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Spoilers What Book Are You Reading?
- Thread starter Huntn
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Just started reading "All the Pretty Horses" by Cormac McCarthy. I've previously read "The Road" and "No Country For Old Men" by him. He's an amazing writer.
His style is so unique that it takes awhile to comprehend what's happening, then suddenly you realize you're so immersed in the details of the story that you can no longer put it down. His sentences can flow from thought to thought without pause as he describes a landscape that shapes a scene that shapes a character. It's captivating. And beautiful. And sometimes horrifying.
If you've never read one of his novels, I highly reccomend it. The movies can't do his prose justice.
His style is so unique that it takes awhile to comprehend what's happening, then suddenly you realize you're so immersed in the details of the story that you can no longer put it down. His sentences can flow from thought to thought without pause as he describes a landscape that shapes a scene that shapes a character. It's captivating. And beautiful. And sometimes horrifying.
If you've never read one of his novels, I highly reccomend it. The movies can't do his prose justice.
never could finish all the pretty horses . the other two i breezed through. i like his style as well. and your description of it hit the nail on the head.
I only started it last night. But so far, so good. Certainly doesn't have the action of the other two quite yet. Hoping it picks up a bit.
It's an excellent read. I enjoyed it thoroughly. If you've seen the movie, the Coen brothers did a pretty good job of translating it to screen. I'm a book first kinda guy so I prefer the book over the movie, but if you've already seen it, you'll at least have a pretty good idea of who the characters are and can then appreciate more of McCarthy's style.
If you were only going to read one of his books though, I'd reccomend The Road. It haunts me still to this day and I read it many years ago. Its the closest description to post-apocalyptic life as imaginable without actually living it. It's human nature stripped to its rawest form and it's magnificently awful. Kinda weird description, I know, but you really have to read it to understand.
My gut feeling is that the book, The Road would have to be better than the movie, because the movie spoiler>>just seemed to be about a couple moving about the landscape, mostly avoiding others, some fighting, and then the guy dies at the end.<<spoiler. Seemed to be primarily a downer of a story. At least the Book of Ely (the movie) had an uplifting end.
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My gut feeling is that the book, The Road would have to be better than the movie, because the movie just seemed to be about a couple moving about the landscape, mostly avoiding others, some fighting, and then the guy dies at the end. Seemed to be primarily a downer of a story. At least the Book of Ely (the movie) had an uplifting end.
I haven't seen the movie because I knew it could never live up to the book. The book's ending is definitely NOT uplifting. I've heard about the movie and it's gotta be much different than the book. The wife is non existent in the book. It's the man, the child and the road. Never thought it would make a great movie because most of the turmoil is internal. The writing is exceptional, at least IMO.
My gut feeling is that the book, The Road would have to be better than the movie, because the movie just seemed to be about a couple moving about the landscape, mostly avoiding others, some fighting, *editied spoiler*. Seemed to be primarily a downer of a story. At least the Book of Ely (the movie) had an uplifting end.
Oh good, now I don't have to see the movie.
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Just finished the sixth book in Mary Hoffman's excellent Stravaganza series, "City of Swords". Well worth a read, beautifully written, and a welcome addition to the YA book shelf. Actually, the entire series (read in sequence) is well worth looking at.
I agree - what also struck me about the road, was the way the prose was so unstructured and continuous... To me it was if the rules we've formed and built up over centuries as to how to write and express ourselves were being stripped away and being forgotten while you read... Very clever indeed...
The wife (in the book), was important to me, as she was the source of the obsidian knife line.
Had to take some good, long rest after finishing À la recherche du temps perdu and started now with Conrads Nostromo.
This with The Golden Bough and From Ritual to Romance still waiting to see some further love from me plus the fact, that I never heard of any of the books mentioned above, tells me, that I'm a little bit out of fashion with my taste.
This with The Golden Bough and From Ritual to Romance still waiting to see some further love from me plus the fact, that I never heard of any of the books mentioned above, tells me, that I'm a little bit out of fashion with my taste.
Oh good, now I don't have to see the movie.
Crap. I hid my spoiler. If you want you can edit my quoted reply to you. Sincere apologies.
Would it help that it really does make that much difference to the overall story? Thanks for the insight!
Well said.
I get what you're saying and I agree. I was more referring to the role I heard about in the movie. Her character in the book was quite important, even without her presence for much of the tale. *Not a spoiler*
Sorry, don't want to take this thread too off topic (perhaps we should start one - The Road, discuss!? ) but...
Just to add... I wouldn't worry too much about plot spoilers - I thought the book worked wonderfully as an experience. Remembering the book - unlike a lot of fiction you don't remember the plot or plot twists, you're simply left with little snippets of 'memory' of the journey as if you were there and looking back on it yourself. I thought the 'plot' was really just a vehicle for these experiences and sets up the end - which I actually really liked and thought it was quite uplifting. (But this is the genius of it - we all can take away differing reactions to it. Perhaps it depends if you have kids or not...)
I've mentioned this one before on this thread but if you like this sort of metaphorical fiction I thought Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro was incredibly clever as well.
oh that's a good reminder, i never finished it..and have no idea why. Did you read The Fountainhead? One of my all time favorites.
I haven't read it yet; I see it every day when I'm shelving and it looks a hell of a lot less challenging than Atlas Shrugged. I'll give it a go once I've finished Atlas Shrugged.
Just finished In Enemy Hands, the 7th of the Honor Harrington science fiction series. The great story telling continues! On to the next one, Echos of Honor.
Reading Simon Schama, (BBC) "'A History of Britain', At The Edge of the World? 3000 BC - AD 1603".
