Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

Blood Meridian, or The Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy

66 reviews

mike_petrow's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence

skippy_skippington's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A deconstruction of the mythologized North American old west, tearing away the veneer of respectability and civilization. Stark, horrific, violent, and weirdly beautiful at times. Not for those with a sensitive constitution.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Religious bigotry, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

sunn_bleach's review

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

He is dancing. He says that he will never die.

Too much has been written by others for me to add anything further. A parable on violence and the lie of American Manifest Destiny - but I wouldn't fault others who just cannot find any merit or enjoyment in it, either. I agree with everyone's criticisms; even if they're all true, the reasons why those criticisms exist is why this is a Great American Novel.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, and War

Moderate: Cursing

Minor: Pedophilia

salmonite's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

sasukeuchihastan's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

"the road" so far remains my favorite mccarthy book, but "blood meridian" had me in a chokehold due to the banality of violence and nonchalance of evil. it's one of those books where there is so much meaning packed into every single sentence, but the tone and style make it matter of fact rather than something to be dissected. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Alcohol

Minor: Child death, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

avibc316's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Pedophilia, and Racism

redmarten83's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War

malignantmoon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

An incredibly bleak and gruesome story, one that would have been impossible for me to finish if not for McCarthy's wonderful prose. Even with the great writing, it's a challenging read. The violence is so constant and explicit, yet written so casually you only take it what's happened after a few moments or even with a reread of the scene. The Kid, the main character, disappears into the background, and the supporting cast are some of the worst examples of men in storytelling. Very little happens in the book, it's not driven by characters or plot, simply by a cycle of violence.  

Even so, there were so many lines of dialogue I found beautiful, that made me sit and reflect on humanity and love and purpose. There are moments of mercy in this story, and moments of loyalty to brothers, even though no one is ever rewarded for this behaviour. Tobin's dedication to keeping the Kid away from the Judge, a consistent and selfless act, had me rooting for him in vain. The Kid's rejection of the Judge (who could possibly be satan himself), and his worship of war, is a brave act, a rejection of the American expansion into the West, though we know it to be futile.

I think it's very fair to not want to read/finish the book due to the darkness of it, I fault no one for this, at times, I felt the same. While it seems gratuitous, McCarthy knows what he is doing, very clearly so, by choosing one scene in the novel that he locks the readers out of. We do not know what happens, we get no descriptions and are only told by others that "it's bad in there". It's by far one of the most disturbing and haunting parts of the novel. 

Would I recommend this book? no <3 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, and Colonisation

Minor: Ableism and Child death

leo_mal's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No

5.0

The buffalo hunter passage is gonna stay with me for a while.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Excrement, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Pedophilia and Rape

michaelmac316's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Not for the faint of heart. Intense, Brutal and does not hold back. A masterpiece that I will read again one day but not for a long time. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual assault

Not for the faint of heart. This book is brutal and does not hold back.