Reviews

Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy

ethanong's review against another edition

4.25

My hot take is that this is better than “The Crossing”

alexpursley's review against another edition

3.0

Back and forth between “this is the most amazing piece of writing I’ve ever read” and skimming through 10 pages of what was probably really deep and insightful monologue but just not enough to keep my attention. Cormac McCarthy may be my favorite author ever, once my emotions recover (if they possibly can) after reading 4 of his novels in a row.

samcurler13's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

sportello's review

adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

camr0se's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-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

4.0

iainkelly_writing's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.25

The conclusion of the Border Trilogy. An excellent book, although the weight of the story of Billy and John Grady comes from knowing their past story, so I would recommend reading the Trilogy in order to get the full emotion and meaning of this book. Like the previous books, there is just a touch of drag in the story, although this one features less digressions. The continued use of dialogue in Spanish, without any translation frustrates, especially as there is more reliance on dialogue in this book. Overall though, a powerful, thoughtful, violent read, and a more than satisfying ending that does make you ponder what the point of all of this life is.

tarrowood's review against another edition

4.0

The two books before in the Border Trilogy finally run together as the lives of Billy Parham and John Grady Cole come together. Cities of the Plain carries the weight that every McCarthy novel bears, but it doesn’t quite hit home until the last 100 pages. Every word is important, but the first 200 pages simply don’t pack as much of a punch as the ending. Which is okay, considering the ending is thoughtful yet desolate in perfect McCarthy fashion. While the weakest of the Border Trilogy books, it still was a great read.

emersonmoore03's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

fupatrooper's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

patvulaj's review against another edition

3.75

My initial thoughts right after finishing the book is that I wanted more. I wanted more for John Grady, a character I loved. I wanted more for Billy. It all just sorta felt bland in the end, and ending that I felt deserved a lot of more emotion than I felt.