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kimrosenfield's review
4.0
I consumed the first book Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy in record time. Knowing only a marginal amount about this book, but a bit of background about the author's style of prose, I was drawn into the rambling nature of his writing almost immediately.
This isn't the typical American Western, where there was a clear dichotomy between Good vs. Evil, Right vs. Wrong. Instead, McCarthy masterfully weaves together a narrative where there is only gray space for the characters to play in; like life, in which events occur at random and with no clear trajectory, so too do the main characters ramble in and out of a rich, colorful landscape. Death and love happen suddenly, randomly.
If you are looking for the traditional happy ending with the familiar Americana tropes and structure, I would move elsewhere. But if you are looking for a book that will suck you into the wild prairie rhythms of McCarthy's language and prose, I highly recommend it. It's poetry in narrative form, a must read American classic.
This isn't the typical American Western, where there was a clear dichotomy between Good vs. Evil, Right vs. Wrong. Instead, McCarthy masterfully weaves together a narrative where there is only gray space for the characters to play in; like life, in which events occur at random and with no clear trajectory, so too do the main characters ramble in and out of a rich, colorful landscape. Death and love happen suddenly, randomly.
If you are looking for the traditional happy ending with the familiar Americana tropes and structure, I would move elsewhere. But if you are looking for a book that will suck you into the wild prairie rhythms of McCarthy's language and prose, I highly recommend it. It's poetry in narrative form, a must read American classic.
irelandhayes's review
3.0
3.5⭐️the beginning was a bit of a struggle for me to get into, but once I picked it back up and I got about a quarter of the way through the story picked up! I just hated the dialogue not being in quotations…but overall a good story.
“He felt wholly alien to the world although he loved it still. He thought that in the beauty of the world were hid a secret.
He thought the world's heart beat at some terrible cost and that the world's pain and its beauty moved in a relationship of diverging equity and that in this headlong deficit the blood of multitudes might ultimately be exacted for the vision of a single flower.” (Love. Love. Love this quote)
“He felt wholly alien to the world although he loved it still. He thought that in the beauty of the world were hid a secret.
He thought the world's heart beat at some terrible cost and that the world's pain and its beauty moved in a relationship of diverging equity and that in this headlong deficit the blood of multitudes might ultimately be exacted for the vision of a single flower.” (Love. Love. Love this quote)
krbfleming's review
4.0
Cormac McCarthy has a unique style that I find both difficult and yet enjoyable to read. This book was a very slow read for me because of several factors; 1) there is alot of spanish dialogue and I don't read spanish well, 2) the chapters are incredibly long so when I finally finished a chapter I was reluctant to pick it up again since I knew it could be hours before I'd reach another appropriate place for a break, and 3)his style of writing breaks grammar & punctuation rules (which I like but makes reading a bit slower). Having said all that; I really enjoyed this tale. It was just so well phrased and such an interesting story. I feel like this is a book that should be required in a modern literature course. Is it?
laura_eppinger's review
4.0
I'd made it this long without ever reading Cormac McCarthy; this was a lovely read, but I am cool with this being the one book I read by this author.
For all its grit: knife fights, gunshots, murder, cauterizing wounds with a hot pistol, and terrible campfire meals in the wilderness, this is a Romance book. Nostalgic for a time that probably never was, this is about forbidden love! But it also romanticizes being a white, hale, cis-het rancher in the 1950s, and the very Imperialistic urge to run wild in Mexico with no rules or consequences. (Spoiler: there are rules and consequences.)
The sentences are so stylized they are ALMOST unreadable, and yet, a joy to read. (I've been put off reading McCarthy himself for decades because I've read so many corny young dude writers *imitating* this style, badly.)
The horses here are very very pretty indeed, and good god did this book make me want soooooooo many cups of bitter farmhouse coffee out of an enamel kettle.
4 stars for fun escapism!
For all its grit: knife fights, gunshots, murder, cauterizing wounds with a hot pistol, and terrible campfire meals in the wilderness, this is a Romance book. Nostalgic for a time that probably never was, this is about forbidden love! But it also romanticizes being a white, hale, cis-het rancher in the 1950s, and the very Imperialistic urge to run wild in Mexico with no rules or consequences. (Spoiler: there are rules and consequences.)
The sentences are so stylized they are ALMOST unreadable, and yet, a joy to read. (I've been put off reading McCarthy himself for decades because I've read so many corny young dude writers *imitating* this style, badly.)
The horses here are very very pretty indeed, and good god did this book make me want soooooooo many cups of bitter farmhouse coffee out of an enamel kettle.
4 stars for fun escapism!
meganwade's review
5.0
What a gorgeous, intense, and colorful piece of literature!
I was encapsulated by the philosophical questions and spirituality that John Grady and his friends went through at such young ages (the same ages as me!) and I fell in love with him just a little bit.
I was encapsulated by the philosophical questions and spirituality that John Grady and his friends went through at such young ages (the same ages as me!) and I fell in love with him just a little bit.
sampsa_h's review
4.0
On kääntäjäraukalla (loistava Kaijamari Sivill) taas ollut homma purkaa osiinsa ja uudelleen suomeksi rakentaa Cormac McCarthyn polveilevat ja pitkät pilkuttomat virkkeet ja silti voi tämän kirjan lukea huomaamatta koko temppua kun teksti vain soljuu ja sen rytmi on kuin hevosen laukka pitkin preeriaa ja mielikuvat seuraavat toisiaan ja sivut kääntyvät ja tunti toisensa jälkeen tarina jatkuu kiinnostavana.
Tarinassa 2020-luvulla uuskonservatiivisuuden noustessa kiinnostava mielleyhtymä tämä matkustus vanhoihin hyviin aikoihin kulkemalla (Meksikon) rajan taakse ja sieltä löytyvä pettymys. Nykyään myös jonkun verran kolonialistinen fiilis tulee meksikolaisuuden käsittelystä.
"Hän sanoi, että elämässä epäonnea kohdanneet joutuvat aina erilleen muista, mutta epäonnesta tulee heidän lahjansa ja voimansa ja heidän täytyy hakeutua takaisin ihmisten yhteisten ponnistusten pariin, sillä jos he eivät niin tee, työ ei etene ja he itse kuihtuvat katkeruuteensa."
Tarinassa 2020-luvulla uuskonservatiivisuuden noustessa kiinnostava mielleyhtymä tämä matkustus vanhoihin hyviin aikoihin kulkemalla (Meksikon) rajan taakse ja sieltä löytyvä pettymys. Nykyään myös jonkun verran kolonialistinen fiilis tulee meksikolaisuuden käsittelystä.
"Hän sanoi, että elämässä epäonnea kohdanneet joutuvat aina erilleen muista, mutta epäonnesta tulee heidän lahjansa ja voimansa ja heidän täytyy hakeutua takaisin ihmisten yhteisten ponnistusten pariin, sillä jos he eivät niin tee, työ ei etene ja he itse kuihtuvat katkeruuteensa."
persypie's review
4.0
“You think you can believe in heaven if you don’t believe in hell?”
A captivating novel that distills the heart of Texas and Mexico, the folly of youth, and the weight of the choices we make whose ripples we can never truly see the end of.
One of my favorite aspects of this novel is the seamless intermingling of Spanish and English — it really granted such an immersive experience. The rich prose that painted the landscape was a bit dense at times, but still enjoyable overall.
John Grady is a terrific character; it’s not every novel that will bring to life someone who hears hoofbeats louder than his own heartbeats. I’m not a fan of horses, but I’m seeing them in a different light now.
A harrowing coming-of-age tale that is sure to dazzle.
“The closest bonds we will ever know are the bonds of grief. The deepest community one of sorrow.”
A captivating novel that distills the heart of Texas and Mexico, the folly of youth, and the weight of the choices we make whose ripples we can never truly see the end of.
One of my favorite aspects of this novel is the seamless intermingling of Spanish and English — it really granted such an immersive experience. The rich prose that painted the landscape was a bit dense at times, but still enjoyable overall.
John Grady is a terrific character; it’s not every novel that will bring to life someone who hears hoofbeats louder than his own heartbeats. I’m not a fan of horses, but I’m seeing them in a different light now.
A harrowing coming-of-age tale that is sure to dazzle.
“The closest bonds we will ever know are the bonds of grief. The deepest community one of sorrow.”
rbembenek's review
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
saintry's review
3.0
i wanted to like this more than i actually did. the story started off SO SLOW and kind of just continued to drag on. i definitely preferred “the road” to this. in spite of it all, mccarthy uses imagery to describe the natural world in such a unique way and writes so beautifully which was the only reason i did not DNF at the beginning. once the adventure begins it gets a little easier to read but the pacing kind of killed it for me
common1's review
4.0
This first installment of McCarthy’s Border trilogy is a beautifully rendered coming of age story of a 16-year-old boy who leaves the Texas ranch where he grew up and sets out for Mexico where he finds, love, loss, the landscape, and a way to forgive himself for some of the ways his life unfolded.