You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

16.3k reviews for:

The Road

Cormac McCarthy

3.92 AVERAGE


Grueling, stunning, stark, lyrical, frigid, grotesque, will suck the air right out of your lungs.
dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated

This book destroyed me. I've read my fair share of apocalyptic and speculative fiction, but never had I read something that is so permeated by despair. While the book has the feeling of hopelessness that lingers throughout the story, McCarthy gives us a sliver of hope in the end. This novel is beautifully written and gut-wrenching, but a must-read for anyone who loves apocalyptic literature. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No

Wonderful book. I could not put it down.

Truthfully i thought this was excellent. It was a nice departure from distant dystopean stories that are set within new and unexplainable societal structures and the inevitable fight against them. This story is about the immediate aftermath of a complete societal collapse either due to atomic war or ecologic disaster. The story is of a father with his young son trying to survive in a world where nothing is left, and the few survivors are competing for scant resources. I could easily put myself in the shoes of the father trying to ensure the survival of his son, and felt the horror of the situation deeply.
dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
challenging dark tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
dark emotional
dark emotional sad slow-paced
dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes