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The Road

McCarthy, Cormac, 1933-2023. Book - 2006 Adult Book / Fiction / General / McCarthy, Cormac, Fiction / McCarthy, Cormac 1 On Shelf 1 request on 7 copies Community Rating: 4.1 out of 5

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Call Number: Adult Book / Fiction / General / McCarthy, Cormac, Fiction / McCarthy, Cormac
On Shelf At: Malletts Creek Branch

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

cold and dead submitted by rosander on December 4, 2010, 12:08pm I read this book one fall here in Michigan while all the leaves were decaying, the weather was getting colder, and the sun was disappearing sooner. Maybe the best time of year to read this book as it so closely parallels the environment this father and son travel through.

Bleak, desolate, and excellent submitted by m_go_blue82 on January 2, 2012, 10:06pm As a lover of post-apocalyptic tales this book was one of the better books I've read. From plot to the language to the typesetting every facet of this book is crafted to make the reader actually FEEL the desolation, isolation, and hopelessness of a world in which nothing grows and humans exist in cannibalistic blood-cults or by sheer luck.

As is so often the case the movie fails miserably to recreate the tortured inner monologue of a father who is asking his son to buy in to a future that he himself cannot. For those of you, like me, who saw the movie first, do yourself a favor and read the book.

Chilling submitted by nicole on June 18, 2013, 4:04pm Chilling and very well done. I was sufficiently terrified while reading it...

Sad. Scary submitted by Pumpkinscones on July 9, 2013, 7:04pm A terrifying dystopia. It'smercifully short - too much more would be just too depressing and overkill - as happens to several individuals. McCarthy quickly and skillfully builds his world and offers just enough hope to keep you reading of a man and his desperate quest to save his son when even his wife has given in and gone with the majority.

Desolate and Devastating submitted by Meginator on August 21, 2017, 3:03pm The Road is a beautifully crafted work of unapologetically bleak post-apocalyptic literature that posits a barren, desolate future. Everything about the book feels as spare and unyielding as the world depicted within, from the small cast of characters and their lack of names to the slow-paced plot that focuses more on the characters and the landscape than on most of its events. Yet McCarthy's vision of a devastated future is entirely gripping from beginning to end, nearly impossible to put down in the same way that we are always drawn to disaster. Not for the faint of heart, the visuals are intense and beautifully painted, and the whole novel feels like it is composed of shades of gray, with little color to be found. This book is one of the best marriages of theme and form that I've ever experienced and it's incredibly well done and engrossing, to the point where it's a surprising relief to look up and notice the world around you when you've finished it.

No masterpiece but good submitted by EJZ on July 21, 2018, 1:37pm In no way is this a groundbreaking literary masterpiece, but the story works, the mood is haunting, and the prose tight. A great weekend read.

Depressing submitted by lstorc on August 27, 2018, 3:10pm This was a bleak tale that prompts a loss in the faith of humanity. It was unnecessarily made.

Hopelessness submitted by whitec on June 14, 2019, 1:12pm I loved this book but it left me with a feeling of complete hopelessness. I'm sure that was likely the authors intent with this being an apocalyptic novel though. Also, be ready for a few gruesome scenes when reading some caught me off guard.

the roaaad submitted by smr on July 25, 2021, 9:37am the roaaaad

I enjoyed this book submitted by bcartm01 on June 13, 2022, 8:01pm I agree with a previous review that says it left them with a feeling of hopelessness. Without spoiling anything, I don’t know what more there is to look forward to in the end. Read if you’re looking for a good cry.

Good book, but devastatingly sad submitted by mtebo on June 23, 2022, 9:58am I liked this book and found it to be engaging, but it absolutely gutted me. Don't read it if you don't want to read anything sad.

Something fascinating about this book submitted by clk.9123 on August 21, 2022, 3:11pm I didn't expect to like this as much as I did, given the context, darkness, very grim moments, and writing style. But, I think all of it combined created a story that focused on the important messages McCarthy was communicating, and also displayed a ravaged world that really makes a person think. The stark and listless feeling I got paired with the love between the man and the boy made the setting(s) and worldview even more bleak - despite it being somewhat hopeful, this undercurrent of humanity certainly emphasized how tragic and insane so much of what was happening, was.

Some people are bothered by McCarthy's style in this book (I haven't read anything else by him so I can't compare it directly to his other works), and I get that. But for me it added to it, because it left out the unimportant filler that I find in many other books. Also, if you think about the broken, not always fully formed thoughts that race through your own mind, I think McCarthy did an excellent job of transcribing something similar, here. It may seem mundane and repetitive, but the world around them is mundane and repetitive; it's broken, burnt, in ruins. The choppy mundane writing is a reflection of the world around them, and the focus that the characters have on just surviving and making each of their next steps.

This is definitely a book I will think about for awhile, and will have a hard time moving on from.

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PUBLISHED
New York : Vintage Books, 2006.
Year Published: 2006
Description: 287 p. ; 25 cm.
Language: English
Format: Book

READING LEVEL
Lexile: 670

ISBN/STANDARD NUMBER
0307476316
9780307387899 (softcover)
0307265439

SUBJECTS
Fathers and sons -- Fiction.
Voyages and travels -- Fiction.
Regression (Civilization) -- Fiction.
Survival skills -- Fiction.
Robinsonades.