Blood Meridian

Or the Evening Redness in the West

By: Cormac McCarthy

Narrated by: Richard Poe

Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Author of the National Book Award-winning All the Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy is one of the most provocative American stylists to emerge in the last century. The striking novel Blood Meridian offers an unflinching narrative of the brutality that accompanied the push west on the 1850s Texas frontier.

©1985 Cormac McCarthy (P)2007 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

“The authentic American apocalyptic novel…I venture that no other living American novelist, not even Pynchon, has given us a book as strong and memorable as Blood Meridian.” (Harold Bloom)

"McCarthy is a writer to be read, to be admired, and quite honestly envied." (Ralph Ellison)

"McCarthy is a born narrator, and his writing has, line by line, the stab of actuality. He is here to stay." (Robert Penn Warren)

ruthless

this is the most brutal book I think I've read so far, and I enjoyed every second. All of the kids interactions were interesting, and there's a strange beauty that ties the book all together in the end.

a great novel and a superb narrator!

What a combination- McCarthy's story with it's masterful descriptions are intoxicating to the senses. Richard Poe 's performance of the reading was one of the best narrations I've heard. Gold stars all around.

Stunning, Brutal, Not For Everyone!

This one is going to rattle around me head for some time!

An amazing book! One of the best audiobooks I've heard.

Flawless performance!


The nature of the story and style can make listening a bit confusing if you're otherwise occupied. I'd strongly suggest a hard copy to reference if you get lost, to check if you're on track. It's literature; not Louis L'Amour (as much as I love that style too!) Like the best literature it works on many levels.

No discussion of this book could be complete (even though mine is FAR from complete) without a comment on the violence. While it is the most brutal book I have ever read the violence is so pervasive and so almost matter of fact that it is less shocking, it is expected.

I came to this after Lonesome Dove series. While Ioved that series I was often disappointed in McMurtry's inability to describe the landscape. I was convinced he wrote it locked in a room with no windows and never set foot on real earth. If you've been in the west of LD and Blood Meridian you are struck, generally square in the face with landscape and weather and unlike McMurty McCarthy paints this landscape brlliantly. Much of it rivals and surpasses the natural history authors like McPhee or Abbey!

Richard Poe's Genius

Blood Meridian is a masterwork, the greatest, and that's an end on it. The greatest.

Let's talk here about Richard Poe the genius narrator. His characterizations, regardless of McCarthy's intentions, are stunning. I count about four or five base timbres for the voices, and the genius of his performance proceeds from there. The vocal gravel, the certainty, the unapologetic descriptions and illuminations of horror, and on occasion grace (look carefully, every once in a while someone does someone a genuine good turn in this book), are transcendent.
I've read this book three times and listened to it at least five times. It does not disappoint.
Buy this now. You will not regret it.

American Classic

McCarthy's magnum opus, is violent and poetic, narrated excellently and feverishly as the epic's reach. One of English literature's greatest villains is heard here, and his voice is as you'd expect if you've already read the book. If not, here you'll enter an awful time of carnage, racism and depravity on the southwestern borderlands in the 19th century.

Blood

Blood upon the grass & blood upon the sand & blood upon the rocks & blood in the streets...
This novel of beautiful & brutal prose offers a glimpse into the less romantic side of the west: lawless, filthy, wretched, & without end

A difficult read

This book is very hard to follow at times. Major plot points are sometimes given in a quick sentence, while at other times, the description of a scene might take a couple paragraphs.

There is a great deal of violence in the book. It could be painful at times.

Overall, it is a good story, but you have to work at it to find it.

incredible novel

This novel is etched in my memory forever. I've read many books that were quite forgettable, but I will never forget this masterpiece of imagery and violent sensations.

Loose ends?

As much as I love Cormac McCarthy books they always leave me wanting all the loose ends tied up absolutely rather than vaguely. I guess I could just be dense, I never thought I was but....? I guess I always want the "rest of the story" :)

Fantastic Detail - Challenging Vocabulary

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this audiobook to a friend who has the time to stop and define the various geological formations, challenging diction and Spanish dialogue. If not, this is a challenging text to follow at times.
The story itself is sometimes lost to the detail being provided. If you're looking for a fast paced, action packed, suspenseful novel, I would not recommend this text.
This one is a ponderous, soul wrenching, thinker!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Blood Meridian?

The stunning imagery created by McCarthy floats into my head whenever I look over my own prairie landscape. He spends a lot of time and effort creating the reality of the text for the reader, crafting the mood for each scene. This imagery does, however, at times take away from the pace of the story.

Which character – as performed by Richard Poe – was your favorite?

The Judge is a fantastic and haunting character. Richard Poe does an excellent job with all of the dialogue in the text, but the Judge is the most memorable. This is the best read audiobook I've experienced.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The text can be quite confusing at times if you don't have knowledge of a) Spanish b) a wide range of specific geological terms c) civil war & post civil war era terminology. The overall reaction I experienced was often shock and disgust. It is a very dark story, from beginning to end. The reader can't help but let their sight flicker inwards now and again.

Any additional comments?

Very well written novel but very challenging to fully grasp as an audiobook because of its difficulty.