The Road

By: Cormac McCarthy

Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte

Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Pulitzer Prize, Fiction, 2007

America is a barren landscape of smoldering ashes, devoid of life except for those people still struggling to scratch out some type of existence. Amidst this destruction, a father and his young son walk, always toward the coast, but with no real understanding that circumstances will improve once they arrive. Still, they persevere, and their relationship comes to represent goodness in a world of utter devastation.

Bleak but brilliant, with glimmers of hope and humor, The Road is a stunning allegory and perhaps Cormac McCarthy's finest novel to date. This remarkable departure from his previous works has been hailed by Kirkus Reviews as a "novel of horrific beauty, where death is the only truth".

McCarthy, a New York Times best-selling author, is a past recipient of the National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle Award. He is widely considered one of America's greatest writers.

Check out more selections from Oprah's Book Club.

©2006 M-71, Ltd. (P)2006 Recorded Books LLC

Critic reviews

"McCarthy's prose retains its ability to seduce...and there are nods to the gentler aspects of the human spirit." (The New Yorker)
"One of McCarthy's best novels, probably his most moving and perhaps his most personal...Every moment of The Road is rich with dilemmas that are as shattering as they are unspoken...McCarthy is so accomplished that the reader senses the mysterious and intuitive changes between father and son that can't be articulated, let alone dramatized...Both lyric and savage, both desperate and transcendent, although transcendence is singed around the edges...Tag McCarthy one of the four or five great American novelists of his generation." (Los Angeles Times Book Review)

A great tale

A story to remember even when it's pulling at your heart toward the end. Truly a well written story in the post apocalypse

best narration - least feelgood

Terrible journey for the characters told with the best narration of any of the 100s of books I have listened to.

McCarthy and Stechschulte Are the Dream Team

Favorite reading of my favorite novel. Just absolutely beautiful. McCarthy's prose is ever perfect and Stechschulte's voice is most appropriate.

Great story, narrator also great for the most part

This may be Cormac McCarthy's most personal and meaningful story. The narrator does a good job, except for when he reads the boy's lines. It's kinda like a mature man mimicking a little boy. Distracts from the flow of the story.

An incredible experience

This is a fantastic story with a wonderful performance by Tom Stechschulte. This story invoked an incredibly wide range of emotions, and kept me engaged throughout.

Like an Author that Needs Some Kind of Class...

The Road has its moments. Any father can identify with the protagonist who is doing his best in the situation that he's given; trying to help his son navigate through a savage world that seeks to consume them at every turn.

In the end; however, I don't know that the payoff is worth the labor. This book is bleak, but that's about it. At points, it's like some kind of Nihilist Gospel.

Then again, there are pinpoints of light along The Road... they're just difficult to see through McCarthy's cynicism.

I would assume that the monotony and repetition are meant to evoke despair, and they are effective in doing so.

Lastly, his overuse of simile makes the journey longer than it has to be. Like an author that needs some sort of new inspiration. At first I thought I was being nitpicky, but especially toward the end of the book, it's a visible flaw in the text.

Heartbreakingly Perfect

This book. This performance. This story. I almost can't recommend it, because it hurts so much. I can't NOT recommend it because it is amazing. The emotion, the writing, the performance makes it worth every second of listening time. There were times where I would rewind, just to listen to a single sentence more than once. This book is the reason audio book were invented. I have read and listened to this book and was blown away by the Audible version.

Wow. Amazing. Taut. Sparse. Gripping

I saw a few reviews of this book that dismissed it as "too literary," but those folks miss the point. Purely on its value as a story, driven by two distinct characters -- a boy and his father -- this is a tight, gripping and engaging story. It was actually a book I wanted to read but didn't want to read because I knew, without knowing anything, that the ending would be hard. And it was a hard ending, but it was true.

I also have a great admiration for Mr. McCarthy for his sparse writing style. Every word is precise and filled with meaning and story. This could only have been created with constant writing, rewriting and whittling down to the barest of essentials. The narrator also did a great job, which is important...a lousy narration could have destroyed this.

It's worth a credit, and even if you're more of a genre fan, you'll enjoy this.

Wow

great narration. the writing is great also. Its a story of a dark world, but of a loving relationship that a father and son have, and their drive to survive.

This classic needs nothing said by me:

A classic novel beautifully narrated. A definite must listen for all audiobook fans. Great read.