Member Reviews

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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 5 stars

  “Great book. A man and his son (whose names we never find out) are travelling on foot. There is ash everywhere and frequently they come across dead bodies. After a number of pages, it becomes clear that this is a different era, after some great fire, which killed most people and (it seems) all animals and plants. They are cold (there are ash clouds above them all the time, they cannot see the sun) and hungry. They hope to get further South (maybe they expect it to be warmer there) but they encounter body-hunters (for food!) and thieves/murderers along the way. They are both not sure whether it's better to be dead or alive, but they struggle onwards anyway. Well written, gripping story, totally believeable. ”

  JudithAnn wrote this review Wednesday, April 2 2008. ( reply | permalink )
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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 4 stars

  “Fairly well done book. This is a man who obviously spends a lot of time alone. It was obvious by his creative bend in the story. Written in the 3rd person, post apocalyptic. The story is about hope, sacrifice and the ultimate altruism of a father for his child in a world so bleak, that it is hardly recognizable. I would strongly recommend Blindness by Jose Saramago if you enjoyed this novel.”

  clyde m wrote this review Sunday, March 23 2008. ( reply | permalink )
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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 1 stars

  “I found this book a little anonying, and very depressing. I know it's stylish, but the lack of quotation marks drove me nuts. Obviously I'm in the minority, because everyone else seems to love this book. But I just couldn't get into it and wouldn't recommend it. ”

  BobGrabowski wrote this review Saturday, October 27 2007. ( reply | permalink )
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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 4 stars

  “While so many other dystopic novels focus on the "path to destruction," so to speak, McCarthy's plops his reader into a fully-formed post-apocalyptic world where human attachments matter much more than human failure. McCarthy creates a world of casualty where human life scrapes by while all other life--trees, animals, even grass--is gone.
  
  It is a fantastic read, and unlike other dystopic novels full of overt caution, foreboding and "what ifs" about world-wide plague or nuclear war, this novel leads the reader directly to the bitter end: away from scenes of human violence. They are in the background, already in the past (but never forgotten) to a time even bleaker and even more violent when the very last human scavengers try to take care of themselves and (in the case of this novel) try to take care of those they love.”

  ordovician wrote this review Monday, May 7 2007. ( reply | permalink )
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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 4 stars

  “Tough book to read, gut wrenching, sad, tragic, hoping they will survive. The book is hard to put down, the reader cannot wait till the next page to find out the what if's. Nothing is pretty or lovely, only the love between the boy and his father, love though is the only thing that does last.”

  MissDaisyAnne wrote this review Thursday, April 26 2007. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 3 stars

  “I really don't understand all of the hype of this book. A man and his son travel by foot after some sort of nationwide, worldwide disaster. They find ashes everywhere and are in search of survival. How many ways can you describe ashes?”

  Cathy A wrote this review Sunday, September 7 2008. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 5 stars

  “One thing that's interesting about good writing is that it often feels so obvious. That's the case here. It's a familiar story, the world turned upside down, lonely survivors, a trek cross-country. But whereas others fill such a world with over-the-top caricatures and plot devices, Mr. McCarthy barely populates his with just a pathetic few real humans hanging on to life. It's not a happy story and the author doesn't pull any punches, but he doesn't revel in the gore and depravity. The story just moves relentlessly on and we the reader keep relentlessly following, observing the man and the boy survive from day to day, wondering when and how they will find rescue. And awestruck at the author's sparse and effective prose. But perhaps there won't be a happy ending. How could there be? The earth has been razed and the only living things are a few humans that keep preying on each other.”

  Zot79 wrote this review Saturday, September 6 2008. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 4 stars

  “An interesting edition to the canon of American Literature. The post apocalyptic setting is a depressing and sad one. The two main characters, a boy and his father remain nameless, as we journey with them down the road. There are multiple scenes which strike at the heart of the human condition and put a few knots in your gut at the same time. I wouldn't say I loved this book, but it was worth the read. Poignant elements that ring true to the nature of life.”

  J.M. Hannam wrote this review Saturday, August 23 2008. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 5 stars

  “Excellent, dark, haunting, intimate, charming and all that is life. Read it in the Springtime when there is lots of light and good cheer around you. Not for dark broody days or those inclined towards depression.”

  Cindy B wrote this review Wednesday, August 20 2008. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 3 stars

  “I read this book as I wanted to find out more about this Cormic McCarthy fellow. I had just seen No Country for Old Men, and knew that his writing must be better than a Hollywood representation (ie "that was the end?")
  
  The topic of a post apocalyptic world always intrigues me, so I got a copy and dove in. The world is presented brilliantly, but the dialog was a little hollow. Some of the events that take place are horrific, but get glossed over. There is just the man and his boy and the monotony of their relationship.
  
  Worth a read. It is quick and has some valuable moments. It does have the abrupt end which may be McCarthy's signature.”

  DigitalCrony wrote this review Wednesday, August 20 2008. ( reply | permalink )