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enbylievable's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Gun violence, and Trafficking
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Body horror
izzykai's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The minimal punctuation was a weird choice. Not using quotation marks sometimes made reading the dialogue confusing... and the run on sentences and not a single exclamat!on po!nt gave a deadpan college essay feel. I know this was done purposefully to set a certain vibe but I did not prefer it.
Graphic: Violence, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Child death, and Death of parent
authorannafaundez's review against another edition
- 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, Cannibalism, and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, and Blood
ee_comins's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent, Gun violence, Cannibalism, and Kidnapping
michellewords's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Cannibalism, and Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Grief
emmgracebuch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Murder, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Cannibalism, Grief, Cursing, Vomit, and Child death
maulikki'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? Yes
4.0
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
autonomous_lass's review against another edition
Graphic: Death, Blood, Cannibalism, Gore, Gun violence, and Suicide
beamishbooks's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
DEFINITELY the best dystopian tale.
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Vomit, Murder, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Terminal illness, Gore, Abandonment, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Gun violence, Violence, and Animal death
aburnss's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
"The Road" follows a father and son as they make their way south following a road, amidst a horrifyingly bleak start to a post-apocalyptic winter. While we know little about what caused this ending of normal society, the characters are faced with a level of desolation that is difficult to comprehend.
The desperate fight for survival and slow starvation as the book progresses is heart-wrenching. The author expertly demonstrates the fierce love between parent and child in the backdrop of the most bleak of circumstances imaginable. It is difficult to say I enjoyed reading this book, but it was so well written. The desperation and horror grew with each chapter.
The lack of quotations in the dialogue between characters was a masterful choice. Humans in this world had lost everything. Conversation was plagued with the constant lurking of death around the corner and the lack of quotations made the huge difference between normalcy and this horror all the more apparent.
Several scenes stuck out to me.
This book puts the human condition into dramatic perspective. The issues that plague our minds frequently are so inconsequential compared to the bleak and dying world of "The Road". I won't be forgetting this story any time soon. The writing is beautiful, immersive, and perfectly builds a horrifying dystopia. I would recommend this read to anyone wanting to explore familial bonds in the most traumatic setting possible.
Graphic: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Suicide, Cannibalism, Death, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Rape
Minor: Slavery
This book is a dystopian and horrifying world where all manner of dark things happen to and around the main characters.