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)

Flawless

Rare for me to give five stars but this deserves it tenfold. RIP to the narrator. Highly recommend you listen to any story he’s read

Perhaps one of my favorites

I have always loved the author’s work. This story is magnificent and enthralling. The way he writes characters and their decisions takes this over the top for me. This will stand up as a highlight in literature for me.

short and sweet

odd gaps in story telling but i guess it serves it's purpose. enjoyable book

Loved the Audio - Great Story, too.

I just love McCarthy’s style of writing. Slow and easy with something magnetic that pulls you in and keeps you there. I have always heard about the movie version of this novel, but since I have never seen it, I thought I’d give the novel a try. No regrets here. From the few McCarthy books I have read, he always leaves a message about the world in which we live…and it makes you think. Highly recommend the audible version of theism book. The narrators are strong with vocals that fit their characters. Men are portrayed as strong men, and it comes across in the narrator’s voice.

A crooked tale about a drug deal gone wrong

The story's iconic because of the Coen brothers' film - and because of the truly menacing assassin, played to Oscar-winning effect by Javier Bardem. The novel was apparently first written as a screenplay and you do get that sense. The style, the language, the slim descriptive and precise prose. The movie's good - the novel's even better. Well worth your time, and nicely narrated, too.

first part of story Excellent

I love the initial story line. Very disappointed in how that all ended abruptly told by a third person!! and could homestly have completely done without the last few chapters of total unrelated context. that should have probably been a different book and storyline all together. it all seemed rather pointless.

Incredible

Great story and narration. As a fan of the movie, this added way more context and color which is to be expected of course.

Great book!

Wonderful

I am ashamed to admit that this is my first Cormac McCarthy book and his reputation and talent is well deserved

If you lived the film

Read this if you loved the movie and want several hours more of the cinematic storytelling!

Amazingly written, very heavy

This book, like all Cormac McCarthy books, is is a pleasure to read. It’s poetic, succinct, and deceptively simple. If you’ve I found of the movie, you’ll love the book. It’s very similar, but with more detail and deeper character development. When I say, it’s heavy, I’m talking about the sense of hopelessness, the cynicism, and the feeling of being utterly overwhelmed that the sheriff carries around with him. The weight of this inner monologue can feel like a burden at times, so be ready for that.