Honestly hardest book to read imo. Every line a work of art my brain could barely process.

I loved that it really tested my vocabulary and focus, definitely had to slow down significantly and re-read at points.

The book is challenging but is also one of the most incredible pieces of literature I’ve ever read.

I’m over 30 and I’ve read a fair amount + I’m fluent in Spanish so even with all of that it was difficult at times.

I started trying to read this book at the beginning of the year and just made it through a few weeks ago. Stopped a few times for a month or more. Hard to tell what’s happening or who’s talking.

I’m halfway through it right now and I’ve found I enjoy it a lot more if I just like…half skim? Like I read everything but if I don’t understand a word or sentence I just keep going without worrying about it and find I still generally understand the scene and what’s happening.

Reading Cormac McCarthy is like looking at modern art, you gotta just squint a bit and not worry too much about understanding everything

McCarthy writes like an asshole.

It’s not a problem with your reading compensation. If it stops being enjoyable, feel free to put the book down and walk away.

Is this normal or are my comprehension skills just poor?

It’s normal. How Cormac McCarthy’s publisher allowed a book with no punctuation to be released is beyond me.

I struggled through the entire book and now it’s my favorite book.

I also used a reading guide with chapter summaries and analysis. I would read a chapter and then go to the reading guide to make sure I had a good grasp of everything before moving on to the next chapter. Kinda dorky, I know, but it helped a whole lot.

No it is a hard book to read.

I started with No Country For Old Men. That book is much less dense and a good way to really get a feel for Cormac’s style of writing.

Yes to both. Don’t feel bad about shelving it and getting back to it once you’ve built up more experience and comprehension, that’s what I did.

Also don’t worry about pages per hour, you should be reading it slowly. Reading slowly is a good thing it means you are reading above your comprehension level, whereas reading fast means you’re reading below your level. You won’t grow if you only read easy books.

McCarthy’s style takes a while to get used to.

I restarted the Road a couple times. It was the first book of his I read and I found it difficult to follow initially. Who’s talking? Is this a conversation? Are these thoughts?

But he’s very consistent. Once you get tuned into his style, he’s very exciting.

I read it for the first time recently and feel like I was in some sort of fugue state. I loved the vividness of the imagery even though it’s like a fever dream. Not an easy book to read, but definitely worth it.

As said, McCarthy is both an acquired taste and can be difficult. I could read it and “get it”, but just don’t want to suffer the effort. If after something unique then have at it, but if wanting an enjoyable story pleasantly conventional but meaningful then modernism is the way to go.

McCarthy is not meant for speed reading. He writes very uniquely and deliberately. I understand why people struggle with his writing and find myself feeling grateful to be one of the people it clicks with because his prose is truly brilliant and one of the most unique voices in all of American literature.

Listen to it. It takes time to get used to McCarthy’s punctuation and use of language. Listening makes it so much easier.

I have never looked up more words in my life. I read it on kindle and there were a handful of times where even the built in dictionary didn’t know what the word meant. It’s also has long scenes in untranslated Spanish. Add in his insane punctuation and endless paragraphs. It’s an aggressively unfriendly book (but I think that may be the point).

I read it a month ago.