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thegrimtidings 's review for:
Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West
by Cormac McCarthy
I feel a bit of a heathen rating the book this low given a) the beauty of the prose and b) its significance, having just read a few theories online, the depth and potential for discussion with Blood Meridian is clear.
I just didn't enjoy it this first time, but suspect another read will result in the love that so many people have for this. Reading the theories I can understand the love, if you have been engaged enough with the book to debate them. Whereas I found the whole thing a slog, the vagueness unappetising and the reading experience a drag. Not a second did I enjoy, though it was always beautiful. None of the characters stood out (Judge aside) and the motivation/drive of the story was unclear for most of it. Just makes it hard to invest in. Having finished it and seeing the ending I am now motivated to read it again and see it differently, it was the same with the Road where I hated it at first but benefitted greatly from a second read. That said I can only rate on what I have enjoyed (or rather not enjoyed) and understood of the book.
I just didn't enjoy it this first time, but suspect another read will result in the love that so many people have for this. Reading the theories I can understand the love, if you have been engaged enough with the book to debate them. Whereas I found the whole thing a slog, the vagueness unappetising and the reading experience a drag. Not a second did I enjoy, though it was always beautiful. None of the characters stood out (Judge aside) and the motivation/drive of the story was unclear for most of it. Just makes it hard to invest in. Having finished it and seeing the ending I am now motivated to read it again and see it differently, it was the same with the Road where I hated it at first but benefitted greatly from a second read. That said I can only rate on what I have enjoyed (or rather not enjoyed) and understood of the book.