hollywood44 wrote:There's a rumor that McCarthy wrote Cities of the Plain first, and then subsequently wrote the other two. If you've read the trilogy, you realize that this is entirely plausible. Cities is later in the timeline but really doesn't delve into the characters backstory in detail. I like to think this rumor is true for some reason.
McCarthy did write _Cities_ first, but he wrote it as a screenplay and he couldn't find anyone interested in it, so then he wrote _All The Pretty Horses_, which — ironically — finally got him noticed. Of course, with the possible exception of _Suttree_, _Horses_ is his only really "happy" book, but that's completely subverted once one finally gets to the end of the trilogy. I think it was pretty crafty on McCarthy's part to put _Horses_ out there, and I find it kind of funny when I hear people who came to him through _Horses_ complain about his "losing it" after that book, when, really, _Horses_ in the anomaly in his ouevre.
I'd certainly agree with all the praise everyone's already given him and his work. In terms of order, reading his work chronologically, imo, is the best approach. For the Border Trilogy, of course, this is a bit more important than otherwise (Horses > Crossing > Cities). _Blood Meridian_ and _No Country_, I also think, operate as significant bookends to the trilogy, as a prologue and an epilogue to the Western mythos he goes about debunking in the series, and, if I were coming to the Western books for the first time, that's the way I'd want to read them.
Oh, cool. Whatever source I read presented it as an unconfirmed rumor.
Re the Western novels, that order makes sense to me. I've read all of those, but have yet to hit the Southern novels (Suttree and the like).
I'm curious as to the forthcoming movie adaptations. The Road will be good, I suspect. The pedigree of the principals involved is pretty stellar. I'm less confident about Ridley Scott's adaptation of Blood Meridian. I fear he'll cut down on the intense darkness of the novel and create more of a box-office friendly action-ish film. But who knows. I'm not even sure what stage of development it's in.
I recall reading a review of No Country when it was published, and the review mentioned that the rumor (another rumor, i know...but this was in a mainstream publication...can't remember what thought) in publishing circles was that the manuscript McCarthy originally submitted was almost 700 pages. Can't remember the length of the version that hit bookshelves, but it's under 400 I'm pretty sure.
This seems to make sense. I remember being struck by how lean action-packed it was relative to the Border trilogy. It was almost like the book was written for the express purpose of being adapted for the screen, like he had this in his mind the whole time. Shoot, I could easily see a couple hundred additional pages of internal monologue from Sherriff Bell being submitted. The Road felt the same way to me, fwiw.
gdavis5446 wrote:The McCarthy books are all good. No Country For Old Men and The Road are probably his two most accessible. Make sure to read All the Pretty Horses before the Crossing. Then follow it up with Cities of the Plain. There is a bit of Spanish to work through in all three of those, but they are all excellent.
Agreed. The Border Trilogy is epic but well worth the effort.
There's a rumor that McCarthy wrote Cities of the Plain first, and then subsequently wrote the other two. If you've read the trilogy, you realize that this is entirely plausible. Cities is later in the timeline but really doesn't delve into the characters backstory in detail. I like to think this rumor is true for some reason.
In any case, I found the ending of Cities to be gut-wrenchingly sad. The cumulative weight of working through 3 books to get there made it heavier than the Road. At least for me. Plus I'd already done the trilogy and No Country by the time I read the Road, so it was pretty well established in my mind that McCarthy protagonists don't get a happily ever after.
half, please explain to me what it means to pray for someone. is it a mantra kind of thing? is it a moment of meditation? according to those who endorse determinism the future has been written in stone so, once again, what am i praying for? an event that has already been determined? help me out. maybe, i should pray that heather have the endurance to endure that which has already been written in the eternal playscript. however, if that is true, my very act of prayer has been predetermined also, hasn't it? halfie, help a brotha out.
"when one person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity. when many people suffer from a delusion it is called religion."
robert pirsig; zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance
megaballs1 wrote:Just getting done with Age of Lincoln by O.V. Burton. The shitty ass 19th century...good book nevertheless.
What's the word on Confederacy of Dunces?
I read No Country for Old last year and have
The Road
The Crossing
All the Pretty Horses
all on the docket. Is there an order I should read 'em in?
Confederacy of Dunces is a riot and a good read. I highly recommend it...
I second this recommendation. I read that probably close to 30 years ago now but can still recall this bizarre character. Hilarious. I seem to recall reading somewhere that later editions have a "completed" story. Is this true? The one I read ended abruptly, as the author had committed suicide. A shame no matter what, but the author was an extremely talented writer.
Edit: Actually, I just searched wikipedia and found that the book was published a full 11 years after the author's suicide. But I am still quite certain it was NOT a fully completed manuscript at the time of original publication in 1980. (Wikipedia doesn't address this).
Hmm...i just read that last year and yeah it was a hilarious riot and frustrating at times (the main character that is).
Hmm..i know the ending initially seemed sudden (and convenient) to me, but the more i thought about it...it kinda made sense...in that "oh you gotta be kidding...no wait...given everything else that's happened, i'm not really surprised"
Not sure if that makes any sense though without me spoiling the ending for those that haven't read it yet.
gdavis5446 wrote:The McCarthy books are all good. No Country For Old Men and The Road are probably his two most accessible. Make sure to read All the Pretty Horses before the Crossing. Then follow it up with Cities of the Plain. There is a bit of Spanish to work through in all three of those, but they are all excellent.
Agreed. The Border Trilogy is epic but well worth the effort.
megaballs1 wrote:Just getting done with Age of Lincoln by O.V. Burton. The shitty ass 19th century...good book nevertheless.
What's the word on Confederacy of Dunces?
I read No Country for Old last year and have
The Road
The Crossing
All the Pretty Horses
all on the docket. Is there an order I should read 'em in?
Confederacy of Dunces is a riot and a good read. I highly recommend it...
I second this recommendation. I read that probably close to 30 years ago now but can still recall this bizarre character. Hilarious. I seem to recall reading somewhere that later editions have a "completed" story. Is this true? The one I read ended abruptly, as the author had committed suicide. A shame no matter what, but the author was an extremely talented writer.
Edit: Actually, I just searched wikipedia and found that the book was published a full 11 years after the author's suicide. But I am still quite certain it was NOT a fully completed manuscript at the time of original publication in 1980. (Wikipedia doesn't address this).
megaballs1 wrote:Just getting done with Age of Lincoln by O.V. Burton. The shitty ass 19th century...good book nevertheless.
What's the word on Confederacy of Dunces?
I read No Country for Old last year and have
The Road
The Crossing
All the Pretty Horses
all on the docket. Is there an order I should read 'em in?
Confederacy of Dunces is a riot and a good read. I highly recommend it.
The McCarthy books are all good. No Country For Old Men and The Road are probably his two most accessible. Make sure to read All the Pretty Horses before the Crossing. Then follow it up with Cities of the Plain. There is a bit of Spanish to work through in all three of those, but they are all excellent.
"I'll Sleep When I'm Dead; The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon by Crystal Zevon. This is one guy I wouldn't have wanted to associate with. What a wreck of a human being. But I like his music.