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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
What a ride. The Passenger and Stella Maris are some of the most intriguing books I’ve read this year. Such dialogue and character development. It’s difficult to really describe the experience of reading this book.
I think the self-indulgent nature of the narrative lends itself well to the fact that it is told entirely in dialogue from sessions between Alicia Western and her psychiatrist at Stella Maris, Dr. Robert Cohen. Was I particularly a fan of this self-indulgence? No.
I understand that McCarthy was an incredibly intelligent (albeit selfish) man himself. I am not taking away from his constant pursuit of knowledge. It clearly shows in his work. What I did find nauseating, however, was having to read so much about mathematics, topology theory, famous mathematicians, etc., when I wanted to read about Alicia. I specifically remember a point when I simply put the book down and said to my boyfriend, "I'm so tired of reading about math."
There were times when I was so engaged in the narrative that I could not put down the book. The tragedy of the doomed love was particularly moving; it was what drew me to pick up the latter of this duology in the first place. However, I often felt disconnected from the despair and nihilistic characterization that rested between the lines of Alicia's ramblings about mathematics.
I understand that McCarthy was an incredibly intelligent (albeit selfish) man himself. I am not taking away from his constant pursuit of knowledge. It clearly shows in his work. What I did find nauseating, however, was having to read so much about mathematics, topology theory, famous mathematicians, etc., when I wanted to read about Alicia. I specifically remember a point when I simply put the book down and said to my boyfriend, "I'm so tired of reading about math."
There were times when I was so engaged in the narrative that I could not put down the book. The tragedy of the doomed love was particularly moving; it was what drew me to pick up the latter of this duology in the first place. However, I often felt disconnected from the despair and nihilistic characterization that rested between the lines of Alicia's ramblings about mathematics.
Se ne Il Passeggero abbiamo letto la storia dal punto di vista di Bobby (fisico, sommozzatore, fratello), nel prequel/epilogo Stella Maris troviamo Alice/Alicia (matematica, schizofrenica, sorella).
Il libro è interamente costituito dalle trascrizioni delle conversazioni tra la protagonista e il suo psichiatra.
L'impressione è che entrambi i volumi dovessero costituire un corpus unico, anche se - raccontando due metà della storia - possono essere letti in ordine diverso da quello di pubblicazione.
Preferisco pensare che la pubblicazione in due volumi non sia dovuta all'intenzione di massimizzare le vendite dell'ultima opera di McCarthy, ma di tenere ancora separati fratello e sorella, sulla carta come nella storia.
Il libro è interamente costituito dalle trascrizioni delle conversazioni tra la protagonista e il suo psichiatra.
L'impressione è che entrambi i volumi dovessero costituire un corpus unico, anche se - raccontando due metà della storia - possono essere letti in ordine diverso da quello di pubblicazione.
Preferisco pensare che la pubblicazione in due volumi non sia dovuta all'intenzione di massimizzare le vendite dell'ultima opera di McCarthy, ma di tenere ancora separati fratello e sorella, sulla carta come nella storia.
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Dark, depressing...good
Stella Maris is seven chapters long, each a separate conversation between Alice, a schizophrenic genius, and her counselor. That is it. The tie in with the Passenger is that Alice is Bobby's sister who dies on the first page. The time lines of these books weave in a way that is brilliant (I do not want to give a spoiler but I realized that my thoughts about book 1 were all wrong). I loved this book but I gave the passenger a 3/5 because I could not understand the point of "the passenger". I now realize its metaphorical and I wish this was one long book in two parts Passenger/Stella Maris. Then I would be blown away and give it a 6/5. I think a writer as good as McCarthy can do what the heck he wants and write two books but I personally think putting them together as one book would make for stronger more interesting writing.
Pretty stellar, considering it's just dialog between two characters all the way through. My little reading of it is that The Passenger is about "nothingness" and Stella Maris is about "somethingness". But both books are so striking-yet-vague that they'll probably mean something different to everyone who glances at it. It was fun spending time with Alice, as I constantly found myself engaged by her dialog, either in agreement, disagreement, or befuddlement.
Anyways, incredibly strong book that won't be for everyone, and if this is McCarthy's last novel, it's a hell of a final word.
Anyways, incredibly strong book that won't be for everyone, and if this is McCarthy's last novel, it's a hell of a final word.
I love Cormac McCarthy, and this one didn't do it for me. His writing is still excellent and the premise of writing an entire book based on a patient talking with a psychiatrist in a mental institution is interesting. And, I found myself wandering and not engaged.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Tvrzení, že lék dokáže rekonstruovat svět do něčeho jako objektivní skutečnost, je tvrzení se stejně nízkou validitou jako objektivní skutečnost samotná. Řekla jsem tehdy, myslím, že nemám o nic větší důvod vkládat svou důvěru do medikovaného stavu mysli než do stavu střízlivého.” (s. 105)
challenging
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The first time I heard about McCarthy, I had just seen the Revenant in theaters. Yep I sat through that whole movie, ordered a white Russian, Yep I sat through Dunkirk, ordered a white Russian, Yep I sat through Wind River, ordered a white Russian. Back then, reading was so gosh darn new to me, and Reddit was sorta the go-to place, and I asked around whether they made the Revenant into a book, and they eventually did, some fellow messaged me to say they didn't, but that Blood Meridian was a close bet. & So over the years some treasures were unearthed on Reddit, and I caught a glance at just a few of them, I couldn't keep up and kinda fazed out- the message boards were always talking about the same authors, namely McCarthy, Pynchon, Wallace, Joyce, there was a lot of broad discussing and then I was just complacent so I took a skeptical view. I never really felt that drawn to Cormac McCarthy, that is, until he released this double volume that nagged my curiosity. I couldn't help myself & then I had to know more. & Then I really wanted to take a different course, through audiobooks. 🎧
"A friend once told me that those who choose a love that can never be fulfilled will be hounded by a rage that can never be extinguished."
Finally, my curiosity has been sated, and my interest piquéd, and I realize that Cormac was a really emotional guy, a deep and thoughtful person, a Promethean of literature, and above all, someone who has a lot of questions, and still not all of the answers. This is all one book of interviews between a schizophrenic patient, her ingenuity with mathematics, & substantiating the matter of dreams. It's rly the closest thing to science fiction Cormac conceived- & music now is all that's left to do. 🎶
"Diabolical on the other hand is all but synonymous with ingenious."
"A friend once told me that those who choose a love that can never be fulfilled will be hounded by a rage that can never be extinguished."
Finally, my curiosity has been sated, and my interest piquéd, and I realize that Cormac was a really emotional guy, a deep and thoughtful person, a Promethean of literature, and above all, someone who has a lot of questions, and still not all of the answers. This is all one book of interviews between a schizophrenic patient, her ingenuity with mathematics, & substantiating the matter of dreams. It's rly the closest thing to science fiction Cormac conceived- & music now is all that's left to do. 🎶
"Diabolical on the other hand is all but synonymous with ingenious."