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.

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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)

Stupid people’s opinions.

There are many. This is a work of genius.


They want 15 words but that was all I had to say.

Gripping, poignant story

An intense journey of a father and son, never knowing what the day will bring except desolation and the constant challenge of staying alive.
McCarthy’s gripping prose is poetry.
The narrator brings perfect cadence and inflection.

Good but bleak

Story was good if you like the genre. Very bleak and hopeless. A study in the will to survive and innocence in a seemingly hopeless world.

The road

Great book, very slow but interesting. Great characters, setting and world building. Overall great book.

I loved this

Idk what else to say. Had me sobbing at work. The performance was great. The story is great. Give it a listen

Short and beautiful

This is not a long book. It’s also not a complicated or twisty book, lacking McCarthy’s usual abstractions and vagueness which bait years upon years of interpretation and debate amongst readers.

Those stories are great, but this one is too, in its own way.

The story is a study of two characters. But what’s peculiar is that neither character’s nature is a mystery for longer than the first few pages. A father loves his son, and the son loves him back.

It is a story about undoubtedly good people. What moral quandaries they face are natural and believable and not contrived by the author to destroy their “goodness” and therefore “fix” them by the end to be just as evil as the most of us.

And yet it stays interesting.

That is this story’s triumph. It’s proof that good characters can be just as interesting as bad or morally gray ones. And goodness is not in perfection but within a heart that knows it is flawed.

Hallowing

A story that makes you question existence and celebrate it. Cormac McCarthy’s weaving of words are special.

Overrated

I don’t get all the hype. It’s slow, predictable, and at times boring. There are better father-son relationship stories

The writer earned his award. Amazing book.

I love the book. I would recommend everyone read this book. The writing is timeless. The imagery is dark and realistic.

A Dark and Haunting Journey Through Desolation

"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy is a haunting tale of survival set in a bleak and unforgiving post-apocalyptic world. While many reviews hail it as a masterpiece, I found myself appreciating its bleak beauty without being entirely swept away. My experience with the book was one of subdued admiration rather than overwhelming awe.

McCarthy's prose is undeniably powerful, painting a vivid and harrowing picture of a world ravaged by an unspecified catastrophe. The bond between the father and son, who navigate this desolate landscape together, is palpable and heartrending. Their journey is one of relentless struggle, with each step forward fraught with danger and despair.

What sets "The Road" apart is its unflinching portrayal of hopelessness. There are no easy victories or moments of respite in this world; every glimmer of hope is quickly extinguished by the harsh realities of survival. While this bleakness may not appeal to everyone, it serves to underscore the novel's central themes of perseverance and the enduring power of love in the face of overwhelming darkness.

It's worth noting that this is not a book for the faint of heart. The bleakness of the world McCarthy creates can be overwhelming at times, and the relentless struggle for survival may leave some readers feeling emotionally drained.

In conclusion, "The Road" remains a powerful and thought-provoking read. McCarthy's prose is as haunting as it is beautiful, and his exploration of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable adversity is both poignant and profound. For readers willing to confront the darkest corners of the human experience, "The Road" offers a journey unlike any other.