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The Road (Oprah's Book Club)
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A searing, post-apocalyptic novel about a father and son’s fight to survive that “only adds to McCarthy’s stature as a living master. It’s gripping, frightening and, ultimately, beautiful” (San Francisco Chronicle).
One of The New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century • A Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Book of the Century
A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.
The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, “each the other’s world entire,” are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.
One of The New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century • A Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Book of the Century
A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.
The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, “each the other’s world entire,” are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.
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Community Reviews
In a way, this book is responsible for my aversion to post-apocalyptic lit. I saw the movie adaptation of this when it came out, and of course knew that it came from McCarthy’s novel. The movie is bleak, to say the least, and I’ve thought back to it literally every time I’ve even considered watching or reading another piece of dystopian fiction.
So having decided to give the novel a shot, I’m surprised at how much I enjoyed it. “Enjoyed” might not be quite the right word, but it’s pretty close. The writing, obviously, is powerful & well executed. The characterizations are also suprisingly robust. I found myself really absorbed and, despite all reason & evidence, hopeful. The tenacity and strength inherent in this man and his son are impossible to deny, and hard to avoid catching.
I can’t deny that the novel earns its reputation for desolation & bleakness. But as a whole, that was not the effect that I found it had on me. I actually did enjoy it.
I wanted to like this book since I love McCarthys other works but this book is such a drag to get through , I wanted to drop it many times, however I think that’s the point. I’ve seen people say that the same way you don’t want to continue reading the boy and the man don’t want to continue fighting just to survive. That’s a pretty neat way of looking at it tbh but it’s was still a slog to read so I’m giving it a 4.
Slow repetitive downtrodden time. Not my favorite as far as post apocalyptic outings but you'll likely learn some words you didn't know!
The horror was vivid and the characters came to life in my head but the grammar (being Cormac McCarthy) is very strange and I found myself re-reading passages and sometimes even an entire chapter. If you want to get the gut feeling of dread and helplessness and a wash of anxiety read this book!
This was a great read. This is a story of survival and a father and son’s unbreakable bond. McCarthy does an excellent job using vivid, descriptive details that capture your mind and help you to see every event unfold.
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