The master, his master work.

Chigurgh and Ed Tom are 2 of the most memorable characters of the West. Mr McCarthy defines how the West was lost, and where it got us.

The three main characters are all so different, but stubborn in their own way. Whenever you feel tired of one character, the next paragraph will oblige and you will be hooked again. The coldness of the antagonist chills you but in a way you like. Ending is very open but I would love it if the story ended here.

This book left me shaken, also. I now view locked doors as questionable (you need to read the book to figure out that comment!).

That there are people in existence who are so cold and single-minded as the no-named hired killer is frightening.

I'm giving this book a 5/5 because it meets my criteria for a "good book": The characters are interesting & complex; the writing is excellent; the plot kept me (very) involved; and it's one that will stay with me for a long time. As the Bookbrowse page says, all the critics agree this is a "page-turner." I had a very difficult time putting it down.

McCarthy's lack of punctuation and grammatically incorrect syntax were at first challenging, but I think it forced me to pay more attention to the text, thereby really wrapping me up in the plot. It is, however, very violent. People who are squeamish or find no entertainment value in senseless violence will want to give this one a miss. In addition, much of the book is a "monologue" of sorts. This works initially, but I felt it went on a bit long, kind of beating me over the head with McCarthy's message ("OK, OK, I GOT it already!").

Finally, I object to the ending, which positively screams "sequel in the works." I would have liked more subtlety there. Overall, I am recommending it to my friends with the above caveats.

The first page of this book will hook you, it is so beautifully written (as is the rest of the story). The story does leave you shaken. It is amazing that a story written so eloquently could be so brutal. You feel the brutality more so because it is pulled from reality.