Tonight is the first event for the new book, and I've spent most of the afternoon at home with curlers in my hair and cucumber circles on the eyes...
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I must admit that this book was a difficult read for me. Mainly because over a quarter of the book is in spanish. Needless to say, it took a while to finish. However, apart from not understanding a quarter of the book, it was still good ol' McCarthy. Billy's trials with the she-wolf are very endearing and in the end, heartbreaking. I think that I have not yet understood the over-arching theme of the story but one of the themes that I am grasping is that McCarthy is discussing the human relationship with the rest of the world. One of the most memorable scenes for me was when he comes across a blind Mexican who tells him how he became blind. The Mexican says that he was part of a rebellion and that he was caught. When he was standing in line, waiting to be shot, a general walked by and stared at him. The man spit in the generals face and then the general sucked his eyeballs out of their sockets and left them hanging there. McCarthy's description of the way the man saw the world as bobbing back and forth and how eventually his eyeballs dried up and the world turned gray and then black has always stuck out in my mind. The blind man goes on to talk about how, being blind, the world seemed to await his movements. There are many other, very interesting characters but I won't go in to any more length. If you like McCarthy, westerns, or even philosophy, this is a good book to read. However, beware of the amount of spanish you'll have to translate.
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(5 of 15 readers found this comment helpful)
Outer Dark is one of my favorite McCarthy books. The novel is full of biblical themes and allegory but I don't think that it would put anyone off. The imagery is very clear and alluring. McCarthy does a great job of pulling the reader in to his dark, scary, and mysterious world from the first sentence. However, some of the imagery might be a bit too heavy for those with a queasy stomach. Although not nearly as gory as Blood Meridian, the situation in which Culla and Rinthy, ( the main characters), are involved, and the other characters they run into, are devastatingly haunting, and have not left my mind since reading the book. This book definitely ranks up there with Blood Meridian.
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(15 of 29 readers found this comment helpful)
As I Lay Dying is one of the most engaging pieces of literature I have ever read. At times I found myself having to re-read sections to make sure I understood what was happening; but personally, I enjoy being so engaged. Faulkner's stream of consciousness writing can make it difficult to follow at times, but sticking with it is, I found, very rewarding. The novel addresses many universal issues, but never definitively; how could it? Through Addie, it covers her resentment of her marriage and her sacrifices made for children, and the knowledge that she is dying. It also covers, through the rest of the Bundren family, various perspectives on dealing with death and the psychological journey that each goes through. This is a marvelous book which I will definitely be reading again.
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(4 of 8 readers found this comment helpful)
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awadeb has commented on (3) products.
The Crossing by Cormac Mccarthy
awadeb, May 7, 2007
I must admit that this book was a difficult read for me. Mainly because over a quarter of the book is in spanish. Needless to say, it took a while to finish. However, apart from not understanding a quarter of the book, it was still good ol' McCarthy. Billy's trials with the she-wolf are very endearing and in the end, heartbreaking. I think that I have not yet understood the over-arching theme of the story but one of the themes that I am grasping is that McCarthy is discussing the human relationship with the rest of the world. One of the most memorable scenes for me was when he comes across a blind Mexican who tells him how he became blind. The Mexican says that he was part of a rebellion and that he was caught. When he was standing in line, waiting to be shot, a general walked by and stared at him. The man spit in the generals face and then the general sucked his eyeballs out of their sockets and left them hanging there. McCarthy's description of the way the man saw the world as bobbing back and forth and how eventually his eyeballs dried up and the world turned gray and then black has always stuck out in my mind. The blind man goes on to talk about how, being blind, the world seemed to await his movements. There are many other, very interesting characters but I won't go in to any more length. If you like McCarthy, westerns, or even philosophy, this is a good book to read. However, beware of the amount of spanish you'll have to translate.(5 of 15 readers found this comment helpful)
Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy
awadeb, May 7, 2007
Outer Dark is one of my favorite McCarthy books. The novel is full of biblical themes and allegory but I don't think that it would put anyone off. The imagery is very clear and alluring. McCarthy does a great job of pulling the reader in to his dark, scary, and mysterious world from the first sentence. However, some of the imagery might be a bit too heavy for those with a queasy stomach. Although not nearly as gory as Blood Meridian, the situation in which Culla and Rinthy, ( the main characters), are involved, and the other characters they run into, are devastatingly haunting, and have not left my mind since reading the book. This book definitely ranks up there with Blood Meridian.(15 of 29 readers found this comment helpful)
Smith and Roberson's Business Law (Custom) (14TH 10 Edition) by Mann
awadeb, May 7, 2007
As I Lay Dying is one of the most engaging pieces of literature I have ever read. At times I found myself having to re-read sections to make sure I understood what was happening; but personally, I enjoy being so engaged. Faulkner's stream of consciousness writing can make it difficult to follow at times, but sticking with it is, I found, very rewarding. The novel addresses many universal issues, but never definitively; how could it? Through Addie, it covers her resentment of her marriage and her sacrifices made for children, and the knowledge that she is dying. It also covers, through the rest of the Bundren family, various perspectives on dealing with death and the psychological journey that each goes through. This is a marvelous book which I will definitely be reading again.(4 of 8 readers found this comment helpful)