No Country for Old Men

By: Cormac McCarthy

Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte

Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Cormac McCarthy, best-selling author of National Book Award winner All the Pretty Horses, delivers his first new novel in seven years. Written in muscular prose, No Country for Old Men is a powerful tale of the West that moves at a blistering pace.

Llewelyn Moss is hunting antelope near the Texas-Mexico border when he stumbles upon several dead men, a big stash of heroin, and more than two million dollars in cash. He takes off with the money, and the hunter becomes the haunted. A drug cartel hires a former Special Forces agent to track down the loot, and a ruthless killer joins the chase as well. Also looking for Moss is the aging Sheriff Bell, a World War II veteran who may be Moss' only hope for survival.

Raw and lean, No Country for Old Men is another masterpiece from one of America's acclaimed novelists.

©2005 Cormac McCarthy (P)2005 Recorded Books, LCC

Critic reviews

"No Country for Old Men gets off to a riveting start as a sort of new wave, hard-boiled Western....Harrowing, propulsive drama." (The New York Times)
"A mesmerizing modern-day western....While the action of the novel thrills, it's the sensitivity and wisdom of Sheriff Bell that makes the book a profound meditation on the battle between good and evil and the roles choice and chance play in the shaping of a life." (Publishers Weekly)
"Shades of Dostoyevsky, Hemingway, and Faulkner resonate in McCarthy's blend of lyrical narrative, staccato dialogue, and action-packed scenes splattered with bullets and blood. McCarthy fans will revel in the author's renderings of the raw landscapes of Mexico and the Southwest and the precarious souls scattered along the border that separates the two." (Booklist)

Not really for young men either.

This incredibly violent story contemplates generational change, the meaning of existence, and morality.

McCarthy's command of language is again put to good use; in this book his descriptive language is not always on display, but when it is used, it is achingly beautiful. Meanwhile, he writes sparse but devastating dialogue. If McCarthy's books fall in a spectrum of language, "All the Pretty Horses" might define one side while "The Road" would define the opposite. The language in this book is right in the middle.

Tom Stechschulte has the perfect voice for this novel; his gruff delivery sounds spot-on for most of the characters. He doesn't try too hard to make different voices for each character, and this approach is correct for most narrators.

excellent

Apt review of the human condition. should be required reading as a young adult. the world doesn't change we do.

Not so much the story but the philosophy...

The story is true McCarthy. Violent, dark and wrought with despair. It is the views and the thoughts of the sheriff that make this truly eloquent, especially in the last pages of the novel. As a person who is getting older it is easier to align some of the sheriff’s thoughts on mankind with you’re own.

Much stronger than the movie. At once intense, adventurous, & a philosophical reflection on the terrible soulless violence...

The book is a reflection on the state of our times through the eyes of a crusty, aging West Texan sheriff. His conclusion that all the new totally conscienceless, soul-less violence is so unintelligible because there are a new type of people now...
His reflections on how all of our choices, not fate, have led each of us to where we have come...
The most evil and honest person in the story (Shuger) is somehow the most rational & deliberative (not to say good).

A credit well spent.

Great book with a good narrator. I struggled for a little at first, McCarthy really loves the word "and", but it ends up being a fine piece of literature.

great read

great read. definitely worth the listen. definitely has the reader going for it too. recommend.

Great Narration

Great Narration, Great story, I really enjoyed this read. I also enjoyed watching the movie after I finished the book.

A good story, well-written and very well-narrated

The characters in this novel have depth, and even though you don't like some of them, you still want to know more about them. The plot is about money, crime, love, passion. The theme is the eternal unity and difference of good and evil, and the setting is Texas. Everything fits together very well. The characters and the plot are as big and diverse as the setting, and the theme is recurrent and thought-provoking. The narration is superb. You can't miss here. But one thing could be irritating, having to do with resolution. But don't let that stop you. If you like adventure, mystery, and a philosophical exploration of good and evil in our time, listen to this book!

Good performance! Really enjoyed the reader's. wo

The descriptive language is vivid and precise especially when naming the various desert plant species.

exciting thriller

great story overall, solid narration and always kept me listening
book and film are very similar