Reviews

Suttree by Cormac McCarthy

cody240fc's review against another edition

4.0

McCarthy is funnier than I remember. It's been about a decade since I read his work so maybe I have just forgotten his sly humor. Don't get me wrong, though, this is still McCarthy and 'Suttree' is a depressing book. Perhaps the darkest of his that I have read. But you don't come to McCarthy to cheer yourself up; you come for a dose of hard truth and wonderful prose, and you get that in spades in 'Suttree'. There seems to be a camp of his fans who argue that this is his masterpiece. I don't agree. I am on team 'Blood Meridian' in that regard. I wouldn't recommend either to any newcomers though. Start with the more approachable works like 'The Road', 'The Border Trilogy' or 'No Country for Old Men'. Save the heavy hitters for last. Prepare to be wowed. Prepare to be discouraged.

What do you believe?
I believe that the last and the first suffer equally. Pari Passu.
Equally?
It is not alone in the dark of death that all souls are one soul.

paroof's review against another edition

So, this is not my favorite Cormac McCarthy book. I preferred Child of God. In fact, I cannot even finish this one. It's just not for me. Yes, yes I know he's a brilliant author and yes, I know many people consider this to be his best novel, but like I said, it's just not for me. I'm not sure why, but it's becoming such a chore to get through this that I have to stop. Maybe I'll come back at another time.

mikecaridi's review against another edition

4.0

I spent a month reading Suttree and I feel as though i've only grasped the surface layer. The novel reads like the sludgy contaminated river it's set upon - an oozing flow of used condoms, fruit rinds (worse yet, the watermelon...), and the more than occasional bloated and decaying dead body. This is a book that merits multiple reads to make sense of the murk.

quaintmetropolis's review against another edition

I don’t think I’m in the right headspace to read a book without a plot right now. I will return to it in the future.

jasonlaw77's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

melting_snow's review against another edition

adventurous reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

herrtratz's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

e_gribbins's review against another edition

challenging funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

wcalcote_62's review against another edition

challenging dark funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Peak fiction “I was drunk, cried suttree”

connorstory's review against another edition

”How surely are the dead beyond death. Death is what the living carry with them. A state of dread, like some uncanny foretaste of a bitter memory. But the dead do not remember and nothingness is not a curse. Far from it.”