Reviews

Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy

kwoolfre's review against another edition

4.5

I think that the dreamer imagined himself at some crossroads. Yet there are no crossroads. Our decisions do not have some alternative. We may contemplate a choice but we pursue one path only. 

kosermoser's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

raoulgonzo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

lbykes's review against another edition

The more McCarthy I read the more baffling I find the larger cultural conception of him. He seems to me mostly fixated on inevitability/how much choice we might have at all in our lives. How depressing the inevitability is seems to me dependent on what is inevitable: death, violence, evil, betrayal - pretty depressing, pretty upsetting. But! Love, friendship, tenderness, communion with animals, communion with land and living landscapes - beautiful, substantial, worth pursuing regardless of the (inevitable) consequences. This book made me cry on a bus in an embarrassing way, not a dignified couple of tears. And I am grateful to it for that. And for making me ask Hillary straight up at Spill tonight "do you believe in free will."

noel_rene_cisneros's review against another edition

4.0

McCarthy transporta a sus lectores a la frontera —como en sus otras dos novelas de la trilogía, pero esta vez se centra sobre todo en Ciudad Juárez—, ahí volvemos a encontrarnos con Billy que fue el protagonista de The crossing y con un joven que se le parece mucho y para quien el vaquero sirve de mentor. Ese joven se enamora de una muchacha que trabaja de prostituta en un burdel de Ciudad Juárez a quien él está decidido va a salvar. La exploración del accionar humano, de la maldad, de la aridez del paisaje tan caros a McCarthy están aquí tan potentes como en las otras tres novelas de la trilogía, con una prosa cuidada que tiende a la aspereza —como el paisaje en el que se mueven sus personajes— McCarthy construye esta novela de forma impecable.

farmercolin's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

fr_tobin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

sheparmy's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.75

Enjoyed this one more than I thought. Reads more in the vein of all the pretty horses. While nowhere near as good as the crossing it still has the McCarthy signature prose and sadness which I have come to love. I felt satisfied with how it all ended, but some things I had questions about especially at the end. Overall I enjoyed this trilogy and will miss the characters.

oddlyconfusing's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

lokikone's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

4.0