作者名称 国旗国籍

Shamus

EN

CN

2019.08.06 22:12

2019 Book Reviews

#6 No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

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What things do I most look for in a novel? Strong dialogue, a clear writing style, interesting characters, a story that grabs me and won't let go and more generally something that will invoke in me an emotional reaction. This novel has all of these things and is one of the reasons that right now Cormac McCarthy is probably my favourite novelist.

The story is about a man who is hunting one day and stumbles on the viscera of a drug deal gone wrong out in the open plain. While searching the site he retrieves a large suitcase of money and runs away. This leads to a hitman being hired to hunt the man down and the police, led by the local sheriff, hunting both men. The story is told from the interweaving perspectives of these three characters and I found it to be continually entertaining and engaging. It's one of my favourite novels.

My rating: 9.2/10.
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Comments

  • Luci 2019.08.07 05:21

    ES
    EN

    I have neither read the novel nor watched the movie. The reason has nothing to do with the writer but with one of the protagonist actors. Javier Bardem is Spanish actor but he rarely speaks good things about his country. After reading your comments about this novel I am giving this novel an opportunity since I was judging a book by its cover. I intend to forget, at least during the time it takes to be read, that Bardem is the face everyone will remember when talking about the movie.
  • Shamus 2019.08.07 09:35

    EN
    CN

    @Luci Ah wow. I didn't know about that. Thanks for sharing with me Luci. The character that he plays in the movie actually has very little description in the novel. He's described as "having as eyes as blue as lapis" which Bardem does not have. The characters name, Anton Chigurgh was also chosen to create mystery around his origins so you can picture him however you like when you read it. 😉
  • MysteryC 2019.08.07 16:38

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    EN

    Im reading Hannibal series recently,I thought it would be horrible ,but when almost finishing reading the whole series,just found that the evil I thought was not so evil,and the darkest corner in this world is always the human heart…😢
  • Shamus 2019.08.07 21:09

    EN
    CN

    @MysteryC Wow. Thanks for the recommendation. Do you recommend starting with Red Dragon? I have added it to my reading list.
  • MysteryC 2019.08.08 01:57

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    EN

    @Shamus how about to start with the silence of the lambs? and then I went reading Hannibal Rising,from this one,I didnt think that devil is so hateful anymore😃 and now im reading the last book of this series,personally I think Red Dragon can be put to the last😃
  • Shamus 2019.08.08 06:23

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    CN

    @MysteryC Ah wow. Thanks for your recommendation. 😊😉
  • MysteryC 2019.08.08 06:49

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    EN

    @Shamus no problem,and thanks to you too、your readings are excellent!!☺
  • 爱斯基摩T 2019.08.08 22:28

    CN
    FR

    I’m gonna assume you’ve also watched the movie here. So out of curiosity (and also to get a rough idea of how good this book might be since I’ve seen the movie), what was your rating for the movie? Although, I think the book is generally always better than the movie no matter how good the movie is made
  • Shamus 2019.08.09 08:24

    EN
    CN

    @爱斯基摩T I'm not sure about a rating for the movie though it's an excellent one. The book gives more emphasis to the Sheriff. Each chapter starts with his thoughts and concerns (He's the old man that there's no country for). The book is definitely better but as you already know, the movie is excellent.
  • 爱斯基摩T 2019.08.09 20:06

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    FR

    @Shamus I see! “The book is definitely better” is enough for me. Added to my kindle list 😎 Usually my only concern when reading a book after watching the movie/TV shows l is that I might quit half way through (and therefore waste my time) if the book is not interesting enough for me to read the story I already know all over again (if that makes sense 🤔
  • Shamus 2019.08.09 20:18

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    CN

    @爱斯基摩T It makes sense. And you'll see the special thing with Cormac McCarthy is not just the story but the writing style. It's very unique. Enjoy.
  • 爱斯基摩T 2019.08.09 20:21

    CN
    FR

    @Shamus Will do! Thx for the recommendation

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