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stanley_graeber's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
artsy_typea's review against another edition
I struggled through the first two chapters, not sure if it was the style or something else, but I just couldn’t see myself finishing this book.
trve_zach's review against another edition
Right away McCarthy presents mystery on top of mystery, one earthly the other spiritual. A plane crashes into the Gulf of Mexico and a passenger and flight info are missing. Enter Bobby Western who works the site for salvage and gets wrapped up in the conspiracy of what’s not there.
In tandem with this is a woman, Western’s sister (who we know to by dead from suicide), who is in an unknown location/room being lectured at by a mystery creature with very strange friends. We are made to wonder the purpose of these scenes right away. Is she locked away literally or figuratively? Is she schizophrenic and these her hallucinations (eventually, this is confirmed). Is this what’s driving her obsessive need to calculate, to die? These scenes are fairly impenetrable, pedantic, and slow —her need to make sense of a senseless world. That said, the way Cormac is able to slowly lead you to an understanding of her mental illness before fully confirming it is pretty neat.
The first 60-80 pages are slow. I found myself wondering if I was in the hands of a master or in the hands of a former master struggling get it back, and this is a feeling that I would totter between for the entire novel.
As the narrative progresses Western goes on the run after he notices that he’s being tracked by the government or, at least, by some shadow organization. While doing this, he has various run-ins with friends and family.
Mostly, through these run-ins, we come to learn that he’s running from the death of his sister, trying to outpace his feelings/mourning for her, the love of his life in every way imaginable. He struggles with how we slowly, terribly begin to forget those who are dead, even those closest to us, and everything verges on meaningless interaction/action, but Western ultimately elevates his sorrow to levels of transcendence…showing the collective nature of pain. This version of communal understanding and belief opens the novel up to more than just nihilistic uncertainty.
It’s very much a book wrestling with loneliness, suffering, death/impermanence of life, but also of the singularity of joy and the inherently dark nature of intelligence and its applications.
[Review copy provided by AA Knopf]
Here’s a bunch of great quotes from the book:
“You believe that the loss of those you loved has absolved you of all else.” (116)
“A few more years and his grandmother would be gone and the property would be sold and he would never come here again. The time would come when all memory of this place and these people would be stricken from the register of the world.” (177)
“People want to be reimbursed for their pain. They seldom are.” (289)
All of 298.
“We would hardly wish to know ourselves again as once we were and yet we mourn the days.” (310)
“Suffering is a part of the human condition and must be borne. But misery is a choice.” (348)
“I suppose in the end what we have to offer is only what we’ve lost.” (376)
Merged review:
Right away McCarthy presents mystery on top of mystery, one earthly the other spiritual. A plane crashes into the Gulf of Mexico and a passenger and flight info are missing. Enter Bobby Western who works the site for salvage and gets wrapped up in the conspiracy of what’s not there.
In tandem with this is a woman, Western’s sister (who we know to by dead from suicide), who is in an unknown location/room being lectured at by a mystery creature with very strange friends. We are made to wonder the purpose of these scenes right away. Is she locked away literally or figuratively? Is she schizophrenic and these her hallucinations (eventually, this is confirmed). Is this what’s driving her obsessive need to calculate, to die? These scenes are fairly impenetrable, pedantic, and slow —her need to make sense of a senseless world. That said, the way Cormac is able to slowly lead you to an understanding of her mental illness before fully confirming it is pretty neat.
The first 60-80 pages are slow. I found myself wondering if I was in the hands of a master or in the hands of a former master struggling get it back, and this is a feeling that I would totter between for the entire novel.
As the narrative progresses Western goes on the run after he notices that he’s being tracked by the government or, at least, by some shadow organization. While doing this, he has various run-ins with friends and family.
Mostly, through these run-ins, we come to learn that he’s running from the death of his sister, trying to outpace his feelings/mourning for her, the love of his life in every way imaginable. He struggles with how we slowly, terribly begin to forget those who are dead, even those closest to us, and everything verges on meaningless interaction/action, but Western ultimately elevates his sorrow to levels of transcendence…showing the collective nature of pain. This version of communal understanding and belief opens the novel up to more than just nihilistic uncertainty.
It’s very much a book wrestling with loneliness, suffering, death/impermanence of life, but also of the singularity of joy and the inherently dark nature of intelligence and its applications.
[Review copy provided by AA Knopf]
Here’s a bunch of great quotes from the book:
“You believe that the loss of those you loved has absolved you of all else.” (116)
“A few more years and his grandmother would be gone and the property would be sold and he would never come here again. The time would come when all memory of this place and these people would be stricken from the register of the world.” (177)
“People want to be reimbursed for their pain. They seldom are.” (289)
All of 298.
“We would hardly wish to know ourselves again as once we were and yet we mourn the days.” (310)
“Suffering is a part of the human condition and must be borne. But misery is a choice.” (348)
“I suppose in the end what we have to offer is only what we’ve lost.” (376)
Merged review:
Right away McCarthy presents mystery on top of mystery, one earthly the other spiritual. A plane crashes into the Gulf of Mexico and a passenger and flight info are missing. Enter Bobby Western who works the site for salvage and gets wrapped up in the conspiracy of what’s not there.
In tandem with this is a woman, Western’s sister (who we know to by dead from suicide), who is in an unknown location/room being lectured at by a mystery creature with very strange friends. We are made to wonder the purpose of these scenes right away. Is she locked away literally or figuratively? Is she schizophrenic and these her hallucinations (eventually, this is confirmed). Is this what’s driving her obsessive need to calculate, to die? These scenes are fairly impenetrable, pedantic, and slow —her need to make sense of a senseless world. That said, the way Cormac is able to slowly lead you to an understanding of her mental illness before fully confirming it is pretty neat.
The first 60-80 pages are slow. I found myself wondering if I was in the hands of a master or in the hands of a former master struggling get it back, and this is a feeling that I would totter between for the entire novel.
As the narrative progresses Western goes on the run after he notices that he’s being tracked by the government or, at least, by some shadow organization. While doing this, he has various run-ins with friends and family.
Mostly, through these run-ins, we come to learn that he’s running from the death of his sister, trying to outpace his feelings/mourning for her, the love of his life in every way imaginable. He struggles with how we slowly, terribly begin to forget those who are dead, even those closest to us, and everything verges on meaningless interaction/action, but Western ultimately elevates his sorrow to levels of transcendence…showing the collective nature of pain. This version of communal understanding and belief opens the novel up to more than just nihilistic uncertainty.
It’s very much a book wrestling with loneliness, suffering, death/impermanence of life, but also of the singularity of joy and the inherently dark nature of intelligence and its applications.
[Review copy provided by AA Knopf]
Here’s a bunch of great quotes from the book:
“You believe that the loss of those you loved has absolved you of all else.” (116)
“A few more years and his grandmother would be gone and the property would be sold and he would never come here again. The time would come when all memory of this place and these people would be stricken from the register of the world.” (177)
“People want to be reimbursed for their pain. They seldom are.” (289)
All of 298.
“We would hardly wish to know ourselves again as once we were and yet we mourn the days.” (310)
“Suffering is a part of the human condition and must be borne. But misery is a choice.” (348)
“I suppose in the end what we have to offer is only what we’ve lost.” (376)
In tandem with this is a woman, Western’s sister (who we know to by dead from suicide), who is in an unknown location/room being lectured at by a mystery creature with very strange friends. We are made to wonder the purpose of these scenes right away. Is she locked away literally or figuratively? Is she schizophrenic and these her hallucinations (eventually, this is confirmed). Is this what’s driving her obsessive need to calculate, to die? These scenes are fairly impenetrable, pedantic, and slow —her need to make sense of a senseless world. That said, the way Cormac is able to slowly lead you to an understanding of her mental illness before fully confirming it is pretty neat.
The first 60-80 pages are slow. I found myself wondering if I was in the hands of a master or in the hands of a former master struggling get it back, and this is a feeling that I would totter between for the entire novel.
As the narrative progresses Western goes on the run after he notices that he’s being tracked by the government or, at least, by some shadow organization. While doing this, he has various run-ins with friends and family.
Mostly, through these run-ins, we come to learn that he’s running from the death of his sister, trying to outpace his feelings/mourning for her, the love of his life in every way imaginable. He struggles with how we slowly, terribly begin to forget those who are dead, even those closest to us, and everything verges on meaningless interaction/action, but Western ultimately elevates his sorrow to levels of transcendence…showing the collective nature of pain. This version of communal understanding and belief opens the novel up to more than just nihilistic uncertainty.
It’s very much a book wrestling with loneliness, suffering, death/impermanence of life, but also of the singularity of joy and the inherently dark nature of intelligence and its applications.
[Review copy provided by AA Knopf]
Here’s a bunch of great quotes from the book:
“You believe that the loss of those you loved has absolved you of all else.” (116)
“A few more years and his grandmother would be gone and the property would be sold and he would never come here again. The time would come when all memory of this place and these people would be stricken from the register of the world.” (177)
“People want to be reimbursed for their pain. They seldom are.” (289)
All of 298.
“We would hardly wish to know ourselves again as once we were and yet we mourn the days.” (310)
“Suffering is a part of the human condition and must be borne. But misery is a choice.” (348)
“I suppose in the end what we have to offer is only what we’ve lost.” (376)
Merged review:
Right away McCarthy presents mystery on top of mystery, one earthly the other spiritual. A plane crashes into the Gulf of Mexico and a passenger and flight info are missing. Enter Bobby Western who works the site for salvage and gets wrapped up in the conspiracy of what’s not there.
In tandem with this is a woman, Western’s sister (who we know to by dead from suicide), who is in an unknown location/room being lectured at by a mystery creature with very strange friends. We are made to wonder the purpose of these scenes right away. Is she locked away literally or figuratively? Is she schizophrenic and these her hallucinations (eventually, this is confirmed). Is this what’s driving her obsessive need to calculate, to die? These scenes are fairly impenetrable, pedantic, and slow —her need to make sense of a senseless world. That said, the way Cormac is able to slowly lead you to an understanding of her mental illness before fully confirming it is pretty neat.
The first 60-80 pages are slow. I found myself wondering if I was in the hands of a master or in the hands of a former master struggling get it back, and this is a feeling that I would totter between for the entire novel.
As the narrative progresses Western goes on the run after he notices that he’s being tracked by the government or, at least, by some shadow organization. While doing this, he has various run-ins with friends and family.
Mostly, through these run-ins, we come to learn that he’s running from the death of his sister, trying to outpace his feelings/mourning for her, the love of his life in every way imaginable. He struggles with how we slowly, terribly begin to forget those who are dead, even those closest to us, and everything verges on meaningless interaction/action, but Western ultimately elevates his sorrow to levels of transcendence…showing the collective nature of pain. This version of communal understanding and belief opens the novel up to more than just nihilistic uncertainty.
It’s very much a book wrestling with loneliness, suffering, death/impermanence of life, but also of the singularity of joy and the inherently dark nature of intelligence and its applications.
[Review copy provided by AA Knopf]
Here’s a bunch of great quotes from the book:
“You believe that the loss of those you loved has absolved you of all else.” (116)
“A few more years and his grandmother would be gone and the property would be sold and he would never come here again. The time would come when all memory of this place and these people would be stricken from the register of the world.” (177)
“People want to be reimbursed for their pain. They seldom are.” (289)
All of 298.
“We would hardly wish to know ourselves again as once we were and yet we mourn the days.” (310)
“Suffering is a part of the human condition and must be borne. But misery is a choice.” (348)
“I suppose in the end what we have to offer is only what we’ve lost.” (376)
Merged review:
Right away McCarthy presents mystery on top of mystery, one earthly the other spiritual. A plane crashes into the Gulf of Mexico and a passenger and flight info are missing. Enter Bobby Western who works the site for salvage and gets wrapped up in the conspiracy of what’s not there.
In tandem with this is a woman, Western’s sister (who we know to by dead from suicide), who is in an unknown location/room being lectured at by a mystery creature with very strange friends. We are made to wonder the purpose of these scenes right away. Is she locked away literally or figuratively? Is she schizophrenic and these her hallucinations (eventually, this is confirmed). Is this what’s driving her obsessive need to calculate, to die? These scenes are fairly impenetrable, pedantic, and slow —her need to make sense of a senseless world. That said, the way Cormac is able to slowly lead you to an understanding of her mental illness before fully confirming it is pretty neat.
The first 60-80 pages are slow. I found myself wondering if I was in the hands of a master or in the hands of a former master struggling get it back, and this is a feeling that I would totter between for the entire novel.
As the narrative progresses Western goes on the run after he notices that he’s being tracked by the government or, at least, by some shadow organization. While doing this, he has various run-ins with friends and family.
Mostly, through these run-ins, we come to learn that he’s running from the death of his sister, trying to outpace his feelings/mourning for her, the love of his life in every way imaginable. He struggles with how we slowly, terribly begin to forget those who are dead, even those closest to us, and everything verges on meaningless interaction/action, but Western ultimately elevates his sorrow to levels of transcendence…showing the collective nature of pain. This version of communal understanding and belief opens the novel up to more than just nihilistic uncertainty.
It’s very much a book wrestling with loneliness, suffering, death/impermanence of life, but also of the singularity of joy and the inherently dark nature of intelligence and its applications.
[Review copy provided by AA Knopf]
Here’s a bunch of great quotes from the book:
“You believe that the loss of those you loved has absolved you of all else.” (116)
“A few more years and his grandmother would be gone and the property would be sold and he would never come here again. The time would come when all memory of this place and these people would be stricken from the register of the world.” (177)
“People want to be reimbursed for their pain. They seldom are.” (289)
All of 298.
“We would hardly wish to know ourselves again as once we were and yet we mourn the days.” (310)
“Suffering is a part of the human condition and must be borne. But misery is a choice.” (348)
“I suppose in the end what we have to offer is only what we’ve lost.” (376)
bobmcbobson's review against another edition
2.0
I literally did not understand this book in the slightest. Furthermore, I'm convinced that the people who have given this a 5-star review either did so because they thought it would make them seem smarter than other readers or because it's a Cormac McCarthy book and he can do no wrong.
Allow to me correct the record: he can do very, very wrong. This is a rambling novel completely devoid of narrative focus. We open with the main character, Western, working as a salvage diver who comes across a mystery while investigating a plane that crashed in the water. He is visited exactly once by people who want to know more information about the dive, and then that mystery is completely abandoned, never to be mentioned again. He goes on a lengthy road trip only to return back home. He has legal issues of mysterious origin and nothing happens there. There's a 4 page blurb about JFK's assassination for some reason?? All of this interspersed with interludes about a deceased family member that Wester is grieving.
Credit where credit is due; there are paragraphs in this book of incredible prose. Sentences I had to read multiple times because they were so beautifully crafted. That is McCarthy's signature talent. But, a handful of gorgeous writing cannot save this story from itself unfortunately.
Allow to me correct the record: he can do very, very wrong. This is a rambling novel completely devoid of narrative focus. We open with the main character, Western, working as a salvage diver who comes across a mystery while investigating a plane that crashed in the water. He is visited exactly once by people who want to know more information about the dive, and then that mystery is completely abandoned, never to be mentioned again. He goes on a lengthy road trip only to return back home. He has legal issues of mysterious origin and nothing happens there. There's a 4 page blurb about JFK's assassination for some reason?? All of this interspersed with interludes about a deceased family member that Wester is grieving.
Credit where credit is due; there are paragraphs in this book of incredible prose. Sentences I had to read multiple times because they were so beautifully crafted. That is McCarthy's signature talent. But, a handful of gorgeous writing cannot save this story from itself unfortunately.
bremode's review against another edition
3.0
I think this is the saddest book I've ever read, but that's not the reason for my low rating. It was so hard to follow, and I had to immediately consult summaries upon finishing. Someone noted it wasn't really a story at all, but more so tellings of a troubled person. The grief in this book was palpable, though. Unsure if all of McCarthy's books are written in this style, but I'll likely stay away from his works to avoid more reading pain.
Merged review:
I think this is the saddest book I've ever read, but that's not the reason for my low rating. It was so hard to follow, and I had to immediately consult summaries upon finishing. Someone noted it wasn't really a story at all, but more so tellings of a troubled person. The grief in this book was palpable, though. Unsure if all of McCarthy's books are written in this style, but I'll likely stay away from his works to avoid more reading pain.
Merged review:
I think this is the saddest book I've ever read, but that's not the reason for my low rating. It was so hard to follow, and I had to immediately consult summaries upon finishing. Someone noted it wasn't really a story at all, but more so tellings of a troubled person. The grief in this book was palpable, though. Unsure if all of McCarthy's books are written in this style, but I'll likely stay away from his works to avoid more reading pain.
Merged review:
I think this is the saddest book I've ever read, but that's not the reason for my low rating. It was so hard to follow, and I had to immediately consult summaries upon finishing. Someone noted it wasn't really a story at all, but more so tellings of a troubled person. The grief in this book was palpable, though. Unsure if all of McCarthy's books are written in this style, but I'll likely stay away from his works to avoid more reading pain.
Merged review:
I think this is the saddest book I've ever read, but that's not the reason for my low rating. It was so hard to follow, and I had to immediately consult summaries upon finishing. Someone noted it wasn't really a story at all, but more so tellings of a troubled person. The grief in this book was palpable, though. Unsure if all of McCarthy's books are written in this style, but I'll likely stay away from his works to avoid more reading pain.
krj's review against another edition
2.0
I couldn’t do it. 200 pages in and I can’t force myself to read another 200. This is a bad book that couches itself in philosophical sounding dialogues to hint at a depth that just isn’t there. Reading it feels less like a deep sea salvage operation with our protagonist Bobby Western and more like panning for gold in a shallow stream. And this vein is mostly dried up, but there’s enough pyrite to fool those who are overeager to find anything. Maybe there is gold at the end of this stream, but there are more fruitful veins out there and I’m leaving this one behind.
Merged review:
I couldn’t do it. 200 pages in and I can’t force myself to read another 200. This is a bad book that couches itself in philosophical sounding dialogues to hint at a depth that just isn’t there. Reading it feels less like a deep sea salvage operation with our protagonist Bobby Western and more like panning for gold in a shallow stream. And this vein is mostly dried up, but there’s enough pyrite to fool those who are overeager to find anything. Maybe there is gold at the end of this stream, but there are more fruitful veins out there and I’m leaving this one behind.
Merged review:
I couldn’t do it. 200 pages in and I can’t force myself to read another 200. This is a bad book that couches itself in philosophical sounding dialogues to hint at a depth that just isn’t there. Reading it feels less like a deep sea salvage operation with our protagonist Bobby Western and more like panning for gold in a shallow stream. And this vein is mostly dried up, but there’s enough pyrite to fool those who are overeager to find anything. Maybe there is gold at the end of this stream, but there are more fruitful veins out there and I’m leaving this one behind.
Merged review:
I couldn’t do it. 200 pages in and I can’t force myself to read another 200. This is a bad book that couches itself in philosophical sounding dialogues to hint at a depth that just isn’t there. Reading it feels less like a deep sea salvage operation with our protagonist Bobby Western and more like panning for gold in a shallow stream. And this vein is mostly dried up, but there’s enough pyrite to fool those who are overeager to find anything. Maybe there is gold at the end of this stream, but there are more fruitful veins out there and I’m leaving this one behind.
Merged review:
I couldn’t do it. 200 pages in and I can’t force myself to read another 200. This is a bad book that couches itself in philosophical sounding dialogues to hint at a depth that just isn’t there. Reading it feels less like a deep sea salvage operation with our protagonist Bobby Western and more like panning for gold in a shallow stream. And this vein is mostly dried up, but there’s enough pyrite to fool those who are overeager to find anything. Maybe there is gold at the end of this stream, but there are more fruitful veins out there and I’m leaving this one behind.
Merged review:
I couldn’t do it. 200 pages in and I can’t force myself to read another 200. This is a bad book that couches itself in philosophical sounding dialogues to hint at a depth that just isn’t there. Reading it feels less like a deep sea salvage operation with our protagonist Bobby Western and more like panning for gold in a shallow stream. And this vein is mostly dried up, but there’s enough pyrite to fool those who are overeager to find anything. Maybe there is gold at the end of this stream, but there are more fruitful veins out there and I’m leaving this one behind.
Merged review:
I couldn’t do it. 200 pages in and I can’t force myself to read another 200. This is a bad book that couches itself in philosophical sounding dialogues to hint at a depth that just isn’t there. Reading it feels less like a deep sea salvage operation with our protagonist Bobby Western and more like panning for gold in a shallow stream. And this vein is mostly dried up, but there’s enough pyrite to fool those who are overeager to find anything. Maybe there is gold at the end of this stream, but there are more fruitful veins out there and I’m leaving this one behind.
Merged review:
I couldn’t do it. 200 pages in and I can’t force myself to read another 200. This is a bad book that couches itself in philosophical sounding dialogues to hint at a depth that just isn’t there. Reading it feels less like a deep sea salvage operation with our protagonist Bobby Western and more like panning for gold in a shallow stream. And this vein is mostly dried up, but there’s enough pyrite to fool those who are overeager to find anything. Maybe there is gold at the end of this stream, but there are more fruitful veins out there and I’m leaving this one behind.
Merged review:
I couldn’t do it. 200 pages in and I can’t force myself to read another 200. This is a bad book that couches itself in philosophical sounding dialogues to hint at a depth that just isn’t there. Reading it feels less like a deep sea salvage operation with our protagonist Bobby Western and more like panning for gold in a shallow stream. And this vein is mostly dried up, but there’s enough pyrite to fool those who are overeager to find anything. Maybe there is gold at the end of this stream, but there are more fruitful veins out there and I’m leaving this one behind.
amypotter's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0