My favorite book ever. "I knew that courage came with less struggle for some than for others but I believed that anyone who desired it could have it. That the desire was the thing itself. The thing itself. I could think of nothing else of which that was true."
I read this for the first time early last month. It was my first McCarthy, and I plan to begin reading ‘The Crossing’ in August. The thing that struck me within the first 100 pages or so was how much I was able to see in my mind’s eye compared to how little McCarthy actually put on the page. The economy of words was incredible. An absolute masterclass of prose. The story itself didn’t leave me blown away by the time I finished the last page, but a month later I’m thinking about it far more than the 3 other books I read last month. Definitely excited for more McCarthy
I just finished it a few days ago. My first Cormac McCarthy novel. I was blown away. I never knew a novel that had so much poetry in it, and it hit home because I grew up in Coahuila and the landscapes so vividly described are natural to me.
The trilogy is my favorite piece of media ever. I think it's an absolute masterpiece. The Crossing is my favorite, but ATPH is right behind it. What a damn trilogy of books!
I would call myself a committed, but "casual" reader. I have been tempted by McCarthy novels in the past, but have always been intimidated by the writing style, as I don't have a literary background. I have just binged most of your content, and you have convinced me to dive into McCarthy, and have just purchased All The Pretty Horses. Looking forward to you future videos!
Awesome channel my man. I am loading my goodreads with your recommendations. I cant wait to get through this trilogy as my first go into Cormac. I've also got Fumes queued up as well!
One of the best American novels, the entire trilogy is so powerful and fulfilling to read! I think Cities of the Plain might be my fav out of the three!
McCarthy (because he's in that school of William Faulkner) reads like the anti-Hemingway... Instead of short easy prose (like Hemingway), it's filled with long biblical styled sentences filled with huge vocabulary.
I recently discovered your chanel and I love the way you talk about books!! You could be my best pall!! I'm not American, I'm a European booklover (Belgian) and I do wonder if you guys (on that other side of the world) know any Belgian or Dutch authors, cause we do have some good ones!! If you want I could send you some names and hope they're translated (I'm sure/hope some of them are!) And if not Belgian or Dutch, how about an episode on European writers? 🙂
@@williampdozier Oh so nice!! Ok, this is a very quick and briefly pick on some of my favorite authors and (for me) their best books... Belgian : - Jeroen Olyslaegers "Will" - Jef Geeraets "Black Venus" and looked for other Belgian authors, but not translated... what a shame... Dutch : - Arthur Japin "Surrender" (please look for this one!!!) - Connie Palmen "The laws" or "The Friendship" Spanish : - Almudena Grandes "The Frozen Heart" Lets just see how far you get with these ones... good luck! 🙏Hope you can find them cause each one is a pearl! ❤
I’m reading it right now. At times I seem to have trouble following who’s speaking through the text. I wonder if the author intends to confuse the reader at times where he could of made it easier to comprehend?
I never read books where authors won't use quotation marks for dialogue. It's a writing style that drives me up the wall and I can't get past it. Cormac McCarthy does this, and I just can't get on board, personally. Perhaps if I listened to audio books, I'd give him a try.
On one level, the lack of attribution tags (that's what they're called in the business) in the dialogue is meant to slow you down as a reader and make you imagine the scene where the characters are talking. McCarthy wants your total engagement in the physicality of the situation where the characters are talking. Of course, this is a hardline stance to take as a writer, but McCarthy was very much a hardliner who made few compromises in how he wanted his books read. He wants to elevate your imagination to another plane that's purified of artifice. When you hear people talking in real life, there is no John Grady said, or Blevins said. The words are just spoken. McCarthy would have said he was just trying for verisimilitude, but really it's a means to demand that you imagine the scene more closely. A gambit McCarthy relished in making.
There’s always one and today it’s going to be me. Yes, I know Cormac McCarthy is considered to be one of the greatest writers ever and has received a host of literary honours. I know that ATPH is “one of the greatest American novels of this or any time” mainly because it’s written in thumping great letters all over the front cover of my copy. And none of this changes the fact that it’s a wholly unremarkable book. The story is over-long, rambling and has a make-it-up-as-you-go-along feel to it, much like McCarthy’s interminable sentences. The first half was so slow and directionless that I nearly gave up but fortunately the pace picked up in the second half even if the events were improbable. I DETEST that silly modernist affectation of not punctuating sentences properly. It’s not clever. It’s lazy, contrived and pretentious and just makes for a difficult and frustrating read. After a struggle I made it to the end but after only a few days I was struggling to recall much about the plot, the characters or the writing. I put as much effort into reading it as I have into thousands of other books, but despite this I couldn’t find any significant theme, message or much else in it. This was my first Cormac McCarthy and I suspect my last simply because nothing here interested me enough to explore his work any further. And I know that my opinion counts for nothing and he will continue to be acclaimed as one of the greatest writers in the history of…whatever. All I can say is that despite all the gushing praise and plaudits I found it about as hackneyed and insubstantial as a dime store pulp Western, though not as entertaining. So if, like me, this very average book left you similarly underwhelmed then you might be in a minority but you aren’t alone.
I'm reading this currently and, unfortunately, am not as entranced by it. Probably does not help that I read Blood Meridian before this but it's just not holding as much merit as it.
@@autisticandproudsnephew3636 Oh, okay, I didn't remember reading any explanation in the book, but it was a lingering question for me. I assumed it was someone connected to Alejandra. Thank you!
My favorite book ever. "I knew that courage came with less struggle for some than for others but I believed that anyone who desired it could have it. That the desire was the thing itself. The thing itself. I could think of nothing else of which that was true."
Great book one I reread constantly.
I read this for the first time early last month. It was my first McCarthy, and I plan to begin reading ‘The Crossing’ in August. The thing that struck me within the first 100 pages or so was how much I was able to see in my mind’s eye compared to how little McCarthy actually put on the page. The economy of words was incredible. An absolute masterclass of prose. The story itself didn’t leave me blown away by the time I finished the last page, but a month later I’m thinking about it far more than the 3 other books I read last month. Definitely excited for more McCarthy
I just finished it a few days ago. My first Cormac McCarthy novel. I was blown away. I never knew a novel that had so much poetry in it, and it hit home because I grew up in Coahuila and the landscapes so vividly described are natural to me.
The trilogy is my favorite piece of media ever. I think it's an absolute masterpiece. The Crossing is my favorite, but ATPH is right behind it. What a damn trilogy of books!
I like how you subtitled the first chapter in the same vein as Blood Meridian subtitles each chapter, may pick up that practice myself
I would call myself a committed, but "casual" reader. I have been tempted by McCarthy novels in the past, but have always been intimidated by the writing style, as I don't have a literary background. I have just binged most of your content, and you have convinced me to dive into McCarthy, and have just purchased All The Pretty Horses. Looking forward to you future videos!
I hope you enjoy it! Glad you’ve gotten something out of these videos. Happy reading
This book was amazing. I love how you’ve described it. I agree 100%. McCarthy was an extraordinary writer.
Awesome channel my man. I am loading my goodreads with your recommendations. I cant wait to get through this trilogy as my first go into Cormac. I've also got Fumes queued up as well!
One of the best American novels, the entire trilogy is so powerful and fulfilling to read!
I think Cities of the Plain might be my fav out of the three!
Agreed, 100%. I consider Cities of the Plain my favorite novel.
Love to hear some appreciation for COP. I loved that story-- seems like a lot of McCarthy fans consider it one of his worst.
Best book I’ve ever read
Interesting perspective on novels. I am 16 and a Hemingway fan and just picked up the road but later on I will probably get onto all the pretty horses
McCarthy (because he's in that school of William Faulkner) reads like the anti-Hemingway... Instead of short easy prose (like Hemingway), it's filled with long biblical styled sentences filled with huge vocabulary.
I recently discovered your chanel and I love the way you talk about books!! You could be my best pall!! I'm not American, I'm a European booklover (Belgian) and I do wonder if you guys (on that other side of the world) know any Belgian or Dutch authors, cause we do have some good ones!! If you want I could send you some names and hope they're translated (I'm sure/hope some of them are!) And if not Belgian or Dutch, how about an episode on European writers? 🙂
Thanks! Send me some names and I’ll see what I can do
@@williampdozier Oh so nice!! Ok, this is a very quick and briefly pick on some of my favorite authors and (for me) their best books...
Belgian :
- Jeroen Olyslaegers "Will"
- Jef Geeraets "Black Venus"
and looked for other Belgian authors, but not translated... what a shame...
Dutch :
- Arthur Japin "Surrender" (please look for this one!!!)
- Connie Palmen "The laws" or "The Friendship"
Spanish :
- Almudena Grandes "The Frozen Heart"
Lets just see how far you get with these ones... good luck! 🙏Hope you can find them cause each one is a pearl! ❤
Reading The Road now and have really enjoyed it as my first McCarthy novel. Will have to try All the Pretty Horses next! Thanks for the vid.
Good choice. The Road is one of the best places to start
Friendly advice; get a pro or semi pro mic. The echo and reverberation its not too bad but it will improve the audio quality a lot. Great content btw.
My all-time favourite novel.
Convenient finding this video after buying the book at a used bookstore a few hours ago.
I think it´s the best of the trilogy closely followed by the crossing
Thank you. I’m a reader. I struggle to find the next book or author.
I’m reading it right now. At times I seem to have trouble following who’s speaking through the text. I wonder if the author intends to confuse the reader at times where he could of made it easier to comprehend?
I never read books where authors won't use quotation marks for dialogue. It's a writing style that drives me up the wall and I can't get past it. Cormac McCarthy does this, and I just can't get on board, personally. Perhaps if I listened to audio books, I'd give him a try.
On one level, the lack of attribution tags (that's what they're called in the business) in the dialogue is meant to slow you down as a reader and make you imagine the scene where the characters are talking. McCarthy wants your total engagement in the physicality of the situation where the characters are talking. Of course, this is a hardline stance to take as a writer, but McCarthy was very much a hardliner who made few compromises in how he wanted his books read. He wants to elevate your imagination to another plane that's purified of artifice. When you hear people talking in real life, there is no John Grady said, or Blevins said. The words are just spoken. McCarthy would have said he was just trying for verisimilitude, but really it's a means to demand that you imagine the scene more closely. A gambit McCarthy relished in making.
@@gltwn thank you for the response!
There’s always one and today it’s going to be me. Yes, I know Cormac McCarthy is considered to be one of the greatest writers ever and has received a host of literary honours. I know that ATPH is “one of the greatest American novels of this or any time” mainly because it’s written in thumping great letters all over the front cover of my copy. And none of this changes the fact that it’s a wholly unremarkable book.
The story is over-long, rambling and has a make-it-up-as-you-go-along feel to it, much like McCarthy’s interminable sentences. The first half was so slow and directionless that I nearly gave up but fortunately the pace picked up in the second half even if the events were improbable. I DETEST that silly modernist affectation of not punctuating sentences properly. It’s not clever. It’s lazy, contrived and pretentious and just makes for a difficult and frustrating read. After a struggle I made it to the end but after only a few days I was struggling to recall much about the plot, the characters or the writing. I put as much effort into reading it as I have into thousands of other books, but despite this I couldn’t find any significant theme, message or much else in it.
This was my first Cormac McCarthy and I suspect my last simply because nothing here interested me enough to explore his work any further. And I know that my opinion counts for nothing and he will continue to be acclaimed as one of the greatest writers in the history of…whatever. All I can say is that despite all the gushing praise and plaudits I found it about as hackneyed and insubstantial as a dime store pulp Western, though not as entertaining. So if, like me, this very average book left you similarly underwhelmed then you might be in a minority but you aren’t alone.
ATPH and the Crossing are wonderful but similar to Godfather 3 in the godfather trilogy, Cities of the Plain doesn't measure up.
Which book best describes you?
I'm reading this currently and, unfortunately, am not as entranced by it. Probably does not help that I read Blood Meridian before this but it's just not holding as much merit as it.
Would u consider this a YA novel?
Hey, does anyone know who hired the killer in the jail to attack John Grady?
If I remember correctly, it was Alejandra's father after finding out about John Grady's love affair with her.
@@autisticandproudsnephew3636 Oh, okay, I didn't remember reading any explanation in the book, but it was a lingering question for me. I assumed it was someone connected to Alejandra. Thank you!
I already did bro get off my back!!!
Lol
Tried to read it last year and it bored me to shit
I do not like horses.