Reviews

A haunting post-apocalyptic world, though not so different from other apocalypse novels (Station Eleven, Life As We Knew It). I think the beauty here is in the simplicity, both of the language and of the plot. McCarthy’s editor deserves a Pulitzer here as well - every scene had its purpose, and the emotional depth developed in the characters through such short episodes is incredible. A quick read but be prepared for the heaviness.

jhelvick's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

stmcmurry's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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? It's complicated

4.25

eversteph's review against another edition

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4.0

A powerful yet dismal read... I have felt haunted by this book since the day I started reading it. The writing style is at times indulgent, and it takes some getting used to, but if you're willing to Google some new words you'll be rewarded by rich, if graphic, descriptions that paint a clear picture of every step along the road.

gossamer_lens's review against another edition

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dark hopeful reflective tense slow-paced

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? No

4.5

It was dark and slow and very literary. I enjoyed the technical writing of it a lot and found one of the characters quite endearing. It was dark in a sort of blurred and in the periphery way which I quite liked.

It was a pleasure to read this as a buddy read with my bestie so I could have a companion in exploring this book. I think it's a modern day classic for a reason. I've spent a few weeks now trying to pinpoint the things I loved and the things I hated... And I guess I just cannot express it better than this. In the end the things I liked won over the things that grated and I couldn't place. And I just keep thinking about it so here we are with a higher rating then I could have imagined giving it after initially finishing.

Content Warnings

still_rivers's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

gott75's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

1.75

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