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No work has ever done what this book has. This symbol is so powerful. No work has ever stepped beyond the conventional bounds of literature like The Road. Some argue that McCarthy has declared grammatical anarchy upon the English-speaking world, but his omission of commas and traditional mechanics is simply brilliant.
The Road- teeming with beautiful, almost poetic language- is destined to be remembered in literature for all time. The book leaves the reader gasping for breath at some points, as if McCarthy has managed to hit them in the stomach with a socket wrench. But this simple man's son is the last bastion of hope in this desolate earth. When reading this work, one cannot help but be deeply touched by the story of the man and his son; if the reader is not moved by this novel, then the reader has a heart of cold steel.
They can almost be tasted. There is no one in the remnants of this shattered earth who is "carrying the fire;" it is a world devoid of hope and love. It is not possible for anyone to imagine such a realm, a broken and godforsaken world, as this. However, Cormac McCarthy has done just this and has sucked the reader into his twisted, evil world. With his powerful use of symbolism, McCarthy has managed to create the most powerful novel in decades.
The words of Cormac McCarthy extend beyond the page. They can almost be heard echoed throughout the room. They are tangible. His words flow mellifluously down the pages. Laughter, tears, joy, sorrow. The boy and the man are carrying the fire. His unique writing style allows for the reader to truly grasp the meaning of the story- not be distracted by a myriad of pesky commas and quotes.
The emotion carried with this novel is simply inexpressible. The Road, set in a world without feeling, is filled to the spine with the most poignant of all human emotions. "On this road there are no godspoke men." What statement could describe the plight of the man and his son. And it is doubtful that any novel soon will.
The novel fills one's mind with vivid imagery while at the same time the plot moves forward and keeps one turning the pages. People live by scavenging, taking from others, or cannibalism.I could feel the cold, the snow, and the rain. His writing defies convention and it works. The Road pulled me in from the first few pages. I truly enjoyed the read. No sun, no animals, no crops, and no more food production.
McCarthy details the bleak world that a nuclear holocaust would leave behind.
It's main theme deals with the primal instinct of the father to save his own flesh and blood i.e.
McCarthy uses no spare words yet conveys sensory images that leave one shivering.He is an American original, deserving of the Pulitzer.
I ordered the book after McCarthy was biographed in A Great Authors documentary.
I could taste the peaches, the ham, and the biscuits.
his son.
It deals with the central question of whether morals and ethics are more important than survival in a very thought-provoking manner.
At the end of this well-written novel, McCarthy mercifully leaves the reader with a glimmer of hope.
L.W.
The Road won a Pulitzer Prize, so I knew it had to have something special about it. Father and son might have found it there and discarded it rightly as unsafe. The Road is a truly beautiful, masterful book, scarily real, emotionally draining, absorbing and haunting and sad. It has an intriguing cover though, with man and boy in a gray world in the rain, so, living in rainy Oregon as I do, I decided to give it a try and was immediately hooked: From the first bleak vista, a nameless man reaching out to check the breathing of a nameless child; through miniature scenes, each carefully crafted, no excess words to describe a dying world; through steps and details and how will you open a jar when the lid's stuck and there's no tools left in the strangers' house to grip it.; through conversations with no punctuation because the words themselves punctuate the silence; through sickness and knowing what's coming and not wanting to know--and through knowing what's gone but not wanting that either; through to the point where I know the book's going to end but I hope maybe it won't; to final, lonely, impossible satisfaction. It foreshadows everyman's last hope. A few weeks ago a jar of peaches leaked in my kitchen cupboard. Also it's being made into a film, which is probably not the best advert. McCarthy's book makes me see it again in my mind, and wonder how the rest of my stocks will fare when the world ends.
Brown sticky fluid dripped down the inside of the door into a puddle on the floor. The tin itself looked rusty, slightly blown. It deserves its prize. And I'm glad to have finally joined the ranks of those who have read and enjoyed it.
Before reading "The Road", I anticipated hating it. I was aware of the beauty of some of the passages and prose, but couldn't slow down long enough to really absorb and take it the depth (perhaps I will go back and reread it). I found myself so invested in the characters and their survival that I simply had to keep reading. However, after the first few pages, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself completely and totally immersed in this book. Either way, I was compelled to follow them down the road. Only the bleak overall tone keeps me from rating five stars.I'll leave out my summary, since there are plenty of those out there. I had heard the reviews: Bleak, depressing, literary (the type of book I usually have to force myself to finish and regret it in the end). I could not put this book down, could not stop turning the pages, even though very little happens in the way of plot or action.
Suffice it to say, "The Road" is a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and son's journey in search of survival and hope--and so much more. Let me first say that Cormac McCarthy is well-deserving of his reputation as "literary genius". Part of me longed for them to find hope and survival, part of me desired for them to be released from their pain and suffering. A must-read.
in this genre (post apocalipse). The end is just beautiful. I'd recommend it to any one who has the heart and stomach for a sometimes very dark book.
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