Cormac McCarthy: A hard read or just takes getting used to?

[GRColin]

Now either The Road is a hard read or McCarthy's writing style just takes some getting used to but either way I found myself rereading the same paragraph twice every now and then. I was at Barnes and Noble and decided to read a few pages of The Road. Oddly enough, despite this, it really grabbed me and I want to go pick it up now. Has anyone else felt like it was a hard read or took some getting used to? Are his other novels written in the same style?

I'd like to think I'm capable of reading his works and it's just the style of writing that I need to become more familiar with.

 

[CharlieKane]

You may want to ease your way in with some of his lighter fare, like Blood Meridian. You could probably pin it down pretty good in one sitting at your local Borders.

 

[blobbohen]

You've got yourself a hell of a read there, my friend. McCarthy uses a writing style that you definitely have to adjust to since its full of techniques like fragmentation, stream of consciousness, and a bevy of other literary devices. Many of his other books and even a couple plays are written in much the same Faulknerian way except that they're much more tricky to follow. Though its my least favorite of McCarthy's corpus The Road is definitely a great place to start if you're looking to check out any of his other works. I'd recommend Child of God if you're up for something really strange.

And really quick I'll warn you against the little pitfall just set by CharlieKane (nice try, dude). Blood Meridian, which is getting its own movie treatment apparently, is the longest and most brutal novel penned by McCarthy. The book is totally metal and one of the most violent things you will ever read. Definitely worth checking out if you've got the time and the stomach.

Glad to see someone else enjoying some epic reading.

 

[Bretimus_v2]

You've got yourself a hell of a read there, my friend. McCarthy uses a writing style that you definitely have to adjust to since its full of techniques like fragmentation, stream of consciousness, and a bevy of other literary devices.

What he said, they're usually good books although a little hard at times.

 

[MikeyVassallo]

I actually find McCarthy's stuff pretty easy...

 

[used44]

Yeah, the only thing easier than reading stream-of-consciousness is writing stream-of-consciousness. If you're having trouble reading The Road, then you're likely some sort of Canadian moron.

The only other McCarthy book I've read is No Country for Old Men and it basically read like a screenplay (which is possibly one reason it made for a good film). You'd like it though, Colin. It has illegal immigrants in it.

 

[keepithowitis]

^Hahaha.

 

[GRColin]

Then it's just likely that I'm not used that writing style. It isn't that it was hard to grasp what he was saying, actually it was quite the opposite - The style just seemed...Odd to me and something entirely different than than what I'm used to. I would reread parts of it because some of the thoughts or sentences felt incomplete...If that's the wright word. But at the same time I absolutely loved it.

Then again, I'm not as enlightened as Stal is . I usually read Hemingway if I were to have one author I regularly read. If not him then it's either a book on true crime - Not the cheesy book of the week about some marriage gone bad by a closet murderer but investigative ones about the criminal psyche or criminal profiling or some non fiction.

Come to think of it, I don't read near as much as I should anymore.

 

[GRColin]

Well I received "The Road" for Christmas and yeah it isn't a hard read at all. Like I suspected, it was just a matter of getting used to the style of writing.

 

[Bretimus_v2]

So what did you think?

 

[telefono]

Is it any good? Seems interesting

 

[GRColin]

I haven't read it yet. I skimmed through it. I started reading "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" first.

What I have read though is very interesting. Very bleak but a lot of love went into the characters.

 

[TheZoomZoomKid]

Solider through it. If you've gone through the Canadian school system then you're read books are that are way harder to read than Cormac McCarthy.

 

[GRColin]

Solider through it. If you've gone through the Canadian school system then you're read books are that are way harder to read than Cormac McCarthy.

Truth!

 

[TheDiesel]

I'm in need of a good book. May pick this up the next time I run into a B&N.

 

[TheZoomZoomKid]

jesus, i shouldld espell check morre

 

[ol_dirty_bastard]

Solider through it. If you've gone through the Canadian school system then you're read books are that are way harder to read than Cormac McCarthy.

robertson davies blows

 

[GRColin]

Solider through it. If you've gone through the Canadian school system then you're read books are that are way harder to read than Cormac McCarthy.

robertson davies blows

Try Timothy Findley. Blegh. Makes me never want to read again. Although I last attempted to read his stuff 11 years ago so it may be worth checking out now.

 

[ol_dirty_bastard]

Solider through it. If you've gone through the Canadian school system then you're read books are that are way harder to read than Cormac McCarthy.

robertson davies blows

Try Timothy Findley. Blegh. Makes me never want to read again. Although I last attempted to read his stuff 11 years ago so it may be worth checking out now.

did he write "Tin Flute"?
that book sucked

 

[TheZoomZoomKid]

I had to read Pale Fire. That was the most ridiculous I've ever read.