Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
devastating existentialism.
So much of my appreciation for the book comes from my love and fascination with the movie. Having now read the book twice and seen the movie several times I’ve come to appreciate the way they complement one another more and more. One significant difference is how chatty Chigurh is in the book. While getting a glimpse into his nihilistic philosophy is enlightening, Javier Bardem’s stoic silence perhaps works even better. There’s also one moment where Moss has Chigurh dead to rights in a scene that makes him out to be a little less invincible than the movie version.
McCarthy’s matter of fact writing style can be both poetic and puzzling. Taking the time to describe a character sipping coffee or pouring ketchup, and repetition of ordinary words like pocket and plunger leave me curious and confused.
I found myself identifying with Sheriff Bell’s sense of inadequacy and disillusion more than ever.
Sherif Bell’s dream at the end left me emotional in a way I can’t quite explain.
Memorable Quotes
So much of my appreciation for the book comes from my love and fascination with the movie. Having now read the book twice and seen the movie several times I’ve come to appreciate the way they complement one another more and more. One significant difference is how chatty Chigurh is in the book. While getting a glimpse into his nihilistic philosophy is enlightening, Javier Bardem’s stoic silence perhaps works even better. There’s also one moment where Moss has Chigurh dead to rights in a scene that makes him out to be a little less invincible than the movie version.
McCarthy’s matter of fact writing style can be both poetic and puzzling. Taking the time to describe a character sipping coffee or pouring ketchup, and repetition of ordinary words like pocket and plunger leave me curious and confused.
I found myself identifying with Sheriff Bell’s sense of inadequacy and disillusion more than ever.
Sherif Bell’s dream at the end left me emotional in a way I can’t quite explain.
Memorable Quotes
That god lives in silence who has scoured the following land with salt and ash.
All the time you spend tryin to get back what's been took from you there's more goin out the door. After a while you just try and get a tourniquet on it.
I didn't know you could steal your own life.
Not one of my favorite McCarthy books. It is classic crime fiction mixed with noir literature. However, it feels more like it was written to be a movie, lacking the normal depth and sophistication of other McCarthy books.
The plot is interesting and some of the characters are very compelling. However, I would just see the movie and then go read Blood Meridian. I will read it again in a year or so and update if need be, perhaps there is more going on than on first read.
The plot is interesting and some of the characters are very compelling. However, I would just see the movie and then go read Blood Meridian. I will read it again in a year or so and update if need be, perhaps there is more going on than on first read.
fast-paced
I enjoyed this and flew through it, but I do think this is an instance where the movie actually is better than the book. Comparing the two, I couldn’t help but find this a little overdone and meandering and smug. It made it harder for me to believe the nearly supernatural characterization of Chigurh. But I do like that the book taps into how he is also experiencing the beginnings of a fall from grace and aging out of his “line of work,” which I don’t remember being touched on in the movie
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
beautiful portrayal of destruction, very hard to put down. just need to watch the film now...
Not the best book to read when you can’t sleep. Quite good though
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Just as good if not better than the movie.
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Upon finishing and dwelling on the reflective sections scattered in the book and at the end from the sheriff... the book has kind of made sense to me, and I appreciate it a bit more. Which is interesting because I've seen reviews say the book fell off for them at the end.
Apparently this was originally written to be a screenplay?? Makes SO much sense why the dialogue was like that MANNN there was one moment where I read a full four?? pages of dialogue only to realise that I had who the character was speaking to WRONG so I had to go all the way back to reread the entire conversation. But it made so much sense! Once I knew who he was speaking to but goddamn.......
The violence and the scenes with death were so tense and then so emotionally engaging? I can't get into it without spoilers but who's reading this anyway.
I could never tell who was safe which made it more interesting as well, I was left quite shocked a few moments in the story.
Would I reread? Probably not, but I noticed a lot of interesting symbolic,, or parallel scenes so the story was great just the dialogue and how specific he described someone just getting into their car and turning the key and driving to the west freeway i-19 and shifting to second gear! was kind of terrible IM SORRY!!
Keen to see the movie though tbh.
Apparently this was originally written to be a screenplay?? Makes SO much sense why the dialogue was like that MANNN there was one moment where I read a full four?? pages of dialogue only to realise that I had who the character was speaking to WRONG so I had to go all the way back to reread the entire conversation. But it made so much sense! Once I knew who he was speaking to but goddamn.......
The violence and the scenes with death were so tense and then so emotionally engaging? I can't get into it without spoilers but who's reading this anyway.
I could never tell who was safe which made it more interesting as well, I was left quite shocked a few moments in the story.
Would I reread? Probably not, but I noticed a lot of interesting symbolic,, or parallel scenes so the story was great just the dialogue and how specific he described someone just getting into their car and turning the key and driving to the west freeway i-19 and shifting to second gear! was kind of terrible IM SORRY!!
Keen to see the movie though tbh.
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated