Cormac McCarthy has passed. Have you read his works or seen films adapted from his novels?

I know he’s supposed to be good but his books all sounds like too much of a downer for me.

@janbb I’ve only read “Blood Meridian,” and it was pretty bleak. It was also beautiful though too. His language had a kind of poetry to it in its simplicity. It reminds me a bit of how the cow skulls and empty landscapes of Georgia O’Keeffe have a sombre/macabre beauty to them. It’s not for everybody.

@gorillapaws I should try him at some point but there’s always so much else to read that I want to read! I’m sure he’s a good writer.

Of course I have seen No Country For Old Men, which I thought was amazing.
I have Blood Meridian on my night table. I hope to get to it soon. I have been told that it is considered unfilmable, but also that someone is currently trying.

I have yet to read some of his works and will do it eventually. It is a good thing that his books which were adapted into films, specifically The Road and NCFOG were both excellently produced.

The Road was a fascinating read which I got through before the movie came out. And then I have never seen the movie, because there is no way the movie could be as powerful as the book.

I only read one – The Road – and it was decent but not the best literature I have ever read. I never understood why so many people extolled his writing.

I read the Road which was bleak and downright shocking at times but it was written as a warning.

I just picked up blood meridian to read on a trip. I have previously read the road and no country for old men. He is a good author.

I have the impression that his books are very male oriented. Is that true?

@janbb ”...his books are very male oriented. Is that true?”

I think it depends on how you’re assigning gender to your analysis. Certainly the subject matter has historically appealed to men more than women, but those norms have shifted quite a bit. For example in “The Blood Meridian” there’s a scene where there are dead babies hanging from a tree like a perverse antithesis of a Christmas tree. But his work is thought provoking and his language is beautifully written. I tend to know more women than men who appreciate that sort of thing.

^^ Not sure if “dead babies hanging from a tree” would make a novel seem to encompass a woman’s point of view but I take your point. I’m sure his work does have literary quality still not drawn to it as yet.

@janbb it was an example to show how it could go both ways. It might be more off-putting to a female audience (though I read that book two decades ago and the imagery still haunts me now—much like Elie Wiesel’s “Night”), but it also showcases the literary, surrealistic side to his work that’s more cerebral and in some ways may resonate more with a female reader? I don’t think all of his works are on THAT level.

@gorillapaws Well, I’ll let you know what I think if he ever gets to the top of my list!

@janbb You might enjoy the film version of All The Pretty Horses.

^^ I’ll look for that one at some point.