Cormac McCarthy is an impressive writer, but reading his books often feels like jumping into the middle of a disturbing nightmare. I’ve been reading through his works, but I don’t read any more than one per year for my own sanity. This time it was probably more my state of mind, but Outer Dark (1968) turned out to be one of his more disturbing books. I’m going to take a nice long break before I read another. I think I only have Suttree left now anyway. Outer Dark focuses […]
Cormac McCarthy is a thief of joy.
Now that school is over, and I’ve got a project wrapped up for the next few weeks, I have some free time in front of me. So I’ve been reading like a madwoman. Of course, I’m now behind several reviews, so I’ll hope to play catch-up today and tomorrow. Now that graduation is over, I’ll have some downtime to do that! Cities of the Plain is the last in the Border Trilogy. Cormac McCarthy unites John Cole Grady from All the Pretty Horses and Billy […]
Nothing says, “Hey, let’s make you depressed!” like Cormac McCarthy killing off characters.
This Cannonball has been really odd, because it feels like I’m switching between Cormac McCarthy and Barbara Pym–two authors who could not be more different from one another. I decided to switch back to McCarthy, because apparently I HATE MYSELF. Good lord, somebody has issues with animals. In all fairness, my sister warned me about the bad things that happen in The Crossing, so it wasn’t like I wasn’t prepared. I believe someone here on CBR (I want to say narfna) warned me, too. But […]
In which I admit my addiction to Cormac McCarthy…
I know a LOT of people who have read The Road and were thoroughly traumatized by it. Several advised me to wait and read it when it was sunny outside, so I wouldn’t be depressed afterwards. I did follow that advice, but I also read two McCarthy books that did not coincide with sunshine. And, frankly, I found Blood Meridian to be such a bloodbath that The Road, as bleak as it is, cannot even compare. I’ve concluded that The Road is the most traumatizing […]
Cormac McCarthy’s closest foray into sentiment
I’m trying to work my way through certain authors, and Cormac McCarthy has definitely been on that list. After reading Blood Meridian this year, I decided to go with something a little less..visceral. Thankfully, All the Pretty Horses is a gorgeous, melancholy book that does not get gross. John Grady Cole is sixteen years old, when the ranch he has lived on passes out of his inheritance upon his grandfather’s death. He and his best friend, Lacey Rawlins, determine to make their way south out […]
Like no road I ever want to travel…
I’ve never read Cormac McCarthy, even though he’s on all the Must Read lists. And I’ve never seen No Country For Old Men, despite the fact that I would probably watch Javier Bardeem watch paint dry. It seemed very Western to me, and Westerns aren’t really my thing, The Road isn’t really my thing either – let’s not forget I’m the same girl who read Beautiful Bastard, not once, but twice – but sometimes you have to read smart books, and McCarthy is definitely on […]