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lawofeyes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Cannibalism
vonnibel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death
Minor: Cannibalism
kaybronny's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death of parent and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Cannibalism
bitterpearl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
authorannafaundez's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
There were odd choices in the formatting: no quotation marks when someone spoke, not always new paragraphs when someone spoke, extremely long paragraphs with no breaks besides scenes, and a strange aversion to commas. There were huge numbers of run-on sentences and fragments. These choices made the book skip a bit like an old record, or like a shopping cart bouncing over potholes.
The prose itself was excellent, but sometimes the poetry of it acted as a distraction. McCarthy seemed to struggle somewhat with a balance between experimental writing and readability. Sometimes the balance was perfect. Sometimes it was not. There was no connector between these times of "not" either, such as theme, mood, or memory.
I understand the why of the artistic style and formatting choices though: it's meant to slow you down, keep you a little disoriented and just off-step, to force the reader into the desired mood and the same patterns as the two main characters. It's done well. Really well.
Really, the formatting and readability--the way this book is written will definitely turn a fair amount of readers away--are the only reasons I gave the book less than 5 stars, because it drove me a little crazy sometimes too. But if you're up for a challenge and in the mood to be sad, I encourage giving this book a try.
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, and Cannibalism
Minor: Sexual violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
tkroeker's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Kidnapping, and Cannibalism
byelingual_kegan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
jakessrn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Death, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Torture
ms_sarah621's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Cannibalism, and Death of parent
grankottekarin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
There were so many bad things constantly happening that you got kind of numb to it - but then again there's some meaning in that too
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Vomit