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rottenromance's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Slavery, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Gore, Kidnapping, Suicide, Physical abuse, Animal death, Confinement, Body horror, Violence, Sexual violence, and Child abuse
michellewords's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
- 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
4.25
"This is what the good guys do; they keep trying."
Man, this book is something else. I don't know if I can give it a proper review.
I watched the movie a very long time ago and I remember pretty much nothing except how slow and boring it was. I found the book to be neither.
I think most people know the plot of this book. In a post-apocalyptic world, an unnamed man and his son are on 'the road' to the ocean to find food and basic survival tools. Along the road, they encounter the results of people trying to survive, and most of them aren't great (biggest understatement of the year).
This book is short, but man McCarthy sure knows how to punch a book up. The characters were SO well-developed. I knew exactly who the man and his son were. I knew what choices they would make and how they would survive. Their personal arcs and stories were so perfectly written.
The prose too. OMG, McCarthy walks this fine line where it's very basic writing but throws just enough details to absolutely sell this world.
The theme that I found the most compelling in this book was this unconscious search for light and goodness, both literally and figuratively. Even in the most obviously terrible situations, the man searched for what could help them survive and the boy searched for goodness in people. It was heartbreaking throughout the book how this search brought so much pain and darkness. It made the ending of this book so much more hopeful than I expected.
Is it weird to say I loved this book? It's such a dark, drudge of a book-it feels weird to say that I loved it. It was a beautiful tragedy that I am unlikely to forget.
I don't think I could recommend this book to everyone. There are far too many triggers to be found for the average person. I would recommend it for the stronger stomached and not prone to depressive reflections. It's such a good book, I wish I could recommend it to more people.
A note on TW: The Road is truly one giant trigger warning, specifically when it comes to violence and cannibalism. So I mean, you know what you are getting into when you read this book. It truly is a shocking read. The shock value is part of this book and I don't think the story could be told without any of the scenes. Yup, even that scene.
Man, this book is something else. I don't know if I can give it a proper review.
I watched the movie a very long time ago and I remember pretty much nothing except how slow and boring it was. I found the book to be neither.
I think most people know the plot of this book. In a post-apocalyptic world, an unnamed man and his son are on 'the road' to the ocean to find food and basic survival tools. Along the road, they encounter the results of people trying to survive, and most of them aren't great (biggest understatement of the year).
This book is short, but man McCarthy sure knows how to punch a book up. The characters were SO well-developed. I knew exactly who the man and his son were. I knew what choices they would make and how they would survive. Their personal arcs and stories were so perfectly written.
The prose too. OMG, McCarthy walks this fine line where it's very basic writing but throws just enough details to absolutely sell this world.
The theme that I found the most compelling in this book was this unconscious search for light and goodness, both literally and figuratively. Even in the most obviously terrible situations, the man searched for what could help them survive and the boy searched for goodness in people. It was heartbreaking throughout the book how this search brought so much pain and darkness. It made the ending of this book so much more hopeful than I expected.
Is it weird to say I loved this book? It's such a dark, drudge of a book-it feels weird to say that I loved it. It was a beautiful tragedy that I am unlikely to forget.
I don't think I could recommend this book to everyone. There are far too many triggers to be found for the average person. I would recommend it for the stronger stomached and not prone to depressive reflections. It's such a good book, I wish I could recommend it to more people.
A note on TW: The Road is truly one giant trigger warning, specifically when it comes to violence and cannibalism. So I mean, you know what you are getting into when you read this book. It truly is a shocking read. The shock value is part of this book and I don't think the story could be told without any of the scenes. Yup, even that scene.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Cannibalism, and Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Grief
christianbluer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Trafficking, Gore, Slavery, Child death, Murder, Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Physical abuse, Grief, Cannibalism, and Blood
Moderate: Vomit and Terminal illness
maulikki's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
4.0
I usually like stories set in dystopian worlds, and this one definitely left me thinking. To me, the book was a good balance between light and dark, I really enjoyed all the small believable moments of love and humanity inside the new bleek world. The book rarely gave any answers, and instead presented a parent in impossible situations trying their best to protect their child. I get this is not for anyone, but just for the writing alone, I could recommend this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Grief, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Slavery, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Torture, Vomit, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Cannibalism, Rape, Child abuse, Excrement, Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Child death, Death of parent, Violence, and Murder
anafuentes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Medical content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
hannahsbookshelf's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
"You forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget." -Papa
This was one of those books where not a lot happens, but it is still impactful.
In a post-apocolyptic America, a father and his young son navigate what remains of the country. A scary, unpredictable time, barely surviving. It is dangerous, and they have to be on guard constantly and wary of others they come across, the boy asking his father if they are "good guys" like them or "bad guys." You learn what became of the boys' mother, and it adds another layer of heartbreak for the two of them and the situation they are in.
What is fairly unique is that you never learn their names. You never learn what event happened to the world/country to have made it like this. There is so much unknown still even by the end of the book, but I think that is part of what makes it special.
Reading this book really makes you think what life would be like, how survival would be really tough, and how civilisation would fall so easily, and it is a frightening thought. It is reflective and mysterious, dark, and depressing with little to no hope, but it is beautiful at the same time.
This was one of those books where not a lot happens, but it is still impactful.
In a post-apocolyptic America, a father and his young son navigate what remains of the country. A scary, unpredictable time, barely surviving. It is dangerous, and they have to be on guard constantly and wary of others they come across, the boy asking his father if they are "good guys" like them or "bad guys." You learn what became of the boys' mother, and it adds another layer of heartbreak for the two of them and the situation they are in.
What is fairly unique is that you never learn their names. You never learn what event happened to the world/country to have made it like this. There is so much unknown still even by the end of the book, but I think that is part of what makes it special.
Reading this book really makes you think what life would be like, how survival would be really tough, and how civilisation would fall so easily, and it is a frightening thought. It is reflective and mysterious, dark, and depressing with little to no hope, but it is beautiful at the same time.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide and Cannibalism
rafaper19's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, Cannibalism, and Gore
Moderate: Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
epeolatrist's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
Minor: Rape
autonomous_lass's review against another edition
Couldn't really connect with the characters, no quotation marks!! Took 6 months to get to where I stopped
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Cannibalism, Gore, Gun violence, and Suicide
tariana's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
What a tense book! I didn’t give much credit to the reviews when I started listening this, but they didn’t lie. It really gave a John Steinbeck’s vibe. Most of the story is about father and son walking towards the coast on a post apocalyptic world, looking for food, running away from bad guys and trying to find hope in the midst of desolation. Through the story we see the father evolving from being super understanding with the child to becoming short tempered as the control starts to slip from his hands together with the realization that he won’t be able to protect the boy forever. At the same time, the boy starts to see his father with new eyes, no longer a hero, but failing to realize that his father is afraid. I confess that at a certain point the boy would die and the father would finally be free from his self imposed responsibilities and put an end to his suffering. But as he says at the end, he wouldn’t be capable of doing so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Cannibalism, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent