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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Okay. I need someone to tell me what happened at the end! Frustrating. This book wasn’t what I expected. I enjoyed it and was compelled to finish it. Yet I found the ending to be unsatisfactory.
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I knew No Country for Old Men was intended to be a film from the very beginning and that the novel is an adapted screenplay, so I didn't think I'd like this as much as I did. This might be the only novel from McCarthy that you can read in a few hours (besides The Road perhaps), and it's largely because the signature realist-yet-also-poetic prose that the he was known for is nowhere to be seen. This is mostly made up for in that the dialogue is still typically more in-depth and philosophical than the average novel, though at the same time I think the Coen Bros were able to say a lot more with a lot less in the film version:
"Don't put it in your pocket, it's your lucky quarter."
"Where do you want me to put it?"
"Don't put it in your pocket. Or it'll get mixed in with the others and become just a coin... Which it is."
is significantly more concise than:
Dont put it in your pocket. You wont know which one it is.
All right.
Anything can be an instrument, Chigurh said. Small things. Things you wouldnt even notice. They pass from hand to hand. People dont pay attention. And then one day there's an accounting. And after that nothing is the same. Well, you say. It's just a coin. For instance. Nothing special there. What could that be an instrument of? You see the problem. To separate the act from the thing. As if the parts of some moment in history might be interchangeable with the parts of some other moment. How could that be. Well, it's just a coin. Yes. That's true. Is it?
I hesitate to use the word "clunky" here, because I think McCarthy is onto something slightly different here, but the Coen Bros version captures a very similar idea in a more organic, natural way of speaking. Still, those long philosophical spiels are often what make his novels so captivating.
The film cuts out and alters many scenes from the novel, and the film suffers for it. It's still a masterpiece of cinema make no mistake about it, but the novel is still absolutely worth your time as a result.
"Don't put it in your pocket, it's your lucky quarter."
"Where do you want me to put it?"
"Don't put it in your pocket. Or it'll get mixed in with the others and become just a coin... Which it is."
is significantly more concise than:
Dont put it in your pocket. You wont know which one it is.
All right.
Anything can be an instrument, Chigurh said. Small things. Things you wouldnt even notice. They pass from hand to hand. People dont pay attention. And then one day there's an accounting. And after that nothing is the same. Well, you say. It's just a coin. For instance. Nothing special there. What could that be an instrument of? You see the problem. To separate the act from the thing. As if the parts of some moment in history might be interchangeable with the parts of some other moment. How could that be. Well, it's just a coin. Yes. That's true. Is it?
I hesitate to use the word "clunky" here, because I think McCarthy is onto something slightly different here, but the Coen Bros version captures a very similar idea in a more organic, natural way of speaking. Still, those long philosophical spiels are often what make his novels so captivating.
The film cuts out and alters many scenes from the novel, and the film suffers for it. It's still a masterpiece of cinema make no mistake about it, but the novel is still absolutely worth your time as a result.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The plot is mostly good. However, the way the book is written made it so unnecessarily difficult to read and follow that it made it unappealing to pick back up each time.