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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
I am treating my reviews of Stella Marris and the Passenger as one review.
I enjoyed both of these novels, but not for the reasons that I thought I would. The story is not what I wanted, and didn’t deliver a satisfying conclusion. But these books have a lot to say.
I wish that the plot line of the missing plan passenger was omitted, and this was just purely the story of a man dealing with the loss of his sister and the results of his families history. There is so much wonderful contemplation about death, existence and good vs evil that I think may have been lost on readers who just wanted to know what happened on the plane.
I’d put both of these at more of a 3.5 than a 4, but rounding up for what it’s worth. Not my favorite McCarthy, but I also don’t think it deserves the hate it gets. His writing in both these books is still so so good, and as I mentioned in my other review the themes of the book are so poignant knowing he was writing them in the final years of his life.
I enjoyed both of these novels, but not for the reasons that I thought I would. The story is not what I wanted, and didn’t deliver a satisfying conclusion. But these books have a lot to say.
I wish that the plot line of the missing plan passenger was omitted, and this was just purely the story of a man dealing with the loss of his sister and the results of his families history. There is so much wonderful contemplation about death, existence and good vs evil that I think may have been lost on readers who just wanted to know what happened on the plane.
I’d put both of these at more of a 3.5 than a 4, but rounding up for what it’s worth. Not my favorite McCarthy, but I also don’t think it deserves the hate it gets. His writing in both these books is still so so good, and as I mentioned in my other review the themes of the book are so poignant knowing he was writing them in the final years of his life.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Any review of book 1 made before reading book 2 is irrelevant. The audiobook of book 2 is exceptional and adds to the text.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest
Low brow review of a high brow book: if this were a guitar solo, Jack Black would call it a real face melter.
Love McCarthy and this partner to the Passenger was amazing. A dialogue of dazzling smarts.
By far the better of these two novels. Pity you kind of have to read the first.
Kind of a bummer that the guy who wrote Blood Meridian decided to make his swan song an incestuous version of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
McCarthy has had enough practice illustrating his brutal, nihilistic thoughts on the arc of western history through more direct and plot-driven narratives. For this book, he channels his musings through one long conversation so that he can muse nearly uninterrupted.
Is the doctor real? Is the thalidomide kid real? Are they the same? Does it matter when they're all just vehicles to rant about the intersection of western philosophy and math?
All that being said, an excellent read for folks who have gotten through deconstructionism, critical theory, or other literary pseudopsychological writing forms, but not something they'll be able to make a movie starring Viggo Mortenson or Tommy Lee Jones out of.
McCarthy has had enough practice illustrating his brutal, nihilistic thoughts on the arc of western history through more direct and plot-driven narratives. For this book, he channels his musings through one long conversation so that he can muse nearly uninterrupted.
Is the doctor real? Is the thalidomide kid real? Are they the same? Does it matter when they're all just vehicles to rant about the intersection of western philosophy and math?
All that being said, an excellent read for folks who have gotten through deconstructionism, critical theory, or other literary pseudopsychological writing forms, but not something they'll be able to make a movie starring Viggo Mortenson or Tommy Lee Jones out of.
Worth the read. It ends unresolved but made me want to go back and reread "The Passenger" now that I understand some things that happened in the cracks of that book better.
Hier ben ik iets te woke voor. Ik snap dat intelligente mensen andere persoonlijke crisissen hebben dan 'gewone' mensen, maar ik denk dat ik dan liever 'Waanzin' lees van Shiver om me een lesje te leren.
Ik vond het ook een beetje een intellectuele zelfbevrediging. Soms wordt er gedweept met intelligentie alsof de waanzin van intelligente mensen niet ontstaat uit emotionele onmacht maar uit een begrip van hoe de wereld 'echt' in klaar zit.
(Genialiteit wordt op een romantische manier in verband gebracht met lijden. Ik herlas hierna De ironie van de kunstenaar, van Maarten Doorman).
Alsof zij het beter doorgronden. En de mensen met een gemiddelde psychische problematiek kunnen zich dan daarmee identificeren en zich tegelijkertijd geruststellen. En daar dan interessant over doen.
Ik vond het ook een beetje een intellectuele zelfbevrediging. Soms wordt er gedweept met intelligentie alsof de waanzin van intelligente mensen niet ontstaat uit emotionele onmacht maar uit een begrip van hoe de wereld 'echt' in klaar zit.
(Genialiteit wordt op een romantische manier in verband gebracht met lijden. Ik herlas hierna De ironie van de kunstenaar, van Maarten Doorman).
Alsof zij het beter doorgronden. En de mensen met een gemiddelde psychische problematiek kunnen zich dan daarmee identificeren en zich tegelijkertijd geruststellen. En daar dan interessant over doen.
Not much purpose in speaking quickly about a McCarthy novel. I'll just update this every few years for the rest of my life I guess.