Blood Meridian

Or the Evening Redness in the West

De: Cormac McCarthy

Narrado por: Richard Poe

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.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“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)

High lit, well-read.

Never before have I encountered a book that went so far over my head the first time I read through it, but Blood Meridian passed by so high, it's taken me quite some time to reach a point that I could appreciate the work for all its accomplishments. This book is a chore, plainly stated, but - like so many difficult yet great books that are out there - it will be worthwhile for those who decided to take up the task.
As for the reading, Poe did a fantastic job in his narration. Not over-the-top but not a monotonous drone, his choices in the voicing of these characters allowed for the text to really speak out.

Bleak and Beautiful

Unrelentingly bleak and beautifully written, in BLOOD MERIDIAN Cormac McCarthy plumbs the unlighted depths of humanity and finds no bottom. It contains, in the Judge, a character as profoundly nihilistic as I've come across in any literature. Joseph Conrad's Kurz, perhaps, would at least recognize the Judge as a kindred spirit; but the Judge would laugh at any notion of horror - or any emotion save amusement - being the proper response to psychopathology. The novel can be read as a metaphor for the consequences of manifest destiny; with the Judge representing the unstoppable, remorseless, and unrepentingly violent force of U.S. expansion, ceaselessly eliminating or absorbing all that stood in its way, even while uttering the soothing words of beneficial intent. Hard to read, harder to put down.

An outstanding reading of extraordinary book

Brutal, incandescent vision of the American west. The narrator, Poe, does a pitch-perfect reading. A work of art where soul and language meet.

Stark, brutal, violent, beautiful

An ode to violence and adventure. Beautifully written masterpiece of unrelenting brutality and visceral imagery.

Well written with a few caveats

I love McCarthy's writing style, and have read (or listened to) most of his books. My personal favorite is "The Road". Absolutely stunning!
But "Blood Meridian" seems to be missing something. As well written as it is, I don't think it has the same consitency and cohesive thread that "The Road" has. It seems to be a story that meanders back and forth, which makes it difficult to keep up with.
It seems to go nowhere at times, so I removed one star for that.
However, the narration is very good and fits the atmosphere of the story perfectly... and atmosphere is where McCarthy really shines. I suppose you could listen to this audiobook simply for the graphic and stunning (at times very violent) atmosphere, but I usually look for more of a plot in a novel, and more story development.