It's been sitting on my shelf since 2006. It's now a major motion picture. But I've finally started reading Cormac McCarthy's The Road. And I'm loving it.
It's exciting, dark, suspenseful, and subtly gruesome.
But what made me first get into it was his writing style. McCarthy follows his own rules. If he had turned this book in to my 7th grade English teacher, it would have come back covered in red ink.
Take this randomly selected paragraph for example.
H aha ha!!! I don't listen about this book nothing! But i think it is funny, about what this book???
ReplyDeleteJorge becouse why you don't participate in this november's Justin's Skeetchbook!!! Look in their blog, there is more interesting sckeetches!!!
I love this book so much! And the movie is good too. Rock on.
ReplyDeleteIt's an original and strange book but it gets you into the story completely.
ReplyDeleteAs you say, McCarthy has his own style. Poor him if he had known your teacher ^^
Saludos desde España!
Don't get me started on his apostrophe-free contractions!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about picking this for book club. When I flipped through it, I was surprised by the writing. Not sure if I can dig it. I had an English teacher for a mother after all...
ReplyDeleteI am still thinking about it. Glad you like it!
Oooooh my hubs and I read it about a year ago and both LOVED it! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteWe can't wait to see if the movie meets up to our expectations.
Oh my gosh. That looks like something I would have written in English class. Seriously. I failed.
ReplyDeleteIf it's a good read though I guess it shouldn't matter that much to a publisher.
Yes! That book is awesome! You should read "House of Leaves" too. Blow your mind.
ReplyDeletethis is my favorite blog post of yours yet.
ReplyDeleteI tried getting into that book. I got like 70 pages in and just couldn't read it. Let us know what it's about though because I was totally brain-farted the entire time I was reading.
ReplyDeleteI read this over the spring (well, I listened to the audio version while at work) and really liked it. Hope you enjoy it too!
ReplyDeleteWhen you know the rules - you can break the rules. Love it! I just picked it up as well.
ReplyDeleteJeeez.... are those the types of things an editor is suppose to pick up?
ReplyDeleteThat's for the suggestion. I haven't read it either.
Awesome book...I am so excited for the movie -
ReplyDeleteThe lack of chapters and the way it was written add to the eerie feeling of it.
There is something to be said about breaking the rules as long as the writers voice comes out. Especially if it is unique.
ReplyDeleteI read this back in the summer and it's definitely one of the best books I've read in a while. Took a little bit to get used to the dialogue without quatation marks, couldn't figure out of I was reading thoughts or dialogue half the time.
ReplyDeleteGreat book, but I just found out that my local theater isn't going to be showing the movie at all. I'm either gonna have to drive 50 miles to see it or wait for the DVD.
Hope you enjoy the rest of the book.
I've got The Road on my Kindle. Great reading. I don't usually go to see movies based on books but this one looks like it might be a good one.
ReplyDeleteI think I may look forward to Jenea's comments as much as your post's:) Thanks for the reading suggestion, I'll have to try to fit it in between my Instyle mag reads;)
ReplyDeletethat is such a good book! it does leave you feeling pretty solemn though.
ReplyDeleteYou gotta know the rules in order to break 'em, I guess.
ReplyDeleteTry All the Pretty Horses if you haven't already. Also Jim Crace's The Pesthouse. Or just anything by Jim Crace.
very good teach...
ReplyDeleteI love Cormac McCarthy but The Road bummed me out so bad I was grumpy for days..I'd rather read The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss 3 more times ...
Ha ha! Good stuff. I love all the red ink. I've never read the book but am excited about the movie. Perhaps I should pick up the book first?
ReplyDeleteExcellent book! Hope you enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteLove that Nunu!
ReplyDeleteI thought the book was very dark, depressing even. I don't plan on seeing the movie because of that.
ReplyDeleteNow, if you ask me about 2012 - whole other story. Who knew the end of the world could be so entertaining!
Hahaha! I love it. Yeah, he definitely doesn't pay much attention to grammar rules. I found the way he used, and didn't use, apostrophes in the book really interesting.
ReplyDeleteI loved the book, and I loved the movie, part of which was shot in my hometown of Erie, PA. Really cool to feel like our town was a part of such a great movie, even if it was as a post-apocalyptic setting...
How strange. I just read this this weekend. Did the whole thing in about three hours. Couldn't get enough. Great lit!
ReplyDeleteQuite a grammatic murderer.
ReplyDeleteThe book editor in me is completely in love with you right now. I LOVED this post. One of the toughest things about editing is fiction is letting the author's style win over what your red pen is telling you is proper grammar. And I, too, have The Road on my shelf as the next one to read. Because nothing says "Merry Christmas!" like a dark, apocalyptic book about a father who is fearful for his son's life. :/
ReplyDeleteNice job on the line edit! McCarthy is the perfect example that if you've got talent, the normal rules don't apply.
ReplyDeleteLove the book, too.
Treading into "wiseass" territory here, but if you're going to do a blog post about grammar, punctuation, and the like, you might want to correct "If he had turned this book into my 7th grade English teacher..." to "If he had turned this book in to my 7th grade English teacher..." That is, unless the book was actually going to change into your seventh grade English teacher...
ReplyDeleteShort, bleak, and very dark. Happy holidays!
ReplyDeleteJoan- is that the one with the video camera shot of the window?
Another challenging book to read is Blindness by Jose Saramago. There is not sentence structure, no paragraphs or quotes to indicate when people are talking. I think it's suppose to be that way, it disables the readers sense of sight. I found I had to concentrate on what I was reading rather than skim it over.
ReplyDeleteI'll give The Road a try. Thanks!
The Road is probably McCarthy's most positive book. It's actually much less bleak than No Country for Old Men and Blood Meridian. Not an emotionally easy read, though, especially for readers with children.
ReplyDeleteI wish I thought of funny things to blog about like you do. Mine are all about feminism and arguments with my parents and dumb crap like that.
ReplyDeleteYou've inspired me! I think tomorrow I'll make a story from photos of my cats. Thanks, Jorge!
thats pretty cool, reminds me of comp 1...thank god for good english teachers i love to read also...mainly the Bible
ReplyDeleteAs a college English instructor and huge fan of The Road, I love this post. (and I don't use red ink, because it makes me sad).
ReplyDelete:) As an English teacher, I love this post. Competely looks like the products of my weekends.
ReplyDeleteRead his book Blood Meridian. Flippin' insane.
ReplyDeleteLove it, but now you're reminding me that I need to pick this book up again and finish it. It's so intense. :/
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved this book, and so did everyone else I know who read it. It leaves an absolute stain on your soul...
ReplyDeleteI think its supposed to be postmodern. :)
ReplyDelete