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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
If you like the movie, you’ll definitely like the book. Cormac McCarthy was the king of dialogue, every single character in this book feels like a living breathing natural human being that I could have ran into if I went back in time to Texas in the 80s. Anton Chigurh has always been one of my favorite villains of all time ever since I first watched the movie, and hearing him described through McCarthy’s words made him even better (and even more frightening). Some of my favorite parts of this book were the interludes at the start of every chapter where Sheriff Bell tells a different story about something he experienced in the past. This book feels very apocalyptic in tone, it’s grim and pessimistic, and it doesn’t seem to have a very positive outlook on the world and human beings. I don’t necessarily agree with everything the book is saying, but it says it all in such a hauntingly beautiful way, with such stark simplicity, and the narrator of this audiobook did a phenomenal job. I’m about to rewatch the movie for the first time in many years, wonder how much the experience will differ after reading the book. McCarthy is an author that I have always admired, and I really desperately need to read more of his work. I tried to read Blood Meridian in high school, and I was far too young to understand it or appreciate it properly. I cracked it open the other day and read the first few pages and it was definitely a bit intimidating, but I am determined to get around to it soon. McCarthy’s prose is so beautiful and complicated that it’s hard for me to understand sometimes, but you will not have that problem if you want to read No Country For Old Men, it is very accessible.
Thrilling story, western noir.
Pro tip: the audiobook makes it easier to follow the dialogue. McCarthy's disdain for dialogue quotes and attribution can be challenging to follow. The narrator does a great job doing different voices to associate with characters.
Pro tip: the audiobook makes it easier to follow the dialogue. McCarthy's disdain for dialogue quotes and attribution can be challenging to follow. The narrator does a great job doing different voices to associate with characters.
all i heard in my mind while listening to the audiobook for this was Cousin Wade from Grand Theft Auto V.
now i understand why tik tok people think Anton Chigurh is a personality
now i understand why tik tok people think Anton Chigurh is a personality
I didn't know how to feel about this book until it was done. I was a little nervous as this is my first Cormac McCarthy book but I think it was really good. It felt raw and rough and I was on edge and it drew me in and I almost didn't want it to end. And in a way it didn't. Chigurh gets away. God I love that. That after all that, all the blood, and fight and tears, the "bad guy" doesn't get caught. That's the only way it could end really, the only ending fit for a character like chigurh. The only justification for all the other deaths, is if he was just a force that couldn't be stopped, he was just a natural encounter in a fucked up world.
Tom Stechschulte's performance was one of the greatest audiobook experiences I've ever heard. I forgot it was just him at points and was drawn in by all the characters, the tones and intonations unique and engaging. Absolutely my favorite narrator.
It addresses a lot. It felt like I was transported back fifty years, and while the characters felt conservative and sometimes misogynistic, I never felt that from the author. I don't know how to describe it. McCarthy writes characters as people and not plot tools which is refreshing in modern media.
Tom Stechschulte's performance was one of the greatest audiobook experiences I've ever heard. I forgot it was just him at points and was drawn in by all the characters, the tones and intonations unique and engaging. Absolutely my favorite narrator.
It addresses a lot. It felt like I was transported back fifty years, and while the characters felt conservative and sometimes misogynistic, I never felt that from the author. I don't know how to describe it. McCarthy writes characters as people and not plot tools which is refreshing in modern media.
Turns out, I am a big fan of punctuation. In fact, I would probably qualify as an over-punctuationer. (Which sounds like something that could be heard on the Seinfeld show.) But, despite the lack of said punctuation in No Country for Old Men, I cannot deny the level of suspense that Mr. McCarthy generates . I thought so many times, “don’t do it, Moss” and wondered even more times if living well ever protects anyone if there is someone in their lives who does not live well.
I haven’t been able to decide if there is a main lesson in this neo-western. Is it that money is the root of all evil? Or, pride goeth before a fall? Maybe it’s violence begets violence? Or maybe the lesson, which Sheriff Bell also seemed to believe, is better expressed through Tesla, “Merciless is the law of nature, and rapidly and irresistibly we are drawn to our doom.”
I haven’t been able to decide if there is a main lesson in this neo-western. Is it that money is the root of all evil? Or, pride goeth before a fall? Maybe it’s violence begets violence? Or maybe the lesson, which Sheriff Bell also seemed to believe, is better expressed through Tesla, “Merciless is the law of nature, and rapidly and irresistibly we are drawn to our doom.”
This was the first McCarthy book I read. I can see why he's heavily praised.
The captivating parts are the tersely described violent scenes.
The captivating parts are the tersely described violent scenes.
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-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
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated