Anyone read "The Road" ?

[m]

I read The Road and another disaster/survival related book in the same week and was struck with the sense of hopelessness you get after reading these kind of books. They did help me remember that no matter how skilled you are we all meet the same end soon enough, and I was glad that I had my Bible close by so I could again read about real Hope and true survival.

 

[silenthunterstudios]

The Road was a great book. Sometimes you just have to sit back and relax, and the Road might not be the book to do it with. I saw Zombieland last night, and throughout the movie was thinking "Why didn't they take this with them, or that with them?" Driving a Cadillac Escalade and Hummer H2, wouldn't they have to have at least a couple cans of gas in the back?

Then I realized, hey, its just a movie, and a comedy at that. It was harder to do with the Road, but still.

 

[pict]

I liked it. For me the story was about the relationship between the father and son and I thought he did a great job with it. He sets you right in the middle of a fully developed relationship and much of it doesn't become clear until much later. I think he did a good job showing how the father had preserved the boys humanity while on the verge of losing his own.

I had a hard time understanding how there could be so much dry, drifting ash and yet rain all the time unless the ash was still falling all the time. Mac

 

[Alberta Ed]

I thought The Road was McCarthy's worst book so far.:barf:

 

[CitizenQ]

You guys can read?

 

[IVANKERLEY]

i really did and perhaps it just clicked because of my son... i believe it's a story about protecting your child and the fear every parent feels.Quite simply "What's going to Happen to them when i'm gone?" The survival setting could just as well be everyday life, you have the same fears regardless of the setting.
An added point is Cormac McCarthy became a father again much later in life, i believe in his late 60's. He is looking at the very same situation just a different backdrop...
loved it and the movie has been delayed twice, originally supposed to come out last year this time, i don't hold much hope for it, let's hope i'm surprised
ivan
ps. the director john hilcoat directed the excellent aussie western "the proposition"

 

[Foilist]

I read it once about three years ago and was haunted by it. It literally gave me nightmares, particularly since I read it not long after the birth of my daughter. One of my criteria for a good book (or movie) is whether or not I keep thinking about it after I am done and I have thought about The Road quite a bit. It is so bleak and terrifying that I cannot reread it though.

I am a big fan of McArthy - Blood Meridian is my favorite, although it is also quite brutal.

 

[mikeal]

I don't mind McCarthy's writing style. I read All The Pretty Horses and thought it was also good.

The Ebay seller who sold me my copy of The Road accidentally sent me two. If anyone wants the other copy, email me and let me know.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

I've never heard of the book, if someone has a copy they would like to pay it forward I'll gladly paypal or send money for S&H then send the book back or on to someone else, pm or email me.

Into End of the World SHTF kinda books try Frank Herberts White Plague, it's about a biological weapons engineers whose family, (wife and daughter) is accidentally killed by an IRA car bomb, he gets revenge by unleashin' a plague that kills only females and without givin' too much away what happens in the world as the plague spreads and what is bein' done to contain the plague and save the women.

 

[jackknife]

Am I the only one that started working on non-firearm weapons skills after that. Guns are great but there might come a time when unless you know how to make gunpowder from scratch and have the chemicals locally then it's back to medieval weapons like swords and spears and bows and arrows and crossbows.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


One may find oneself in an area where you may not have a firearm when the balloon goes up, or you may run out of ammo. Heck, ever since the election there's been a shortage of ammo in most popular handgun calibers. Imagine if there was a real disaster.

I enlisted in the army not long after high school, and spent the next ten years with very little access to firearms outside of a tour in Viet Nam. Army bases do not let enlisted personel keep private weapons, unless stored in the arms room, and then they hastle you over that to strongly discourage you from doing it. Being stationed in Europe, Korea, or Okinawa, no way can you keep a gun, so you learn to do without one. It does no help that in certain places, GI's are not real well loved exept for the money you spend. And there are people who want to get it from you without selling you something.

After a while you start seeking out non firearm weapons training, and primitive skills courses.

I don't know if he still is doing it, but Doctor Errett Callahan in Lynchburg Virgina teaches great course in primitive technolgies. I took some of his courses 20 years ago, and he and his assistants really give you a working knowledge of how to do it. Knapping, and making primitive archary gear was a great course to make one self sufficiant in a real emergency. By the end of the primitive archary course, you will have the start of a good bow and arrow set.

A few years ago when I read The Road, I started brushing up on my old hobbie skills. Took up instinctive archary again, and some knapping here and there.

You never know.

 

[mapper66]

I read it once about three years ago and was haunted by it. It literally gave me nightmares, particularly since I read it not long after the birth of my daughter. One of my criteria for a good book (or movie) is whether or not I keep thinking about it after I am done and I have thought about The Road quite a bit. It is so bleak and terrifying that I cannot reread it though.

I am a big fan of McArthy - Blood Meridian is my favorite, although it is also quite brutal.

Me too, read it not long after my 2nd daughter was born. No nightmares, but man it did tear me up. Still haven't re-read it either, but with the movie coming out, I might need to.

 

[statius]

I thought it was quite good. Easy to follow prose, and he didn't seem to be trying to hard to me, but hey, literature is subjective. Maybe I've been reading too much latin and greek poetry, which is way more allusive, intertextual, and annoying. I thought the last paragraph of the novel was very beautiful in a sad and haunting way. I quickly gave it away to a friend so I wouldn't have to re-read it; very depressing.

 

[boness]

Great Read !

 

[crossada]

I had a hard time understanding how there could be so much dry, drifting ash and yet rain all the time unless the ash was still falling all the time. Mac

it has been a while since i read this but i seem to remember it being a nuclear winter but it looks like from the trailer hollywood inserted their own environmentalist views into the story. i really hate movies like "the day after tomorrow" with its over the top views and i hope this movie doesn't fall into that type.

 

[jw2n]

I have'nt read it yet. Is it as bleak as "The Beach"? I really enjoyed Alas Babylon, and Wolf and Iron is one really neat read.

 

[desmobob]

I read it once about three years ago and was haunted by it. It literally gave me nightmares, particularly since I read it not long after the birth of my daughter. One of my criteria for a good book (or movie) is whether or not I keep thinking about it after I am done and I have thought about The Road quite a bit. It is so bleak and terrifying that I cannot reread it though.

I am a big fan of McArthy - Blood Meridian is my favorite, although it is also quite brutal.

I literally couldn't stop reading the book and had to finish it in one marathon session. It was powerful, but I also think Blood Meridian is my favorite of his works I've read.

I like McCarthy and have read Blood Meridian, No Country for Old Men, The Road, and Child of God so far. I'll be reading All the Pretty Horses next, I think.

Stay sharp,
desmobob

 

[mtwarden]

I thought it was fair. I am a big Cormac fan, he's a "dark" writer, but a very good dark writer

His border trilogy (All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing and Cities of the Plain) is excellent, No Country was great (as was the movie)- my favorite though is Blood Meridian- if you want a really good peak into darker side of 1840-ish Texas/Mexico borderlands check it out- you won't be disappointed

 

[Marion David Poff]

I can't read books like The Moon is a Harsh Mistress for the same reason.

My deepest sympathy for your affliction.

May it end some day.

Marion

 

[IVANKERLEY]

it has been a while since i read this but i seem to remember it being a nuclear winter but it looks like from the trailer hollywood inserted their own environmentalist views into the story. i really hate movies like "the day after tomorrow" with its over the top views and i hope this movie doesn't fall into that type.

not really they never really say in the book, it's left up to the reader to ponder what happened... what has me more worried is if they ramp up the action and have ridiculous gunfights, not a very spectacular gunfight when the main character has just one round for 3/4 of the movie...
i still have my fingers crossed
ivan

 

[Foilist]

it has been a while since i read this but i seem to remember it being a nuclear winter but it looks like from the trailer hollywood inserted their own environmentalist views into the story. i really hate movies like "the day after tomorrow" with its over the top views and i hope this movie doesn't fall into that type.

The book never says anything about the calamity but "a sheer of light followed by a series of low concussions (or something like that)." Since the destruction seems total and there is no description of radiation, it makes me think of an asteroid strike or something like that.