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fr_tobin's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sequoviah's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
chaun_sox's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jcasey's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
siljeblomst's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
t_thekla's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
ok but i bet he could never write a comic novel
wait_whoissheagain's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Please check the content warnings before reading this book
This book was unsettling and uncomfortable to read. McCarthy has created a complex and despicable character, that could be any person you walk past on the street, and that thought is terrifying!
While I appreciate the humour in the book, the writing style was not for me. It sometimes made it difficult to read, and I found myself having to read some parts again to make sense of it. I also would’ve liked to feel a bit more suspense with the events in the story.
Overall, I did not enjoy reading this, but only because the content is so unnerving (well done to the author)! Worth a read if you’re looking for a quick, dark read that will leave you with an anxious belly.
This book was unsettling and uncomfortable to read. McCarthy has created a complex and despicable character, that could be any person you walk past on the street, and that thought is terrifying!
While I appreciate the humour in the book, the writing style was not for me. It sometimes made it difficult to read, and I found myself having to read some parts again to make sense of it. I also would’ve liked to feel a bit more suspense with the events in the story.
Overall, I did not enjoy reading this, but only because the content is so unnerving (well done to the author)! Worth a read if you’re looking for a quick, dark read that will leave you with an anxious belly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Racism, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Rape
Minor: Suicide
valeatsbooks's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dionysiaxir's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
McCarthy's writing is really easy to digest! I read it in a couple of hours although i am a slow reader. I really liked it as a book, not my favourite but i would definitely read McCarthy again! Thanks to the guy tha recommended it
tarrowood's review against another edition
5.0
McCarthy sits in the throne of writers that explore the truth of humanity, and Child of God is no exception to this. Child of God explores the story of Lester Ballard, a man in his late 20s that has nothing to his name. Only the worst is ever assumed of Ballard, and false accusations turn into prophecies as his story trudges along.
Child of God is a bleak and burdensome novel that at times vaults itself into the grotesque. It forces the reader to wallow with Ballard through his sinful affairs; yet, at the fringes of the narrative there is reasoning for the nadir of Ballard’s livelihood. Ballard is a Child of God, he was crafted by the same hands that shaped the Earth. He was not created to fall into his vices, yet the world around him shoved him into the pits of hellfire. We are often products of our environment and expectations, and Lester Ballard is the same.
Even further, Child of God seems to intersperse hints of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave throughout. Ballard functions as a member of the cave that never escapes to acclimate to the outside world. Yet, he can also be seen as an inverted version of the freed man that rejects the new reality and reverts to the previous.
Child of God is vastly different in style and pace than McCarthy’s other novels, but it is just as powerful. When it is actually explored and ruminated upon, rather than being repulsive, the story becomes convicting.
Child of God is a bleak and burdensome novel that at times vaults itself into the grotesque. It forces the reader to wallow with Ballard through his sinful affairs; yet, at the fringes of the narrative there is reasoning for the nadir of Ballard’s livelihood. Ballard is a Child of God, he was crafted by the same hands that shaped the Earth. He was not created to fall into his vices, yet the world around him shoved him into the pits of hellfire. We are often products of our environment and expectations, and Lester Ballard is the same.
Even further, Child of God seems to intersperse hints of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave throughout. Ballard functions as a member of the cave that never escapes to acclimate to the outside world. Yet, he can also be seen as an inverted version of the freed man that rejects the new reality and reverts to the previous.
Child of God is vastly different in style and pace than McCarthy’s other novels, but it is just as powerful. When it is actually explored and ruminated upon, rather than being repulsive, the story becomes convicting.