rough edges
Sapere Aude
Very sad news. Died of natural causes at 89. Rest In peace Child of God.
Cormac McCarthy has died. He was 89. RIP
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gustav_errata
pfm Member
A very sad loss. I'm glad he was able to finish The Passenger & Stella Maris before he went.
The Road may be the best book I have read.
The Road may be the best book I have read.
mikechadwick
pfm Member
Very sad news - some of the most harrowing fiction ever written. RIP
rough edges
Sapere Aude
The Border Trilogy is very strong, if somewhat “mainstream”, for a writer of McCarthy’s style.There’s ample darkness and depravity in those three works to support the author’s world view, but IMO, the real gems are Child of God, Outer Dark, and his magnum opus Blood Meridian.
FWIW, literary critics and distinguished authors have categorized Blood Meridian as being of the same stature as Faulkner’s “As I Lay Dying”, and Melville’s “Moby Dick”. That’s fairly lofty company, to state the all too obvious.
A movie deal has recently been made for Blood Meridian. Not bad for a novel that sold only 1883 original copies…
FWIW, literary critics and distinguished authors have categorized Blood Meridian as being of the same stature as Faulkner’s “As I Lay Dying”, and Melville’s “Moby Dick”. That’s fairly lofty company, to state the all too obvious.
A movie deal has recently been made for Blood Meridian. Not bad for a novel that sold only 1883 original copies…
gustav_errata
pfm Member
I agree 100% with all of this. Blood Meridian stands head and shoulders above most literature out there. The hallucinatory flow through a path of vile brutality is like nothing else I've read.
Still, The Road struck an entirely deeper chord for me. If Blood Meridian was an exploration of man's inherent, animalistic violence, The Road was a very powerful look at paternal love and care (with all the mistakes and imperfections that entails). The latter is something I have actually experienced whereas the former is effectively repressed in most people outside of war or similar settings.
Just my unlearned interpretations in any case. Blood Meridian was by far my favourite until I read The Road!
I'm still on the fence about The Passenger & Stella Maris. I'll need to reread them.
gustav_errata
pfm Member
Haven't read that one. I need to explore his earlier work more.
blossomchris
I feel better than James Brown
watched the road again for the third time, always gets the brain cells alive. will pick up some of his books to read after reading the posts on here
lordsummit
Moderator
Indeed, never read any, but might add one to the Kindle for the holiday. Sounds like that might be enough to start.
rough edges
Sapere Aude
McCarthy’s story of Cornelius Suttree is said to be somewhat autobiographical. I really enjoyed the book, but I found it to be a difficult read. The character Harrogate, is certainly the most humorous character to be found in all of McCarthy’s novels. I will have to give Suttree another go…
Del monaco
Del Monaco
I was haunted by The Road and the film was very good as well.
rough edges
Sapere Aude
FWIW, I started with “All the Pretty Horses”, as it was fairly new and had won the National Book Award. It’s a phenomenal read, and then you can progress through the rest of the trilogy if you want more. There is a fair bit of McCarthy darkness in “All the Pretty Horses”, but it’s balanced out by compassion , kindness, and humanity. And it’s a great love story.
Whichever McCarthy work you start out with, though, you are in for a real treat. McCarthy is by far my favourite novelist, and his novels are all of the caliber that you may read them multiple times. Hope you enjoy…
ciderglider
pfm Member
One shouldn't speak I'll of the dead, but I couldn't get on with his terse style, which struck me as affected.
lordsummit
Moderator
mandryka
pfm Member
I’m reading Blood Meridian for the first time now, 60% through according to kindle, it’s my first taste of Cormac McCarthy.
What the fk is this book saying? It appears to have almost cosmic ambitions à la Moby Dick, what with the judge and all that tarot!
Is there any recommendable secondary literature on Blood Meridian? It’s so much more than a story about the Wild West, I’m kind of curious what people have made of it.
What the fk is this book saying? It appears to have almost cosmic ambitions à la Moby Dick, what with the judge and all that tarot!
Is there any recommendable secondary literature on Blood Meridian? It’s so much more than a story about the Wild West, I’m kind of curious what people have made of it.