Author / Writer / Book
Lover - which are you?
FD ~ Book lover, although I have always enjoyed writing, too.
Fiction title and year published
The Road published in 2006
Author name
Cormac McCarthy
Type of book
Post-apocalyptic drama
What is it about this
book that pulled you in?
FD ~ This book reads so beautifully. It
is truly a masterful piece of art. The
words are written lyrically. Within the
first paragraph there are lines such as, "Like pilgrims in a fable
swallowed up and lost among the inward parts of some granitic beast". As soon as you begin you know that there is a
powerful story waiting to be told.
Is there a relationship
in the story that resonated with you?
FD ~ This story resonated with me deeply as it is ultimately a love story, but
not in the traditional sense of romantic love.
It is a love story of a man and his child. The man’s sole purpose is to
care for his child and maintain his innocence; protecting him at all costs from
the harsh realities that the world has become.
Throughout the book the father teaches the child how to survive, and
allows the child to feel and maintain hope about the future even though you
know the father does not share the same hope.
The way the father gently teaches the child each valuable lesson
reminded me of my own dad. Particularly,
his patience and the way he cared for his son and allowed him the freedom to express
his emotions while comforting him.
Do you think that
relationship was portrayed realistically?
FD ~ Absolutely. It is
the most beautiful part of the book.
Each and every action that takes place is for the greater purpose of the
man pressing forward in the face of adversity for his son. The son adores and cherishes his father. It is very powerful.
Anything else you want
to tell us about the book without giving away too much of the plot?
FD ~ The audio version of this book was excellent. I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and this was
by far the best one I have ever listened to.
However, the physical version offers a lot as well since it is lyrically
written which you do not capture in the same sense while listening to an
audiobook. This is not a light
read. There is starvation as all
wildlife is extinct, there is cannibalism, there is violence, but the
underlying relationship between the two main characters is what carries the
story through.
Attention readers ~ Have YOU read this book, or did you see the movie? If so, tell us what YOU thought of it!
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JHA ~ Thanks so much, Fauntel, for taking the time to recommend one of your favorite reads, one I read years ago that I know has invoked many interesting discussions!
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I have heard great things about this book - and I think the only reason I have never read it is because my husband, who knows me well, thought I should avoid it. He thought I might have too hard of a time with the desperation of that parent-child relationship. Maybe I'll read it one day when all my kids are out of school? :D
ReplyDeleteI read this book shortly after it came out, Janet, right around the time we were sinking into a recession. I was horrified to think this situation could ever happen to us, and of course, immediately thought of our children and grandchildren and how in the world could I protect them from this?
DeleteI haven't seen the movie, but yes, it will definitely get you thinking a "what if" scenario with your family! :)
I have a question for you, Fauntel. Did you see the movie? If so, did it follow the book layout? Also, as a mother of young children, did you find yourself putting your family in that horrifying situation?
ReplyDeleteI did see the movie, and I thought it conveyed the plotline of the book except for one glaring error. I felt they were trying to get more attention in the box office by having Charlize Theron play a character in the book. In the book her character had an extremely small part, but in the movie her role played throughout the film in flashbacks. It was a bit overkill in comparison to the book.
ReplyDeleteLuckily, I did not find myself putting my family into the situation. Although the book really resonated with me regarding survival skills taught by my dad I was able to draw the line there.
Thank you for recommending this book. You cited a quote from the book that intrigues me as I love that style of writing. One question, did you have any reactions to the book as predicted by your husband?
ReplyDeleteHi Susan, the style is really beautiful. It's very poetic and dark. Janet (previous poster above) was the person whose husband thought she might have a strong reaction to it. :)
ReplyDelete