Suttree

Quite simply, my favourite novel. Dark, desperate and tragic. A timeless narrative as true today as it was when written and when the novel is set. 1950's. Poetic, haunting, and reflective. Torn from the depths of a troubled soul, a depiction of a man who has resigned himself to the simplicity of suffering and his wallowing in it.

I've been a fan of McCarthy's work for a long time, and I found this book extremely difficult to "like." Of course the writing is superb. No one writes description, especially of place, better than McCarthy. The work is astonishing in that regard. However, for me it finally became akin to a hell-scape fever dream. The darkness in this book is impenetrable. I've read that it's semi-biographical and though I don't know what that means exactly, it's disappointing. Suttree is an aimless character who never rises above his misery, and what made it worse for me is that it was never clear what possessed him, why he ran off from his family or why his life read like a long death. Kudos to the narrator for gutting it out. He's a beautiful reader but after this one he might have needed some time off to recuperate.

My least favorite McCarthy novel, but I made it to the end. Primary adjective - overdone. The vocabulary is just too much - too many multisyllabic adjectives and unnecessary metaphors and similes. Bouncing around in time caused me to have to listen twice to many parts. I'm not stupid but I couldn't have gotten distracted, weary of the story.

I think this is the greatest story I’ve read yet :)

Could the author get to the point without going three times around the block , losing the point And using every word in the dictionary to make a statement that no one can understand. In other words ,it’s rubbish

There have been so many reviews on this book, I won’t add detail. I read one review that used the word “pungent” in describing parts of this book. I’m going to usurp that word and say the entire book is simply pungent. It’s the very best word to describe it. Written brilliantly and the narrator is outstanding!!

Not a fan of his writing style. Every single phrase is crammed with descriptives, like he’s trying too hard. I realize I’m in the minority here… Narrator was fine, enjoyable

Mr. kormick and the narrator are a match made in heaven. hands down my favorite author. read by a man who fits the tone of the novel.

Great story. Great Characters. Could be a 5 start book if he cut out a lot of the rambling rubbish. Sometimes hard to follow.

Literary genius

Beautiful written but the main character didn't impress me. This is a story of a life wasted.

Such a slow pace compared to his finer novels, an author with more time and words than ideas.

Mesmerizing descriptive portions, with many abstruse words that forced me to run to a dictionary ( and at times caused me to watch my eyebrows, grimace and move on). The author creates a most complex main character who is very tough to feel empathy for. And yet he displays kindness that is extraordinary for the ugly and tortured world he occupies.. The narrator is superb and at certain points was the reason I kept going.

Too slow moving of the story telling. Repetitive descriptions with a plethora of adjectives, for my liking.

This is a long, dark and multi-faceted story filled with memorable imagery. Often poetic, it is a tale about the underbelly of life, and the characters who live (and die) along the river and in the slums of a southern town in the 1950s. Richard Poe, the narrator, is superb with his descriptions of the settings and his varying character accents. I'm glad I read it, although I wasn't so sure for awhile. I certainly will never forget this book.

Good book-a little long-winded at times, but overall pretty good “listen”

No, not for me.

I cannot say this is my favorite work by McCarthy, and cannot say it is my least favorite. I can say that I could not put it down, and I backed up several times to hear portions again before moving ahead. The characters were intriguing and the situations they found themselves in were absorbing. The narration was excellent, with Poe's voice perfectly setting the time and the mood.

Cormac McCarthy’s command of the English language is simply mind blowing. This, mixed with a flawless performance of narration, puts this book in the Top 5 Listens Of All Time. This is a must read.