The trailer I saw to the upcoming film of this book intrigued me. The film appears to be a special effects vision of post-apocalyptic battles between ragged survivors and cannibalistic refugees from the Deliverance hillbillies.The book, fortunately, is nothing of the sort. Yes, it is a tale of post-apocalypse survival, but McCarthy has crafted an amazing character study where all the characters are faceless (symbolically) and nameless (literally). Don't expect neatly wrapped up plot lines, McCarthy's forte has always been experiencing a moment in time ( )

A GREAT FATHER AND SON STORY ABOUT SURVIVAL, COURAGE AND INNER STRENGTH... ( )

This book was loaned to me by Tim McIlrath of RISE AGAINST while we were on tour this summer... I knocked it out in around two days.The question asked force you to look deep inside your self and spend a little time there.Would you?, Could you?I realize that this was an Oprah Book, and it leans towards the psuedo-intellectual... but anything that forces thought, reflection and conversation is alright by me. ( )

The landscape in this book reminded me of the bleak landscape in a computer game I played once. It has the same feeling of forsaken Godlessness and the same constant menace of unseen hazard. It is a landscape of the mind. Have we not all rehearsed in our imaginations how we might survive in such circumstances? It is hell on earth. The bag lady on the street and the drug addict in the gutter are there already, scavenging for food and preyed on by others. Perhaps McCarthy's world waits for all of us. It is stripped of everything beautiful, and while there are still pockets of goodness and love, there is no hope.
All the same, this is a thrilling read. My copy is encrusted with the highest recommendations from illustrious international reviewers, and I can only add mine to the chorus. ( )

After hearing my friends rave so much about this book, and after hearing it was going to be made into a movie, I figured I would find out what all the fuss was about. Needless to say, it has become one of my favorites. About a father and his son traveling through a post-apocalyptic land trying to survive in spite of cannibals, bleak weather, and starvation, the tone is no doubt bleak, but McCarthy's ability to develop the relationship between the father and son kept me reading until the end, hoping for a miracle. ( )

A great book, but extremely depressing. Although it's a fast read, it took me a while to get through just because I didn't want to read too much at a time without taking a break from the misery. ( )

Bleak, but impressive. McCarthy brings to life a postapocalyptic world devoid of plants, animals, and civilization. An unnamed father and his young boy walk a cold, lonely road to the south in search of others like them. It's a lofty goal: the world is barren and decimated from the trees to the ghostly buildings, the air is thick with ash, and what's left of the human race resorting to barbarism and cannibalism. McCarthy strips this world down to the basics: there are no politics, no causes, only the will to survive. Even the author's short sentences and short scenes packed in brief paragraphs with no chapter headings give the impression of moving forward amid great hardship, pain, and horror.

This is a book that will stay with you and says a lot while revealing only a little. ( )

An excellent book about a father and son who travel in post-apocolyptic world and try to survive. The story is excellent and the fact that the father and son never really talk about what happend to the world is very good. The movie coming out with the same name did kind of get me to want to read the book, but I would suggust the book to anyone looking for a good story. Adult content though does come up in the story though. ( )

Perfectly executed ( )

I have to confess that I almost put this book down and went on to the next book in my To Be Read stack. It reminded me of "The Brief History of the Dead," which I found one of the best reads last year. But then I started to notice little touches in the writing and execution of the story like the way that the sparse prose was laid out on the page, and the overwhelming feeling that everything in this new world is black, white, and grey. Here's a brief rundown of the story line...a father and son are on a journey down a road after the world, as we know it, has been destroyed but for a very small number of people. Details of the who, what, where, and when are few and far between and this fact makes the story even more stark. In the end, I found this a great read but in a different way than Brief History...the two books would make quite an interesting comp lit discussion. ( )

http://straycarrierpigeon.com/2009/11... ( )

Maybe I missed the point... ( )

McCarthy's sparse sentence structure makes for quick and easy read. This is a good thing since the plot itself deals with the dark aspects of surviving in a post apocalyptic world and can seem quite depressing at times. The story of survival is a simple one and the father and son face fairly predictable story lines, but it is the greater theme of paternal caring and the hope that the next generation can redeem humanity that make this a compelling read. ( )

Escrito con una precisión y concisión admirables, el libro captura la atención casi desde la primera línea. Me gustaría ser capaz de escribir así. Esto inaugura lo que espero sea una fructífera relación con McCarthy.Crítica (en catalán) más completa en http://membrillu.blogspot.com/2007/10... ( )

Escrito con una precisión y concisión admirables, el libro captura la atención casi desde la primera línea. Me gustaría ser capaz de escribir así. Esto inaugura lo que espero sea una fructífera relación con McCarthy.Crítica (en catalán) más completa en http://membrillu.blogspot.com/2007/10... ( )

the most unforgettable book I've ever read
heartwrenching, yet not unbearably sad ( )

I was the only one in bookclub to not enjoy this book - awful, only got to page 60, how did it win prizes? ( )

I love Cormac McCarthy's style -- sparse descriptions, interesting word choice and sentence structure. This is probably my favorite. Although the story is very dark, and much is left to the reader's imagination, it's ultimately the story of a father's love. This is certainly not a "light read", but well worth every minute spent. ( )

“‘Remember that the things you put into your head are there forever.’ ‘You forget some things, don't you?’ ‘Yes, you forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget’.” This exchange from the book seems to have been the author’s guiding principle as he chose what to put on the page. Only giving your head a few choice images , the book’s sparseness was haunting, stripping everything to its bear roots. Faith, hope, and love do exist, though. These are on display against constant fear. McCarthy’s bleak picture of humanity is devastating, probably in large part because he describes a world without beauty, forcing the reader to cling to the man’s love for his son, the boy’s faith in his father, and their shared hope in the promise of the South. ( )

I liked it, but I also found the plot somewhat derivative of a lot of '70's sci-fi and apocalyptic stories. The writing is quite beautiful in a sparse way. ( )

I liked it, but I also found the plot somewhat derivative of a lot of '70's sci-fi and apocalyptic stories. The writing is quite beautiful in a sparse way. ( )

The Road is an almost impossibly good novel. To have constructed a premise so dark, to have created a world so bleak and yet so real—I can only imagine that many writers would have flinched and turned away. To have been the creator of a work of art like this one must have required not only an intellectual commitment to the story, but visceral exertions. The reader experiences an unnerving empathy for the man and the boy. The horrors they witness are discouragingly consonant with human nature, supposing a post-apocalyptic landscape where every resource has become scarce. Reading it, I would tense up and goad myself to work more with my hands, in case a day should come when knowledge-work becomes obsolete, and I have to fend tooth and nail for myself and my family. These are paranoiac fantasies, taken seriously only by a lunatic fringe; I recognize this, eight hours removed from turning The Road’s last page. McCarthy is a fluent provocateur of those unsavory emotions, which perhaps require release sometimes. You cannot read The Road and not ask yourself how much of your goodness is mere luxury, a resource that could be pilfered like your wealth. Reading it isn’t a pleasant experience. But The Road is a treasure.

This is a dark, scary novel about a man and his son traveling across the United States in a post-apocalyptic winter. It explores their relationship while they run from "bad guys" and search for food and try to stay alive, even though they don't know what there is to live for. ( )

This is my "Best book of the year" for 2009. I think this is almost a perfect novel, perfect length perfect charters, perfect , perfect , perfect. I am looking forward to reading more of Cormac in the future because this book is amazing! ( )

For a gripping father-son story, try The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I devoured this book in two days.

Perhaps "devoured" is a poor choice of words.

The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, with a man and his son traveling south for warmer temperatures and hope. Existing food supplies are mostly gone and the people have turned on each other. Survival is day-to-day and you can't trust the fellow travelers on the road. They are likely to take your stuff and eat you. Large parts of the remaining human population have turned to cannibalism.

For a GeekDad like me the book was a great combination of post-apocalypse survival and parenthood. But the book is tough on the heart. The survival of the father and son is often in jeopardy and there is constant sense of danger. On the other hand, there are the touching scenes of humanity and the little things that bring enjoyment sprinkled in the story.

There is a big screen adaptation of The Road scheduled for a Thanksgiving release. I'm not sure how well the movie can capture the great writing and emotional connection of the book.

I recommend putting The Road on your reading list. ( )