Journal Entry 1 by kizmiaz from Belém , Lisboa (cidade) Portugal on Thursday, June 26, 2008

"A man and a boy, father and son, "each the other's world entire," walk a road in "the ashes of the late world." In this stunning departure from his previous work, McCarthy (No Country for Old Men, 2005) envisions a postapocalyptic scenario. Cities have been destroyed, plants and animals have died, and few humans survive. The sun is hidden by ash, and it is winter. With every scrap of food looted, many of the living have turned to cannibalism. The man and the boy plod toward the sea. The man remembers the world before; as his memories die, so, too dies that world. The boy was born after everything changed. The man, dying, has a fierce paternal love and will to survive--yet he saves his last two bullets for himself and his son. Although the holocaust is never explained, this is the kind of grim warning that leads to nightmares. Its spare, precise language is rich with other explorations, too: hope in the face of hopelessness, the ephemeral nature of our existence, the vanishing worlds we all carry within us. McCarthy evokes Beckett, using repetition and negation to crushing effect, showing us by their absence the things we will miss. Hypnotic and haunting, relentlessly dark, this is a novel to read in late-night solitude. Though the focus never leaves the two travelers, they carry our humanity, and we can't help but feel the world hangs in the balance of their hopeless quest." - From Booklist

I enjoyed this book, but don't see why all the fuss when the book was published.
What I enjoyed most about it was the way it's written, something I'd already liked in No Country For Old Men, the author mixes action and dialogue in a very cool way.
As for the story itself I felt this is just a little peek at the father and son "adventures", we the readers are permited to travel with these two characters for a while and then they move on and we don't because the book has finished. I like this sort of book, where the details are not all in plain sight and you have to make up for the lack of information with your imagination.
A good read that I recommend, you're either going to like it or hate it but it certainly won't leave you indiferent. 

Journal Entry 2 by kizmiaz from Belém , Lisboa (cidade) Portugal on Monday, October 06, 2008

Reserved for an international BRay.

BRay rules:
- I think a month is time enough for you to read this book if you think you won't make it no problem, just let me know so I can post a little warning to the following BC'er, it's all a matter of courtesy;
- Please do not forget to make a JE when you get it and when you send it on to the next, that way we'll all know where the book is;
- There is no limit to people on this BRay, the more the merrier;
- I'll organize this by country so it won't be too pricey for anyone;
- Because life's hard for a lot of us, please feel free to ship by surface mail;
- The last person on the BRay is free to do with the book as he pleases, you might even want to help it continuing its journey.
Sending it to bilbi today (16. Oct.2008)

Who's in:

- bilbi (France)
- Griete (Switzerland)
- Cinderess (UK)
- AliceF (UK)
- Snoopy56 (UK)
- JPix (UK)
- iliotropio (Belgium)
- moonblue (South Africa)
- vuurhoutjie (South Africa)
- mrbaggins1 (South Africa)
- EmgeeNL (Netherlands)
- Schmusefluse (Germany)<--It's here!
- sleepymom (USA)
- katintheboots (USA)
- Quez45 (USA) 

Journal Entry 3 by kizmiaz at n/a, A Bookray -- Controlled Releases on Friday, October 17, 2008

Released 3 yrs ago (10/17/2008 UTC) at n/a, A Bookray -- Controlled Releases

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Happy trails little book. 

Journal Entry 4 by bilbi from Chambéry, Rhône-Alpes France on Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Received today !
Two books to read before starting this one !

Thanks for sharing \o/

I should be able to finish it for December 1st;-) 

Journal Entry 5 by bilbi from Chambéry, Rhône-Alpes France on Wednesday, November 05, 2008

I'm sorry to tell you that I didn't finish the book.

The previous book I read was about mental illness and I must have been in need of a "cheering up" book when I opened the Road...

Obviously enough the writing is really rich, there's so much pain, so much intimacy in this work !

Thanks for sharing . 

Journal Entry 6 by Griete from Bern, Bern / Berne Switzerland on Friday, November 28, 2008

Many thanks, I got it this week. 

Journal Entry 7 by Griete from Bern, Bern / Berne Switzerland on Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Sorry about having kept this for so long, I'm definitely going to read it and send it on!! 

Journal Entry 8 by Griete from Bern, Bern / Berne Switzerland on Sunday, March 15, 2009

I will be sending it along this week. Thank you all for your patience! 

Journal Entry 9 by Griete from Bern, Bern / Berne Switzerland on Monday, March 30, 2009

Intriguing, powerful story about a father and son cast out on their own in a doomed world.
I especially liked the father's commitment to his child. Although I have to admit I did not get all of the story and its inuendos... 

Journal Entry 10 by Cinderess on Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Ohhh this came with two other books so I assumed it was a RABCK but reading the JEs I see that this is part of a bookring (one which I'd withdrawn from a while ago) so I'm going to have to post this book on. Hmmm. It had better be a good read! 

Journal Entry 11 by Cinderess on Sunday, April 19, 2009

I can see exactly why it won the Pulitzer Prize.

The sparseness of the writing and lack of dialogue conveys the bleakness effectively but also the amazing relationship between the pair.
It seems to have neither a beginning, middle or end. All through I had a sense that it was not necessarily leading anywhere satisfactory, or that it could do. You feel prepared for disappointment.

The only thing that really irritated me was the seemingly obligatory mention of God at the end. It's written by an American, so maybe I should have expected it.
 

Journal Entry 12 by Cinderess on Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Sent a PM asking for AliceF's address on 19.04.09. Awaiting a reply. Will send another message. 

Journal Entry 13 by Cinderess at BOOK RING, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- United Kingdom on Thursday, April 23, 2009

Released 3 yrs ago (4/25/2009 UTC) at BOOK RING, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- United Kingdom

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Posting on to Alice F. 

Journal Entry 14 by AliceF from Coventry, Warwickshire United Kingdom on Monday, April 27, 2009

Received by post today: thanks!

Currently number four on my pile of ring books to read... 

Journal Entry 15 by AliceF from Coventry, Warwickshire United Kingdom on Monday, July 06, 2009

Still have this book...

I was thinking of giving up on it (simply because I'm not in the right, you know, place for anything so bleak right now), but I've come across some more reviews recently and figured the book probably wouldn't deserve to be so discarded.

Watch this space. 

Journal Entry 16 by AliceF from Coventry, Warwickshire United Kingdom on Friday, July 24, 2009

Will be sending this on unfinished; apologies to everyone for the delay. 

Journal Entry 17 by AliceF at by post, Book Ring -- Controlled Releases on Friday, July 31, 2009

Released 2 yrs ago (7/31/2009 UTC) at by post, Book Ring -- Controlled Releases

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On its way. 

Journal Entry 18 by snoopy56 from Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk United Kingdom on Friday, August 21, 2009

Thanks for this. I loved 'All the Pretty Horses' and 'The Crossing' so really looking forward to this. 

Journal Entry 19 by snoopy56 from Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk United Kingdom on Thursday, August 27, 2009

What an extraordinary book. I found it quite compelling so read it really quickly. It's been so long since I read other books by this author that I can't really remember if the style of writing was similar. I'm now eager to read 'No Country for Old Men' which is on Mt TBR and which might also help to explain the plot of the film which I struggled to follow.
I will e-mail JPix for their details. 

Journal Entry 20 by JPix from Southampton, Hampshire United Kingdom on Thursday, September 03, 2009

The book is now here, thanks snoopy56 and kizmiaz! Looking forward to reading it on my holiday next week. 

Journal Entry 21 by JPix from Southampton, Hampshire United Kingdom on Thursday, September 24, 2009

I took this book to Spain on holiday and enjoyed reading it. I've PMed k2005 and will send it on when I have the address. 

Journal Entry 22 by JPix from Southampton, Hampshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Here's an update for this bookray. I couldn't get hold of k2005 and Lord-Trotsky has already read it so asked to be taken off the list. I'm now waiting to hear back from iliotropio who is next in line. Third time lucky maybe?! 

Journal Entry 23 by JPix at Bruxelles / Brussel, Bruxelles / Brussel Belgium on Sunday, October 18, 2009

Released 2 yrs ago (10/16/2009 UTC) at Bruxelles / Brussel, Bruxelles / Brussel Belgium

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CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Posted a few days ago to iliotropio in Belgium 

Journal Entry 24 by iliotropio from Bruxelles / Brussel, Bruxelles / Brussel Belgium on Sunday, October 25, 2009

Arrived safely in Brussels. Many thanks JPix ! 

Journal Entry 25 by iliotropio from Bruxelles / Brussel, Bruxelles / Brussel Belgium on Thursday, February 11, 2010

My apologies for keeping The Road with me for such a long time and many thanks to kizmiaz for her patience! Sometimes, life gets in the way...
Waiting for moonblue´s addy...
No reply from moonblue yet; moving on to vuurhoutjie...
Strangely enough, I wasn´t able to send a message to vuurhoutjie, so I PMed mrbaggins1 instead.
mrbaggins1 asked to skipped as she has already read it. I´ll PM EmgeeNL.
EmgeeNL asked to skipped. I´ll PM Schmusefluse. 

Journal Entry 26 by iliotropio from Bruxelles / Brussel, Bruxelles / Brussel Belgium on Friday, April 30, 2010

Happy reading, Schmusefluse! 

Journal Entry 27 by Schmusefluse from Wuppertal, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The book arrived somedays ago with lovely Belgian chocolate! Thanks so much Iliotropio!

I have to admit, that I cannot remember that I asked to part of this BRay..... Getting old! I am looking forward to reading this book!

 

Journal Entry 28 by Schmusefluse at Wuppertal, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Friday, September 24, 2010

I started to read this book soon after it arrived, put it aside, started again and so on......

I like the way it is written, but the story is too dark and depressive for me at the moment. Therefore I finally stopped reading it. Thanks for letting me join!

I have contacted sleepymom for her address. 

Journal Entry 29 by kizmiaz at Belém , Lisboa (cidade) Portugal on Monday, March 28, 2011

Unfortunately this book appears to have gone missing. It was lats heard from in Germany but the BC'er who had it seems to have gone missing too, bummer.