The Road by Cormac McCarthy

[Nossa]

I watched it on YouTube. It's divided into 7 or 8 parts I guess. Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNuc3sxzlyQ&feature=user

That's just one part of the Oprah interview. You can find the rest on the left side of the page. If you click on either the name of the user (it's CrazyMeds) or if you clicked on Related Vidoes, and scrolled down and then clicked on See all 40 Vidoes, you'll hopefully fine the rest of the interview.

[barbara0207]

Thanks, Nossa, that works.

[Nossa]

You're welcome! Glad I could help

[Seabird111]

Why is it that McCarthy does that in all of his books?

But I'll definitely have to read it now.

[barbara0207]

Why is it that McCarthy does that in all of his books?

Does what in all of his books?

[Sancho]

Initially, I sort of enjoyed this book. But after setting it aside and thinking about it for a few months, I’ve revised my opinion: I think it’s a sub-par sci-fi novel by a so-called serious writer.

Lucifer’s Hammer by Larry Niven and The Stand by Stephen King are better post-apocalyptic novels.

Lo siento mucho, solo es me opinion.

Swing and a miss by Oprah on this one.

[Joreads]

Thanks for the link, Joreads. It didn't work for me, however. Do you have to be a member of the site?

Sorry only just saw this. The link worked for me but as you say I am a member of the site. Maybe if you go to Oprah.com you could find it from there under the book club link??

[barbara0207]

Sorry only just saw this. The link worked for me but as you say I am a member of the site. Maybe if you go to Oprah.com you could find it from there under the book club link??

Thanks, Jo, Nossa helped with a link so I could see the interview.

[Seabird111]

Does what in all of his books?

Refuses to use quotation marks and apostrophes.

[fb0252]

"All The Pretty Horses" was enough C. McCarthy in one lifetime for me. "bored to tears" may slightly exaggerate my reaction.. I'm misreading the thread, surely, in seeing the words McCarthy and Shakespeare in the same sentence.

[Sendai]

Thanks for that Barbara. I loved The Road. I agree, it is not a dystopia. [/url]

Er, I beg to differ. Even by the very nebulous definition of "dystopia" The Road fits the criteria good enough. It's not even an argument over context or setting as the environment - something very bad happened in the world that caused society to collapse, forcing the various characters to go about their lives in a wretched, perverse, and miserable existence.

I can't recall a better novel about a father/son relationship ever. The son is a boy and the pressure of survival really heightens the relationship in my opinion. The writing is spare and yes poetic.

Meh, you should read Shakespear's Hamlet instead. It explores the father/son aspect so much more intimately and is more revealing of the Freudian virtues of men before Sigfried was even a wet glint. The writing isn't "spare" but it's actually poetic and not so minimalist; which McCarthy should be knocked for, not praised. But why not? It works for his books.

Personally, I always thought minimalism in literature was a way of hiding lack of ability...but McCarthy uses it as a strength. Two simple people simply trying to survive a world simply turned dystopian (and it is a dystopian world) against simply incalculable cruelties. Sounds simple enough, eh?

I'll admit, I really didn't care for the book. McCarthy did a fine job exploring the father-son relationship, but he really didn't draw any conclusions from it. "oh, but it's up to the reader to decide". Then what is the author's point in writing the book? What idea is he exploring? Is it just the father-son relationship? I wouldn't think so, because there is the rest of the bleak themes for the characters to explore. Where do you draw the line with the author being literally minimal as a writing style and simply being lazy with his writing?

[Paulclem]

I finished this book today on the bus to work. I read most of it on the bus as it is a quick read. It is stylistically similar to Kurt Vonnegut as McCarthy presents us with a series of ashen and desolate vignettes of the road trip of a man and his son towards the US coast.

It is a depressing read in some respects as it details the grim downward spiral of humanity in the wake of a post apocalyptic world. You never find out the cause of the disaster – though it could be nuclear – and this ignorance of the wider world mimics the experience the Man and his Son in their desolation.

There is horror in the book, though this too is kept to a de-populated minimum. There are simply too few people left for an elaborate gorefest. Instead you have a relentless, solitary journey through an ashen land punctuated by the violence of desperation.

Much of the book details the solitude, cold and hunger of the two, and their constant efforts to find food and water. Conversation between the two is stark. McCarthy clearly wants to reflect the psychological denuding of hopes and dreams. Stories become a thing of the past, as the happy endings merely serve to highlight the improbability of any comfortable outcome. The only story is the outcome of their grim trip, and the uncertainty of any kind of happiness.

The redemptive ending is also a sparse affair, though it hints at ancient mystery. I enjoyed the relentless description employed by McCarthy, and the real moral dilemmas posed by the situation of the survivors.

[Wilde woman]

I finally got around to reading this one, admittedly because I saw the movie recently. I was surprised by how much I liked the movie, despite its gritty and utterly devastating feel, but the book is another experience entirely. Usually, I don't like authors who write with such a minimalist style or lack of punctuation. But McCarthy's style fitted his subject matter perfectly. The bare snippets of dialogue were surprisingly poignant and even though McCarthy doesn't give us much description, I came away with a very vivid impression of what this post-apocalyptic world looked and felt like. (I liked the fact that there was "winter", but no other seasons to follow it.) Though the story is told mostly from the the father's point of view, I found myself sometimes siding with the son's perspective, and at other times I was torn.

Was anyone else puzzled/intrigued by the dream sequences? Esp. the beginning and ending of the novel? I personally think the novel is littered with Christian imagery, since one of the novel's main themes is faith. But perhaps the most enduring image for me was of the boy "carrying the fire"...for me, that brought to mind Prometheus, giving mankind hope.

Finally, I checked out the video interview that Joreads posted here. It's very sweet that McCarthy considers this book a "sort of" love song to his son. And I can see how being in El Paso at night would inspire a such a bleak vision.

All in all, a brilliant and heartrending read.

[Virgil]

I didn't realize the movie came out. I had been waiting for it. I will have to see if I can rent it.

[qimissung]

I agree completely with Wilde woman. The movie is outstanding. I think it lasted about two minutes, Virgil, which is why we missed it. I was looking for it and still missed it.