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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
A dreary, gritty vignette of the old west. Grotesque. Following the kid on his journey was so grueling at times, it felt like McCarthy was dragging me along by a noose.
That being said, the last few chapters were like a reward, with themes illuminating themselves in prose that I won’t soon forget.
“He never sleeps, the judge. He is dancing, dancing. He says that he will never die.”
That being said, the last few chapters were like a reward, with themes illuminating themselves in prose that I won’t soon forget.
“He never sleeps, the judge. He is dancing, dancing. He says that he will never die.”
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Brutal. An incredible story but very hard to digest. The ending was IMO one of the best conclusions to a book symbolically. And the Judge is horrifying.
I'd call it the quintessential Western novel having hardly read a Western novel. It's hard to imagine anything topping this definitive look at the Wild Western American mythos, though. The bildungsroman of an American youth and the intertwining of his fate, his soul even, with the Judge: the bald-headed embodiment of Manifest Evil. The character development is unmatched and the imagery is similarly so. It's probably more of a 4.5 than a 4, and I imagine I might come back to write more after thinking on the book a little longer.
Да ты можешь хоть раз в жизни написать как у кого-то НЕ отвалилась жопа
Судья охуенно зловещий персонаж конечно, ладно
Судья охуенно зловещий персонаж конечно, ладно
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A ghastly masterpiece of unfettered cruelty and violence. The prose itself feels violent and the writing style McCarthy employs to tell his savage tale is nothing but poetic. The numberless archaic words were a joy to read and the unpunctuated dialogue was always staggering and vivid. The reoccurring motif of describing the state of the sky as 'the kid' journeys about the West were always beautifully written and it is one of my favourite parts of the book. Regarding the actual narrative, its a morbid pilgrimage of sin that paints a wild picture in the readers mind of the unrelenting violence of the American West and the unending cruelty that human beings have for each other. Blood Meridian well exceeded its reputation and is indeed a Great American Novel of Old Testament proportions.
McCarthy oscillates between explicit, detailed, lyrical, relentless depictions of all manner of violence, and yet deliberately obfuscates key turning points in the narrative with an admittedly clever knack for suggestion.
This was a difficult book to read for a few reasons, but the layers of symbolism are rewarding and the lessons taught are vital in understanding the darkest sides of American history.
The prose is also oddly pastoral at times considering the relentless brutality.
Judge Holden is one of the most terrifying villains in the western canon.
I would have given this book five stars had I enjoyed reading it.
This was a difficult book to read for a few reasons, but the layers of symbolism are rewarding and the lessons taught are vital in understanding the darkest sides of American history.
The prose is also oddly pastoral at times considering the relentless brutality.
Judge Holden is one of the most terrifying villains in the western canon.
I would have given this book five stars had I enjoyed reading it.
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
True evil is what we allow to happen and how easy we normalize horrors
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Was chosen for a book club I'm in. Hate the writing. Hate the grammar/punctuation or rather, lack thereof it. Hate the 'plot.' This is overrated junk. Let's stop giving praise to shitty books.