Reviews - The Crossing | The StoryGraph

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720 reviews for:

The Crossing

Cormac McCarthy

4.15 AVERAGE

pjm412's review against another edition

1.5

dark sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Amazing prose, horribly dull and meandering story.

drfuriosa's review against another edition

4.0

A bleak and uncompromising glimpse at the American West. Cormac McCarthy depresses me so much, and yet, I keep coming back for more. I can't even talk about the wolf. I. Just. Can't.

raddly's review against another edition

5.0

challenging reflective sad

kpickens512's review against another edition

4.0

This book is the second part of The Border Trilogy, and continues the adventures in Mexico for the young cowboy Billy Parham. This story did not have the commercial appeal of All The Pretty Horses, but is more philosophical and allegorical. I gave myself help understanding the underlying themes by reading Books Are Made Out of Books: A Guide to Cormac McCarthy’s Literary Influences by Michael Lynn Crews. In The Crossing, Billy traps a pregnant Mexican wolf near his home in New Mexico, and impulsively decides to return the wolf to Mexico. There are no longer wolves in New Mexico and Texas, and the wolves that appear have crossed the border from Mexico. Billy feels respect for this she wolf as a hunter and a higher spiritual being. This viewpoint is influenced by Billy’s conversation with the mystic Don Arnulfo who Billy asks how to trap the wolf that is killing livestock. Arnulfo tells Billy that the wolf is a spiritual creature that “is made of breath only” and has knowledge of the divine matrix (the womb of creation). Billy takes the wolf to Mexico for his crossing into Mexico, and the rest of the book is a road trip of his travels into the world of good and evil. Billy meets extremely nonsensical violence,but he also meets many Good Samaritans including a colorful band of Gypsies who offer assistance to him with no doubt as to who he is, only that it is the right thing to do. McCormac’s influences in writing this book were Aldo Leopoldo’s A Sand County Almanac in which the main character is hunting wolves and realizes that wolves have a “fierce green fire” in their eyes. The author had initially felt that fewer wolves were a good thing, but realizes his error which is echoed in Billy Parham’s sudden decision to return the wolf to Mexico.

sfmobink's review against another edition

1.0

Wish Goodreads had a bookshelf for "started to read, but couldn't get through it." That was "The Crossing" for me. Read up until the boy buries the wolf and then wanders starving through the countryside until he finally heads home and discovers his parents were murdered and his brother is staying with neighbors...just couldn't get into it.

So different from "The Road" and "No Country for Old Men" both of which I loved.

Reader beware!

janebinks's review against another edition

4.75

challenging emotional sad tense medium-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: Complicated

This book nearly broke me. The first crossing with the wolf was such a powerful story, the second crossing with Boyd was exciting and tense but the last crossing to try and find Boyd was just heartbreaking. Cormac McCarthy’s writing about the country is beautiful and romantic with gorgeous language. Some parts you have to read twice to savour them. The only parts I’m not as keen on are the philosophical discussions he has with various travellers. I don’t really understand what message he is trying to convey. Overall a sensationally good book.