Not Bedtime Reading - take it to the beach

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	• No Country for Old Men (Vintage International) Cormac McCarthy Vintage, 2007 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 402 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Not Bedtime Reading - take it to the beach

This book causes you to think and feel. Although presented linearly, the plot moves in parallel paths that keeps you on edge as you try to figure out what's happening and why. The feelings go mostly to the dark side: anxiety, apprehension, fear, and, in the end, disillusionment.

The novel presents a more comprehensible story than the film, No Country for Old Men. To a large extent, the random violence in the film version is attributed to fate and Chigurh is presented as an almost mystical character . Chigurh's interaction with the owner of the money is played out differently in the two works. Another difference is the book uses the musings of Sherriff Bell to help explain events and transition between plot elements. McCarthy's book more squarely lays the blame for the escalating violence on drug trafficking and Sherriff Bell's despondency is more clearly caused by the collapse of the civility of his youth. These seemingly small changes, greatly affect the mood and fatalism of the two works, but I wouldn't change either.

It may not bother others, but I was put off by the creative punctuation because I found it distracting. In the final analysis, however, this is a excellent book and possibly a great one. If you were intrigued with the movie, you'll enjoy reading the novel.
The Shut Mouth Society
The Shopkeeper

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Don't Be Ignorant Your Whole Life

I can't say I didn't enjoy this book, but I wasn't exactly sold on it, either (and especially not the cinematic version). It did make me think about the way things are and I do know where Sheriff Bell is coming from.

I didn't really care for the lack of apostrophes and quotes. I don't exactly understand the point of that, except to somehow convey the 1980 South Texas dialect and the sense of decay (for lack of a better word) one feels while reading. And I don't mind not knowing the complete background of each character in a given book, but in this case, you only really get to know the Sheriff. There were just too many unanswered questions for me. The author, I felt, put too much burden on the reader to come up with conclusions. Apparently, a lot of people don't seem to mind that. So be it!

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This is a great book

Until recently, I had not read any of McCarthy's books but In recent weeks I have read both, "The Road" and now, "No Country for Old Men." I confess that it was the Coen brothers' great film version of No Country, which got me onto McCarthy. I'm glad it did.

As others have noted, "No Country for Old Men" is dense and, at times, hard to understand. So is the movie. Nevertheless, this story is a richly rewarding exploration into the randomness of life, the unintended consequences our actions often bring about, and sheer, terrifying evil.

The story traces Llewellyn Moss from his finding $2.4 million as a result of having come upon the scene of a drug deal gone wrong. Unfortunately for Llewellyn, this places him between the Mexican drug dealers who were selling the drugs, and Anton Chigurh, who had been hired to recover the money for the buyers.

Chigurh is one of literature's more chilling characters. He is very smart, his ability to avoid detection and do what he wishes almost occult. He is also remorseless and so crazy that, as a character in the book asks right before Chigurh kills him, "Do have any idea how f*****g crazy you are?" Chigurh is a force of nature, a perfect storm of evil. At another time, when someone asks him about his enemies, Chigurh explains, "I don't have enemies, I take care of them." Indeed, Chigurh ruthlessly kills anyone he encounters who might be able to link him to one of his many brutal crimes. His weapon of choice is a pneumatically powered stun gun, of the sort used on cattle in slaughter houses.

Sheriff Ed Tom Bell is another memorable character. He is the sheriff of the county where Llewellyn lives with his young wife. As part of his investigation of the crime, Bell contacts Bell's wife, Carla Jean, and asks her to help him find Llewellyn. What arises from all of this is the core of the story, so I won't give it away. Suffice it to say, that it's dark and scary, like so much of the rest of the book. Bell is haunted by changing times, which he no longer understands, and the horrifying specter of Chigurh, so much so that he resigns as sheriff because he has had enough.

I should add that the book is not without its share of quiet humor. Some of the dialog is slyly funny, which satisfied me as to why the Coen brothers found it appealing.

The critical acclaim and many awards this book has received were richly deserved, it seems to me. "No Country for Old Men" is by any measure a great book. Highly recommended.

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Disturbing

The first book I read by Cormac McCarthy was "The Road" and I must admit to being taken aback by it. I must have been expecting a difficult story with a warm, fuzzy ending. Quite the opposite, but riveting nevertheless. So too, is this title. It held my attention and left me feeling just a bit out of sorts. I think McCarthy is my newest favorite author. I am reluctant to see the movie due to it possibly ruining the reading experience for me. I want to remember this novel, not the movie version. Enjoy.

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