is that on numerous occasions McCarthy uses a rather obscure vocabulary. Even the most well read of readers will find themselves reaching for the dictionary a distracting number of times throughout the book.

Over the years I have read numerous post-apocalyptic and end-of-world novels and have frankly become bored with them. Had this book not been the recipient of the Pulitzer I likely never would have read it. I am glad I did. We have all read books of which we remember little and we have all read books that stand out in our minds over time. I believe this is one of the latter.

for more information click here

The road is unlike any I have taken

Once you get into the rhythm it is amazing how quickly you fall into step. Emotionlessly written yet so brilliant. The road is unlike any I have taken or seen before on a map.

beautiful/heartbreaking

This book had a funny effect on me. The first days I was reading it, on my way to work in the bus, I had to put it down as I felt tears in my eyes. Then it made me feel anxious but I could not stop, I had to read it until the end. And, wow, it is so beautiful in its own way, how this father loves this kid, And of course I just loved the kid too. And to end this I have to say that it made me feel more in love and be more patient with my own son. Worth reading.

for more information click here

End Road

In terms of the flow of language and gramatical structure, I really do not feel that Cormac McCarthy is a good writer. Though the book progresses clumsily at times, the engagement of the plot overcomes this flaw. With a morbid and disspiriting theme, the reader plots along toward the end, wondering what may happen next. "The Road" and its melancholy themes create an unusual bond of engagement with the reader that can compare strikingly with "The Grapes of Wrath".

A boy and his father are progressing in a journey south after surviving an unnamed apocalytic catastrophe. Along their road they see shocking sights, struggle for food and shelter, while the father tries to disguise the fact that he is dying from his son. Alone in a world of villains or "bad guys", the father knows he must prepare his son for life after him. Reading the book while enjoying the luxuries of the modern world, it may even strike some readers as awkward as they read of things that no longer exist. As the story draws to a close, the conclusion of the heartbreaking journey to the South may catch some readers by surprise.

The greatest flaw of this book is the style in which it is written. Once a reader gets past this flaw, it is a reasonable expectation to be entertained and even learn from this book. When one puts this book in the prespective of the movie "The Day After", it is difficult to deny the book's authenticity.

for more information click here

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, page 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

hot

not?

What's your opinion?

Write a review and share your thoughts!

recommendations

30 GREATEST new Thrillers - BEST of the BEST
Drinking and Driving and Drinking and...
My absolute favorite books (fiction)
List 29 - hot Pacific NW titles
End of the world environment

search for books
book, club, oprah, road

Impressum / about us