Comments on: The Road / Cormac McCarthy

By: estelle

estelle — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:13:28 +0000

‘One of the better/best adaptations I’ve seen’ doesn’t inspire me with confidence. For my part, I liked The Babysitters’ club movie. (NOT. THAT’S NOT WHAT CLAUDIA LOOKS LIKE, SHE LOOKS LIKE ME, ETC.)

I was actually being earnest there. Or was I?

By: Lu

Lu — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:54:50 +0000

Well, I’ve never written before, but do enjoy your blog. This made me laugh. Now I want someone to do the same thing in the style of Banville’s The Sea. There’s a book I love to loathe.

By: estelle

estelle — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:34:01 +0000

Oh no, I loved that book. I loved most of it so much that I didn’t even throw the book across the room about the egregious, unnecessary coincidence at the end of the book. Seriously! That’s an idea, though. When I get it back from my friend I might give that a go (and probably fail miserably, considering my vocabulary doesn’t comprise 910401927949127 words)

By: Sam

Sam — Mon, 31 May 2010 23:57:37 +0000

Hardy ha. That’s more like it. Are you being sarcastic? ‘its repetitive plot points and low-magnitude highs’? I can’t tell. (You’ve outsmarted me again, Tang.) Umm I recommend seeing the film, as it’s one of the better/best adaptations I’ve seen. And read recent Pascall Prize winner Mark Mordue’s thoughts on the book and the film.

By: Sam

Sam — Mon, 31 May 2010 23:49:47 +0000

So many layers. Like an onion. Or parfait.

By: estelle tang

estelle tang — Mon, 31 May 2010 21:51:41 +0000

For the record! I love, atypic’al style,

By: estelle

estelle — Mon, 31 May 2010 21:50:04 +0000

If you want to be passive aggressive, Cooney, just be an adult about it and write me a spammy email.

This reply for the both of you:

I loved the story – if you can call it that – its repetitive plot points and low-magnitude highs. I can only tolerate ’survival’ literature if it’s done well, and I loved McCarthy’s foor-related climaxes and grey exhaustion. Also, that there was little ability for the reader to place any one scene in any discernable arc of renewal or sustainability.

I thought the apocalyptic landscape was captured with a lot of subtlety for the most part, and quite a bit of restraint (especially in comparison with the movie, which I haven’t seen, but have heard a lot of kinda of dumb things about).

I could have given or taken the ending. I understand why McCarthy went the way he did – the way of hope rather than absolute isolation and fear – but I also wish it hadn’t been quite such an explicitly redemptive ending. I thought it could have been more ambiguous. But I didn’t hate it.

By: Katia

Katia — Mon, 31 May 2010 19:28:55 +0000

Hi, Estelle,

Very, very funny. But what did you think of the story? I didn’t enjoy it myself.

Katia

By: sam

sam — Mon, 31 May 2010 13:57:34 +0000

You’re a bit of a smartarse, Estelle, but I like this. Is it the editor in you that couldn’t get past the atypical style?

And I still want to know: what did you think of the story itself?