The NBA metaphor is a good one because this is really does feel like the apex of the first half of his career. Excited to read your thoughts on All the Pretty Horses, which I just read last week, since that's the book that turned him from obscurity to award winning bestseller (his first five books sold fewer than 5,000 copies while All the Pretty Horses, by itself, sold nearly 200k copies within six months of winning the National Book Award).
That is fascinating! Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I am somewhat embarrassed that I didn't know Judge Holden was allegedly real, but better to learn now than never.
I'm looking forward to All the Pretty Horses for exactly the reason you mention, and because I've never read it before. What about it helped to break McCarthy into the mainstream? I have suspicions, and they're likely to be proven wrong!
Ha, well, I also didn't know about Judge Holden until about a month ago!
I think the truth with many, many novelists is that winning a major award is the path to becoming a bestseller. But I do think there are a few elements of All the Pretty Horses that makes it more of a crowd pleaser. The language is simpler (relatively) and I think it may be his first novel where you're not following a shithead and/or maniac. Along with a few other elements, I think it was the one that was most inviting to a large audience.
Yeah, I assumed that the protagonist(s) of All the Pretty Horses would have to be more normal and/or likeable than his others (which is not a high bar to clear), and I've had fun imagining McCarthy's attempt to write a straightforward romance novel (which is not what I expect to actually find). I'll probably start reading it today or tomorrow.
This was a fantastic review of Blood Meridian. The slaughter, the strange alignment to historical facts and biblical text - there’s a lot going on in this book. It’s one of those “big American” works, right up there with Moby Dick, that’s spinning so many plates at once, I often forget there’s just one writer behind it all.
Also, the point you bring up at the end hits hard. The way he wrote this one begs to be taken as fact, and sometimes feels more true than the history we’re told in schools.
I came away from this book convinced that we humans can be terrible creatures when the borders of history aren’t laid out ahead of us. Not sure that’s a great way to see our civilization but McCarthy makes a strong argument for it
McCarthy is too good at what he does to be considered "just one writer," even though that's exactly what he is. When he's at his best, I feel like I'm not reading some words that some guy wrote, but being exposed directly to some essence that is always up for grabs, but usually veiled.
I came into this McCarthy project of mine convinced that we humans are terrible creatures, and his work has given me some hope for us. We are flawed and stupid and cruel, but ultimately inconsequential. It's our actions and what we leave behind that matter.
Great write up, as always.
Interestingly, the book is very historically based! Even the Judge is based on an allegedly real person: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judge_Holden
The NBA metaphor is a good one because this is really does feel like the apex of the first half of his career. Excited to read your thoughts on All the Pretty Horses, which I just read last week, since that's the book that turned him from obscurity to award winning bestseller (his first five books sold fewer than 5,000 copies while All the Pretty Horses, by itself, sold nearly 200k copies within six months of winning the National Book Award).
That is fascinating! Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I am somewhat embarrassed that I didn't know Judge Holden was allegedly real, but better to learn now than never.
I'm looking forward to All the Pretty Horses for exactly the reason you mention, and because I've never read it before. What about it helped to break McCarthy into the mainstream? I have suspicions, and they're likely to be proven wrong!
Ha, well, I also didn't know about Judge Holden until about a month ago!
I think the truth with many, many novelists is that winning a major award is the path to becoming a bestseller. But I do think there are a few elements of All the Pretty Horses that makes it more of a crowd pleaser. The language is simpler (relatively) and I think it may be his first novel where you're not following a shithead and/or maniac. Along with a few other elements, I think it was the one that was most inviting to a large audience.
Yeah, I assumed that the protagonist(s) of All the Pretty Horses would have to be more normal and/or likeable than his others (which is not a high bar to clear), and I've had fun imagining McCarthy's attempt to write a straightforward romance novel (which is not what I expect to actually find). I'll probably start reading it today or tomorrow.
Good luck! I think it might be my current favorite. It was also a first time read for me.
Very cool to have you reading along.
This was a fantastic review of Blood Meridian. The slaughter, the strange alignment to historical facts and biblical text - there’s a lot going on in this book. It’s one of those “big American” works, right up there with Moby Dick, that’s spinning so many plates at once, I often forget there’s just one writer behind it all.
Also, the point you bring up at the end hits hard. The way he wrote this one begs to be taken as fact, and sometimes feels more true than the history we’re told in schools.
I came away from this book convinced that we humans can be terrible creatures when the borders of history aren’t laid out ahead of us. Not sure that’s a great way to see our civilization but McCarthy makes a strong argument for it
McCarthy is too good at what he does to be considered "just one writer," even though that's exactly what he is. When he's at his best, I feel like I'm not reading some words that some guy wrote, but being exposed directly to some essence that is always up for grabs, but usually veiled.
I came into this McCarthy project of mine convinced that we humans are terrible creatures, and his work has given me some hope for us. We are flawed and stupid and cruel, but ultimately inconsequential. It's our actions and what we leave behind that matter.
A military character in my WIP just used “The evening redness in the west” as code for the book’s otherworldly antagonist.
Well shoot, consider me intrigued.