Cities of the Plain: Cormac McCarthy

Well, The Border Trilogy had to come to an end sometime. In this third novel everything comes together and as one may have started to suspect in the second installment, The Crossing, Billy Parham is instantly shown to have a love for John Grady Cole due to the latter resembling the former's younger brother Boyd who was also extremely gifted with horses. Billy seems to have learned to appreciate Cole's hard headed nature and at eight years older certainly plays the role of big brother and best friend. This book was shorter and a much quicker read then the first two and despite it giving a feeling as if it were the book McCarthy originally conceptualized and the first two were just brilliantly formulated background; I would still have to agree that All the Pretty Horses was the best of the three. I missed the character of Lacey Rawlings who was John Grady's cousin and travelling companion in the first novel. Despite the fact that Billy was a similar character of thoughtful action as opposed to the instinctive and impulsive nature of the gifted horsemen that were John Grady and Boyd Parham I couldn't help, but hope that he would reappear in this conclusion. McCarthy does create characters that a reader grows attached to and this is true of all five of the main cowboys of the trilogy and even some of the smaller roles, particularly the other ranch hands in this finale. I also will admit that I found myself saddened to leave my new friends at the ending as the Los Angeles Book Review writer (quoted in the opening pages) had told me I would be. The end was shocking and abrupt and then the epilogue jumped so far into the future that I longed to know of the missing years. Overall, I enjoyed these books despite the death and the often dark philosophy. McCarthy truly is a gifted storyteller and I still desire to read more from him, namely, No Country for Old Men. Thanks.

The Crossing: Cormac McCarthy

Well this one really froze me up for a bit. There are Books I-IV and they can really feel as such. Again, McCarthy has lulled me into his slowly developing tale, but along the way I became attached to Billy Parham much in the same way I had with John Grady Cole. I love McCarthy's descriptions of the land and his attention to details regarding the joys of simple work, the majesty of horses and other animals, and to the difference between age-old wisdom and book smarts among men. The only parts in The Crossing that can really wear on a reader and slow one's progress through this novel are the often long and extremely detailed stories told by random acquaintances met on the road. To be sure, this is where Mr. McCarthy reveals a deep understanding of philosophy and local history and some critics may find these tales of oral-aural history from the random gypsies, vaqueros, and priests of McCarthy's old Mexico to be the true splendor of his prose, but they pop up out of nowhere and sometimes drag on. I am also willing to admit that they give great insight to his character's patience and wisdom beyond their years as John Grady, or in this chapter Billy Parham sit listening only to reply with thoughtfully formed questions, but again, I found myself getting stuck on them and longing to get on with the plot. The Crossing, much like All The Pretty Horses, is a sad story and it makes me expect nothing different from Cities of the Plain, which I have thus far sped through about 50 pages or so excited about the prospect of these two great characters coming together. It seems that Billy will certainly take to John Grady, seeing the resemblance between he and poor Boyd. Often one must find a character to grow attached to for a novel to grab a hold of he or she and McCarthy will give you those, but I am finding that the author's style of purposefully keeping his reader in the dark and slowly revealing truths as he sees fit and his simple, understated way of writing dialogue are growing on me just the same way. Keep reading and I'll keep trying to catch up.

Hello, Midge? You there?

Hell you been?
Here, just busy.
You still readin'?
Yessir.
You going to post somethin' soon?
Yessir, just finishing two books right now.
Good. What's the hold up?
Just got a recession busting job and I been busy, thass all. Not going to let the whole thing slip just yet.
Good. You let me know.
Yessir.

The Midge has been floating in the fray and reading as much as possible, but a new gig that runs in the evenings coupled with a few trips out of town has made finishing Jazz and The Crossing quite a feat. I had to stop in and let my millions of fans know that I will be posting both novel reviews as soon as possible and I am not going to let the Midget die so soon. Happy V Day and Happy Black history month....be on the lookout for new posts, thanks.

Cormac McCarthy: All the Pretty Horses

 

Well here we are at the end of the day on January 31st and the Midget is hurting to finish his goal already. I finished the first installment of "The Border Trilogy," entitled All the Pretty Horses a few days back, but haven't written the article just yet and am now struggling to finish both Into the Wild and 1984 at the same time. Since I am over half way through both of these books I feel pretty good about the project so far and I intend to stay up until I finish Into the Wild tonight. Meanwhile, I really enjoyed All the Pretty Horses. (note: I realize that writing a bunch of positive reviews for books that have already earned critical acclaim is kind of pointless and redundant, but a big part of the project is to read up on standards of cultural literacy including books that "everyone" read in high-school, etc. So...it is bound to happen) At first, I was really enjoying the slow pace of this book, but then it kind of took off on me. I was lulled by McCarthy, but perfectly happy with the vivid descriptions of the terrain and horses and his use of language among the characters, which has all of the Texas courtesy and drawl one might expect, but also the humble, yet remarkable intelligence he bestows upon these seemingly simple folk. McCarthy seems to delight in reminding "city folk" that farmers and country dwellers are still capable of intellect that is equal if not superior to their own. I was happily feeling nostalgia for my youthful trips to visit my father in northern Montana and the many lessons on the majesty of horses taught by my step mother. Then, the next thing I knew, John Grady and was in an all-out western thrill-ride easily worthy of Clint Eastwood's direction. It is certainly closer to No Country for Old Men then it is to The Road, which I say after only having seen the movie in the case of No Country, but...I did read up on the movie before it came out including an interview with McCarthy and the Coen brothers (supposedly a very rare one at that since McCarthy is extremely apprehensive around the media and known to many as a full-blown recluse). Therefore, since they actually worked together with Mr. McCarthy and reportedly jumped through a few hoops to make him happy, I am going to make an ass out of you and me and stake this claim based solely on the picture. I plan to read the rest of the trilogy and maybe even waste a few hours on the Billy Bob Thornton adaption for the screen, but for now I have the intention of reading some African American authors for Black History Month. The pile has already accumulated Lush Life: The Biography of Billy Strayhorn and Jazz by Toni Morrison...stay tuned.

The Road (Film)

Ok...so this goes against the description of my blog. "What a hypocrite." Whatever. Save it. At least you know I'm a human and not some cyborg toolkit reading these books with my eyes closed and my mind off. "Wait, Isn't that the whole idea? To read rather than turning one's mind off and staring?" Get over it non-existent reader who I am quoting, shit. Yeah, so in this case I went to the pictures and I sat and stared at the screen to see what Viggo Mortensen and John Hilcot did to this book. It seemed reasonable. I and many others have thoroughly enjoyed...or at least suffered through this story and ended up humbled and truly grateful to the author. I have to say that it was actually a pretty damn good movie. There were some issues here and there and I think I may have directed Viggo differently, but in the end, his even keel and quiet reflection made for a solid portrayal of "The man." The things that bothered me for a minute faded away because of his consistency and I was soon able to accept his mild manner and soft tone as a reasonable interpretation of McCarthy's character. "The man," was obviously tormented by some unimaginable demons and was slowly being worn down to the bone. If you didn't read the book then this movie is definitely worth seeing (it will be a rental before long because its' already out of most theaters) and if you did then give it a shot. If you usually try to separate the movie from the book as I do then you might just find that it isn't so hard to do in this case and that despite some minor details, sequencing, and very minor omissions, they are quite close. ONE thing did bother me at the end. Something so small as a location completely glazes over the resolve and sheer balls displayed by the child in the novel. However, I don't wish to spoil anything if someone actually stumbles upon this drop of water in the ocean of blogs so please comment if you care to discuss this matter...ye lost and wandering soul with time to kill.....

Cormac McCarthy's The Road

I was recommended to read this book around the time I moved to Los Angeles from San Diego at the beginning of last summer. My roommates, a wholly sophisticated and educated couple, had said to push through the first 50 to 100 pages and then I would be hooked. Well, I started to read it, but didn't make it quite that far and as I began to move I was asked to make sure I left their copy behind. Months later when the movie was about to come out and I had only continued to hear great things about the novel I decided I needed to pick it up soon. Oh, but that dragged out as well until finally I asked for the book for Christmas and I got it. It is the first book of this project and the first book of 2010 for me and I have resisted the urge to see the movie so that I could take it in. The previews for the movie did give me a little extra understanding and made it easier for me to get ensnared in McCarthy's story from the jump. Instantly, the prose makes me step back unconsciously crack my pencil in my left hand, and say to myself, "Holy shit, this guy is smart. Perhaps I should give up wanting to write in any format and leave it to the more skilled and studied literati".....ah, fuck it. I will just continue to read more of the masters of past and present and continue to learn. McCarthy is vividly descriptive in this post-apocalyptic tale of a father and son trudging through wasted America in hopes of continuing to live. The goals are uncertain and this is one of those books that grows like a giant black cloud and the reader finds his or herself slowly facing up to the fact that a happy ending just isn't in the cards. I have read critics that say McCarthy must be a tormented soul, but I say that if he is then we are insanely lucky that he decides to share his inner pain so eloquently. The Road is a relatively quick-read and the journey is undoubtedly one of hope against all odds. Whether you saw the movie or not I would recommend spending a few days with this novel; Oprah fan or not. Happy Sorrows....