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arifairy'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? No
3.0
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Cannibalism
izzzy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Slavery, Violence, and Murder
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: Pandemic/Epidemic and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Cannibalism, and Suicidal thoughts
bitterpearl's review
- 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: Suicide, Mental illness, Gore, Physical abuse, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Body horror, Sexual assault, Death, Sexual harassment, Violence, Cannibalism, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, and Child death
rottenromance's review
- 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
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
- 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
anafuentes's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cannibalism, Medical content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
rafaper19'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, Cannibalism, and Gore
Moderate: Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
epeolatrist'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
4.0
Graphic: Cannibalism, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
Minor: Rape
tariana'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Suicide, Cannibalism, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent