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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I feel inadequate as a writer after reading this.
Blood Meridian is a gallery of pure, cold-blooded violence and is depicted with an eloquence suitable only for the written word. There are very few heroes to speak of, if any, and each occurring villain tops the last one until the final pages.
To find a storyline, you'll have to dive into the details of the southwestern lifestyle of the mid-1800s, in which Cormac McCarthy must have spent a considerable amount of time researching. The book reads more like studying a fine painting using a magnifying glass, a portrait of a godless time.
The ending, however ambiguous, will forever haunt me.
Blood Meridian is a gallery of pure, cold-blooded violence and is depicted with an eloquence suitable only for the written word. There are very few heroes to speak of, if any, and each occurring villain tops the last one until the final pages.
To find a storyline, you'll have to dive into the details of the southwestern lifestyle of the mid-1800s, in which Cormac McCarthy must have spent a considerable amount of time researching. The book reads more like studying a fine painting using a magnifying glass, a portrait of a godless time.
The ending, however ambiguous, will forever haunt me.
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Initially, I didn’t think that I would be able to stomach this book. The human and animal cruelty is relentless and confronting. However, you become much like the characters in the book and you do what you can to push on. Very quickly it settled in the recesses of my mind like a blanket of reliable yet curious dread. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Somehow this story, one with no inner monologues, no drawn out character reflections, wove its way into my mind and I caught myself thinking about it any time I wasn’t reading. After finishing it, I can only describe my experience as a profound and transformative one. It’s one of the most beautifully written horrific tales I’ve ever engaged with. It’s all the desperately violent, gory, unflinching, nihilistic things that people say it is. It’s also the best book I’ve ever read. There’s something so much deeper running its course beneath the surface the whole time. I feel I’m changed from having read it and I don’t really know what to do with myself now that I’m on the other side.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
for now, i'll just quote my friend gina: "judge holden is the exact opposite of a unicorn." i'm not sure what else to think or write, since i'm pretty sure i have ptsd because of this novel.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes