MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Discussion: "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

jaxx6166 · 11-04-2009, 12:18 PM

I bought The Road on a whim back in August. It was a quick read for me.

I have to say though, I've never put a book down after reading it and felt totally, hopelessly depressed. It was bleak and minimalistic in its design and scenery. I think the minimalism really helped put the sense of dread into the book.

I was hopeful for the boy at the end of the story. "Are you the good guys?"

And I really really hoped they were the good guys. But something about it all made me think otherwise. I felt like the boy had just walked into a trap. I mean we saw all the other villages where good people were doing bad things. I really really wanted to have the boy and the father find their paradise.

This was my first Cormac McCarthy novel. I'd heard about him and his writing style before, but never really had the chance to experience it. I checked out the preview samples of all the pretty horses and no country for no men but couldn't get into it.

I did suffer through the movie versions of both. All the Pretty Horses was enjoyable, No Country just - left me wanting more. I'm probably the only person in America that was unsatisified with it.

With that said, I am looking forward to the Road. The imagery and the video trailer really did mesh in my head.

I remember talking to my girlfriend and a few people at work about it afterwards. The only real emotion or explanation of the story that came to my mind was dread and depression.

I have to say that I'm glad the narrator kept his distance from the main characters. I don't know if I would have had the same apathetic reaction had they been closer to each other.

Most of the dialog didn't work very well for me either. Towards the end I was going to rip my hair out of I read "I'm scared papa." or "okay." one more time =)

I'm seriously hoping that this isn't the case with the movie or I may lose my mind.

I don't want to say I became emotionally connected to any of the characters, especially the father. He seemed way too withdrawn from his child. It was more of just an overall sadness I felt at the end.

This kind of reminded me of another end-of-world epic that I read before it. I wish I could remember the name of it but I'm lost at the moment. All I remember was EMP and Rush Limbaugh wrote the foreward. It was recomended by the MR crew too. Bugger.

My point in this, is I felt more emotional pull at what happened to the dogs in that book than I did for any of the characters in this one. If that makes sense.

*EDIT*

Reviewing other posts, I didn't even know the movie came out yet. Is that Hollywood's failure for lack of promotion or what?

11-04-2009, 12:18 PM	#54
jaxx6166 Wizard Posts: 1,222 Karma: 769316 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Eternal summer Device: 350, iPad, PW	I bought The Road on a whim back in August. It was a quick read for me. I have to say though, I've never put a book down after reading it and felt totally, hopelessly depressed. It was bleak and minimalistic in its design and scenery. I think the minimalism really helped put the sense of dread into the book. I was hopeful for the boy at the end of the story. "Are you the good guys?" And I really really hoped they were the good guys. But something about it all made me think otherwise. I felt like the boy had just walked into a trap. I mean we saw all the other villages where good people were doing bad things. I really really wanted to have the boy and the father find their paradise. This was my first Cormac McCarthy novel. I'd heard about him and his writing style before, but never really had the chance to experience it. I checked out the preview samples of all the pretty horses and no country for no men but couldn't get into it. I did suffer through the movie versions of both. All the Pretty Horses was enjoyable, No Country just - left me wanting more. I'm probably the only person in America that was unsatisified with it. With that said, I am looking forward to the Road. The imagery and the video trailer really did mesh in my head. I remember talking to my girlfriend and a few people at work about it afterwards. The only real emotion or explanation of the story that came to my mind was dread and depression. I have to say that I'm glad the narrator kept his distance from the main characters. I don't know if I would have had the same apathetic reaction had they been closer to each other. Most of the dialog didn't work very well for me either. Towards the end I was going to rip my hair out of I read "I'm scared papa." or "okay." one more time =) I'm seriously hoping that this isn't the case with the movie or I may lose my mind. I don't want to say I became emotionally connected to any of the characters, especially the father. He seemed way too withdrawn from his child. It was more of just an overall sadness I felt at the end. This kind of reminded me of another end-of-world epic that I read before it. I wish I could remember the name of it but I'm lost at the moment. All I remember was EMP and Rush Limbaugh wrote the foreward. It was recomended by the MR crew too. Bugger. My point in this, is I felt more emotional pull at what happened to the dogs in that book than I did for any of the characters in this one. If that makes sense. EDIT Reviewing other posts, I didn't even know the movie came out yet. Is that Hollywood's failure for lack of promotion or what?