Cormac McCarthy

Cropduster84Cropduster84 Posts: 1,283
edited March 2008 in All Encompassing Trip
A great writer who I'm really starting to appreciate.....


I love The Road, such a haunting book.....


Anyone else a fan?
'The more I studied religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself.' - Sir Richard Francis Burton
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  • NY PJ1NY PJ1 Posts: 9,533
    A great writer who I'm really starting to appreciate.....


    I love The Road, such a haunting book.....


    Anyone else a fan?


    never heard of him..or is it a her?
  • smithnicsmithnic Posts: 1,563
    I read the road in about two days and I can't shake it!
    I can't believe they're making a movie.


    For those who don't know he's the writer who wrote the novel "no country for old men."

    always on top of things NYPJ
    Go Get 'Em Tigers!
  • Cropduster84Cropduster84 Posts: 1,283
    NY PJ1 wrote:
    never heard of him..or is it a her?

    Cormac is male.


    He wrote All The Pretty Horses and No Country For Old Men.....
    'The more I studied religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself.' - Sir Richard Francis Burton
  • NY PJ1NY PJ1 Posts: 9,533
    smithnic wrote:
    I read the road in about two days and I can't shake it!
    I can't believe they're making a movie.


    For those who don't know he's the writer who wrote the novel "no country for old men."

    always on top of things NYPJ



    ahhh loved the movie,,maybe i should read the book

    its one of those names that can go either way
  • AstroFanAstroFan Posts: 193
    I'm actually reading "The Road" for my American Lit 2 class right now. I have about another 70 pages to go, but I love it(as much as you can love a story like this) so far.

    I'm sure I'll delve into his other work when I have the time.
  • Cropduster84Cropduster84 Posts: 1,283
    AstroFan wrote:
    I'm actually reading "The Road" for my American Lit 2 class right now. I have about another 70 pages to go, but I love it(as much as you can love a story like this) so far.

    I'm sure I'll delve into his other work when I have the time.


    Glad you're enjoying, it is really quite a beautiful book in it's dark little way.....


    I highly recommend his earlier work too like Child Of God.....
    'The more I studied religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself.' - Sir Richard Francis Burton
  • DOSWDOSW Posts: 2,014
    I read a couple pages of The Road and felt like killing myself, it was so depressing. But I'll have to pick it up sometime.
    It's a town full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win
  • love.
    IF YOU WANT A PLATE OF MY BEEF SWELLINGTON, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY THE COVERCHARGE.
  • BibbsBibbs Posts: 229
    i read No Country on a recommendation from a friend, it was a brilliant read and i'll be looking more of his work.

    I've not yet seen the movie but will do soon.
    ••• Immortality •••
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  • Bibbs wrote:
    i read No Country on a recommendation from a friend, it was a brilliant read and i'll be looking more of his work.

    I've not yet seen the movie but will do soon.

    The movie was great - but I was pretty thrown off by the hair...I just thought it was distracting! I loved TLJ in that movie! in the interest of disclosure, that may be because I have a distinct Tommy Lee Jones attraction...he is chewy. I can tell. ;)

    the book is a great read...I love the pace that McCarthy sets...it is a very systematic novel.
    IF YOU WANT A PLATE OF MY BEEF SWELLINGTON, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY THE COVERCHARGE.
  • AstroFanAstroFan Posts: 193
    Glad you're enjoying, it is really quite a beautiful book in it's dark little way.....


    I highly recommend his earlier work too like Child Of God.....

    I finished The Road earlier today and almost cried at the end. One of the best novels I've read, with a blend of nearly overwhelming darkness but with just enough light to make me feel a little bit of hope.

    My professor said he thought "Blood Meridian" was the best novel by any American author, so I may check that out first. "Child Of God" sounds interesting as well.
  • intoodeepintoodeep Posts: 143
    AstroFan wrote:
    I finished The Road earlier today and almost cried at the end. One of the best novels I've read, with a blend of nearly overwhelming darkness but with just enough light to make me feel a little bit of hope.

    I agree!! I thought it was one of the best novels I've ever read too! I couldn't put it down....and, I couldn't get it out of my head for weeks after I finished it.
    smithnic wrote:
    I read the road in about two days and I can't shake it!
    I can't believe they're making a movie.

    I read somewhere that Viggo Mortensen will be starring in the movie...that sounds interesting. Altho' the movie would be pretty depressing.
    The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. - Albert Einstein

    "As Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of the United States of America, where do they go? It's Alaska....." - Gov Sarah Palin
  • the wolfthe wolf Posts: 7,027
    anyone want to give me a bit of a overview of what the road is about, i just dont trust most back covers of books.

    they usually dont seep to capture what the book is really about, they are there to sell the book after all.
    Peace, Love.


    "To question your government is not unpatriotic --
    to not question your government is unpatriotic."
    -- Sen. Chuck Hagel
  • AstroFanAstroFan Posts: 193
    the wolf wrote:
    anyone want to give me a bit of a overview of what the road is about, i just dont trust most back covers of books.

    they usually dont seep to capture what the book is really about, they are there to sell the book after all.

    The back of this cover seems to sum it up fairly well. I'll add an excerpt:

    "The Road is a profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, "each the other's world entire," are sustained by love.... The Road is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devestation".

    That description works for me.

    If you want something more on the surface regarding the setting, then I would say it's about a father and son walking through "burned America," in the desperate hope to find an area that is not completely devestated. There are very few other survivors from the unnamed disaster, with a blanket of ash covering the sky so the sunlight does not shine through(thus, there is no vegetation and food is an invaluable commodity).


    The heart of the novel is not in action scenes, but in the relationship between father/son, and particularly the goodness of the boy(and the goodness he instills in his father) in this horrific world in which very little decency remains.
  • rriversrrivers Posts: 3,696
    I'm in the middle of "The Road" right now, no pun intended. Ha!

    I found it to be a little hard to get into hid writing (this is his first book I read), but by about page 30 I was hooked. He has a really cool way of not giving a ton of description, but just enough where you can really feel like you are there.

    I agree it is very powerful. I am only on page 87 and there were a couple of times already that I felt a little teary.

    I should probably stay out of this thread until I finish it so I don't read any spoilers.

    I'm glad I finally broke down and read one of his books. I've been wanting to read "No Country" since it came out a couple of years ago, but still haven't gotten around to it. I did see the movie and enjoyed it.
    "We're fixed good, lamp-wise."
  • mulva9mulva9 Posts: 417
    I've never liked a writer as much as I like him.

    I've read All the Pretty Horses, No Country for Old Men, and The Road and I think those are my 3 favorite books ever. Can't wait to read more.
  • rriversrrivers Posts: 3,696
    Finished "The Road" over the weekend. Great book. Heartbreaking at the end.
    "We're fixed good, lamp-wise."
  • know1know1 Posts: 6,794
    A great writer who I'm really starting to appreciate.....


    I love The Road, such a haunting book.....


    Anyone else a fan?

    I read "The Road" not too long ago. What a great book!! That's the only McCarthy book I've read, though.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • rriversrrivers Posts: 3,696
    know1 wrote:
    I read "The Road" not too long ago. What a great book!! That's the only McCarthy book I've read, though.

    Yeah it's the only one I've read too. I want to read all his books now, but I have a huge stack of books to be read already!
    "We're fixed good, lamp-wise."
  • Bibbs wrote:
    i read No Country on a recommendation from a friend, it was a brilliant read and i'll be looking more of his work.

    I've not yet seen the movie but will do soon.

    I thought the screenplay fell a bit flat for the Coen bros but it was adapted so maybe that was the problem. It just wasn't nearly as sharp as their earlier efforts. Also the plot had to be a bit illogical (some of the decisions made by Llewelyn made no sense) in order to keep the story flowing, which to me is a sign of sloppy writing. The suspense was definitely there and made the film impressive despite it's inherent flaws. I feel that Javier Bardem gave a fabulous performance and was what carried the film, imo.
    If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you.

    Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
    -Oscar Wilde
  • mole1985mole1985 Posts: 1,119
    I loved 'The Road' very haunting. I really enjoyed the recent movie 'No country for old men' and want to check the book out but i've got too many to read at the min.
    Dublin 2006
    Katowice 2007
    London 2007
  • rriversrrivers Posts: 3,696
    (some of the decisions made by Llewelyn made no sense)

    What decisions did you think made no sense?
    "We're fixed good, lamp-wise."
  • BlancheBlanche Posts: 247
    I love reading Cormac McCarthy, but afterwards I usually have to dive into a comic book.

    Outer Dark and Blood Meridien take you into incredibly dark places, yet there's nothing gratuitous.

    I haven't read The Road or No Country for Old Men yet. (I'd better see the movie first. When I've read the book beforehand, I expect the adaptation to stick to the story and I like the element of surprise.)
  • rrivers wrote:
    What decisions did you think made no sense?

    Like why didn't he think to get in one of those trucks and get out of there instead of being chased by a truck filled with people shooting at him in the middle of the night? There would have been keys in the ignitions I would think.

    And why would he even go back to give the guy water at that point? The guy had been shot and had sat there bleeding all that time. How could he have figured the guy was still alive?

    And why didn't he check inside the money case to at least see what he had. And it should have tipped him off sooner that the money was bugged...how else could the guy keep finding him?

    Also, why didn't he go ahead and shoot Bardem's character when he saw his shadow under the door at the hotel room? He waits and then gets shot himself. And when he does shoot him finally he only shoots the guy in the leg! He seemed too crafty and smart to keep making mistakes like this.

    All the parts keep the story going but could have been written better to make more sense, imo.
    If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you.

    Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
    -Oscar Wilde
  • acoustic guyacoustic guy Posts: 3,770
    Just the name alone "The road' Sounds cool but i just have a hard time with Fiction. I like reading true stories.
    Get em a Body Bag Yeeeeeaaaaa!
    Sweep the Leg Johnny.
  • ByrnzieByrnzie Posts: 21,037
    'The Road' is probably his weakest book.

    Try reading 'Blood Meridian', and 'The Crossing'.
  • rriversrrivers Posts: 3,696
    Byrnzie wrote:
    'The Road' is probably his weakest book.

    Try reading 'Blood Meridian', and 'The Crossing'.

    This is good to hear. I think I will take his books in order.
    "We're fixed good, lamp-wise."
  • ByrnzieByrnzie Posts: 21,037
    Like why didn't he think to get in one of those trucks and get out of there instead of being chased by a truck filled with people shooting at him in the middle of the night? There would have been keys in the ignitions I would think.

    And why would he even go back to give the guy water at that point? The guy had been shot and had sat there bleeding all that time. How could he have figured the guy was still alive?

    He didn't go back to give the guy water. He went back to cover his tracks.
    And why didn't he check inside the money case to at least see what he had. And it should have tipped him off sooner that the money was bugged...how else could the guy keep finding him?

    He only found him once before he discovered the bugging device.
    Also, why didn't he go ahead and shoot Bardem's character when he saw his shadow under the door at the hotel room? He waits and then gets shot himself. And when he does shoot him finally he only shoots the guy in the leg! He seemed too crafty and smart to keep making mistakes like this.

    I agree that he could have shot him in the hotel room, but then he didn't know that it was Chuger - or however his name's spelt - just that he was a bounty hunter.
    And he later shot him with a sawn off shotgun, which explains why he got hit in the leg. They're not the most accurate guns at a distance.
    All the parts keep the story going but could have been written better to make more sense, imo.

    Are you actually referring to the book here though, or are you talking about the film? Because the book is somewhat different.
  • Byrnzie wrote:
    He didn't go back to give the guy water. He went back to cover his tracks.

    He woke up in bed and said 'that's it' then filled up a gallon container of water and left out. I was figuring this meant the guy he left out there to die was now weighing on his conscience. He went right to the guy with the water in hand.

    Byrnzie wrote:
    He only found him once before he discovered the bugging device.

    True but after finding him once should have been a tip off and then he should have directly looked through the money instead of waiting til he was at a new hotel. What was he going to do then? Chuger was already on his way.

    Byrnzie wrote:
    I agree that he could have shot him in the hotel room, but then he didn't know that it was Chuger - or however his name's spelt - just that he was a bounty hunter.
    And he later shot him with a sawn off shotgun, which explains why he got hit in the leg. They're not the most accurate guns at a distance.

    I know he couldn't be sure but who else would just be standing there at his door like that? I don't know how to spell the name either. He shot him after he was hit by the air pressure thing during the scene with the shadow at the door. Right? I thought he got a shot out before jumping out the window? The shot was quite low still for a target on the other side of a door directly in front of you.

    Byrnzie wrote:
    Are you actually referring to the book here though, or are you talking about the film? Because the book is somewhat different.

    yeah, I'm referring to the adapted screenplay based on the book here.
    If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you.

    Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
    -Oscar Wilde
  • shell bellshell bell Posts: 337
    Viggo Mortenson will play the dad in the movie version of "the Road". Awsome book,but sad.......................
    when you get confused just listen to the music play........

    "You damn well can't lick the system,but you can sure give it a good fondeling."-sleazy estate man(Hugh Laurie on A bit of Fry and Laurie)

    "Judas Priest on a two stroke moped!"(Stephen Fry)
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