Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Just going through and padding my account with a bunch of stuff I've read within the last year or so:
Really really stunning and quiet and simple and gut wrenching.
I guess McCarthy gets labeled as a sort of pessimist or nihilist but I think this book really points him the other way, but I think that he's very much a litmus test of an author, you pull out what you want from him and it's not due to ambiguity, it's something more powerful and deeper.
Nothing I'm saying here is new or interesting, obviously.
Really really stunning and quiet and simple and gut wrenching.
I guess McCarthy gets labeled as a sort of pessimist or nihilist but I think this book really points him the other way, but I think that he's very much a litmus test of an author, you pull out what you want from him and it's not due to ambiguity, it's something more powerful and deeper.
Nothing I'm saying here is new or interesting, obviously.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
this is like the equivalent of fight club for film bro but for pretentious literary men.
no cause why is this like one of the worst books ive ever read. first of all it is simply boring as heck and so incredibly repetitive that cutting it down to 30 pages short story could have been more effective. one can argue that the monotony and mundanity of the segments is to make readers feel claustrophobic and captured in the same suffocating atmosphere as the characters, but my main gripe is mccarthy writing is just not good enough to evoke that sensation. i truly dont understand all the praise for his prose cause it’s just so baddd, being overly descriptive while simultaneously not depicting nothing?? the majority of the book is very much telling, in the likes of “today i felt like having a croissant so i went to a bakery and i had a croissant”. then the author decided that he wanted to inject some more “deep” and philosophical thoughts into the book so there’d be these sentences/paragraphs that’s in a completely different writing style. the road is supposedly one the darkest and most unsettling piece of fiction, but any attempt to build tension, emotion or immersion failed. it’s not bleak, it’s dull. normally i hate purple prose and prefer something more utilitarian, but cormac mccarthy’s is just word on paper.
the dialogue with no quotation or speaker indicator is a common complaint of the book but i found it to be completely fine. however, i still loathed any conversation that came up between the man and the boy cause they are essentially the same stupid “im scared why im scared stop im sorry” EVERY SINGLE TIME. it doesnt add anything to the story nor build the characters but that annoyed the heck out of me.
this leads to the next point about the characters. FLATTER AND THINNER THAN A PIECE OF TOILET PAPER. they have no personality, no development whatsoever nor do they even have any chemistry with each other despite being intimate and coupled for the entirety of the novel. so if the characters arent driving the work forward, then it must be the plot that’s carrying the road right? nope there’s not even a story here, besides some occassional “horrific” encounters which is not even disturbing because of the aforementioned dull prose. so not plot not character driven, there’s nothing else to this book because it doesnt have much to discuss nor say in terms of philosophy or ideal either. if a book is not prioritizing telling a narrative/story through plot or characters then it must be very thought provoking when it comes to ideas (i.e. philosophy novels). but the road’s themes and metaphors are all so tired and non-novel, nothing interesting that would make you go wow lemme sit on that. as for dystopia, it reminds me a bit of cuaron film children of men, where you kind of feel like you have seen that story before.
anw enough rant, but just another small funny observation that’s the basis for the opening sentence: after reading reviews of this book, it’s always the men who are singing it praises and when ppl criticizes (the top ive seen are from women), it’s just a bunch of MEN in the reply saying you are just too dumb to get it!!!
no cause why is this like one of the worst books ive ever read. first of all it is simply boring as heck and so incredibly repetitive that cutting it down to 30 pages short story could have been more effective. one can argue that the monotony and mundanity of the segments is to make readers feel claustrophobic and captured in the same suffocating atmosphere as the characters, but my main gripe is mccarthy writing is just not good enough to evoke that sensation. i truly dont understand all the praise for his prose cause it’s just so baddd, being overly descriptive while simultaneously not depicting nothing?? the majority of the book is very much telling, in the likes of “today i felt like having a croissant so i went to a bakery and i had a croissant”. then the author decided that he wanted to inject some more “deep” and philosophical thoughts into the book so there’d be these sentences/paragraphs that’s in a completely different writing style. the road is supposedly one the darkest and most unsettling piece of fiction, but any attempt to build tension, emotion or immersion failed. it’s not bleak, it’s dull. normally i hate purple prose and prefer something more utilitarian, but cormac mccarthy’s is just word on paper.
the dialogue with no quotation or speaker indicator is a common complaint of the book but i found it to be completely fine. however, i still loathed any conversation that came up between the man and the boy cause they are essentially the same stupid “im scared why im scared stop im sorry” EVERY SINGLE TIME. it doesnt add anything to the story nor build the characters but that annoyed the heck out of me.
this leads to the next point about the characters. FLATTER AND THINNER THAN A PIECE OF TOILET PAPER. they have no personality, no development whatsoever nor do they even have any chemistry with each other despite being intimate and coupled for the entirety of the novel. so if the characters arent driving the work forward, then it must be the plot that’s carrying the road right? nope there’s not even a story here, besides some occassional “horrific” encounters which is not even disturbing because of the aforementioned dull prose. so not plot not character driven, there’s nothing else to this book because it doesnt have much to discuss nor say in terms of philosophy or ideal either. if a book is not prioritizing telling a narrative/story through plot or characters then it must be very thought provoking when it comes to ideas (i.e. philosophy novels). but the road’s themes and metaphors are all so tired and non-novel, nothing interesting that would make you go wow lemme sit on that. as for dystopia, it reminds me a bit of cuaron film children of men, where you kind of feel like you have seen that story before.
anw enough rant, but just another small funny observation that’s the basis for the opening sentence: after reading reviews of this book, it’s always the men who are singing it praises and when ppl criticizes (the top ive seen are from women), it’s just a bunch of MEN in the reply saying you are just too dumb to get it!!!
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is probably the darkest book I’ve ever read but I immediately want to go back and read it again. Incredibly atmospheric and thoughtful, reflecting on just the two characters in this insane setting. It was never boring, and the ending was perfect
