The Road

By: Cormac McCarthy

Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte

Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Pulitzer Prize, Fiction, 2007

America is a barren landscape of smoldering ashes, devoid of life except for those people still struggling to scratch out some type of existence. Amidst this destruction, a father and his young son walk, always toward the coast, but with no real understanding that circumstances will improve once they arrive. Still, they persevere, and their relationship comes to represent goodness in a world of utter devastation.

Bleak but brilliant, with glimmers of hope and humor, The Road is a stunning allegory and perhaps Cormac McCarthy's finest novel to date. This remarkable departure from his previous works has been hailed by Kirkus Reviews as a "novel of horrific beauty, where death is the only truth".

McCarthy, a New York Times best-selling author, is a past recipient of the National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle Award. He is widely considered one of America's greatest writers.

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©2006 M-71, Ltd. (P)2006 Recorded Books LLC

Critic reviews

"McCarthy's prose retains its ability to seduce...and there are nods to the gentler aspects of the human spirit." (The New Yorker)
"One of McCarthy's best novels, probably his most moving and perhaps his most personal...Every moment of The Road is rich with dilemmas that are as shattering as they are unspoken...McCarthy is so accomplished that the reader senses the mysterious and intuitive changes between father and son that can't be articulated, let alone dramatized...Both lyric and savage, both desperate and transcendent, although transcendence is singed around the edges...Tag McCarthy one of the four or five great American novelists of his generation." (Los Angeles Times Book Review)

Deep, beautiful and touching story.

This is my 74th book from Aubible, and it’s the first one I felt I just had to leave a review.
I understand that not all books are for everyone. That being said, that’s the only reason I could find behind any bad review about this book.
If it’s not for you, it isn’t. That’s just that.
But if it is, you’re in for a deep, touching and - who knows - transformative journey alongside a man and his son. One that you’ll keep in your heart for a lifetime.
I know I will.
Highly recommended, all round 5 stars for sure.

Great Post-Apocalyptic Novel

I didn't intend to like this book, but I couldn't stop listening and ended up loving it! We're actually thinking of adding it to our reading list at the school where I teach for American Lit. This is an incredible story of a man and his child's journey to survive in an America we hopefully never have to experience. The fear of evil, and the light within us carries the reader through. In some ways we can all identify with the narrator, a man trying to survive and learning to parent in a world where there is little good except that in his own child. A beautiful story, and it's not overly "sci-fi-ish" so anyone can really enjoy it. I think it's a book anyone of any age or sex can really enjoy.

narrator voices suck

love the book, but narrators voice suck, whiny kid, and John Wayne voice for dad.

Hauntingly Profound

I was very curious about this book. It made all of the recommended "lists." It featured a narrator, Tom Stechschulte, that I had come to really appreciate in another audio book by Jodi Picoult. Plus, it had a Pulitzer nod.

This book lived up to all of my expectations and more.

I am still spellbound and haunted by this book. Surprisingly, the minimalist writing and dialogue were the author's most compelling tools - even without huge plot twists and turns I was always on the edge of my seat.

I found myself immersed in the landscape of a world after nuclear destruction. and my feelings were interwoven with those of the father and son... thanks to the masterful writing of Mr. McCarthy and tnarration by Tom Stechschulte. Bravo.

I might have missed this book if it wasn't for Audible and other readers' review. Thank you!

Haunting

Cormac McCarthy has written a masterpiece. This book engulfs you in its vision of a world that seems all too possible after 9-11. Often grim, the book is humanity at our best, and worst.

I grew up in the Cold War world of "duck and cover," but deep inside, I think we felt that "mutually assured destruction" would prevent world annihilation.

Now there are those willing to destroy everything for their insane beliefs. Now the possibility of apocalypse seems all too real.

The audio version of this book is an excellent production. Listen to, or read, The Road. This book will be in my mind all my days.

Thank you, Mr. McCarthy, for this compelling work.

Great and deep book about a father and son

I had to wait a week after finishing this book to comment on it. I think that the comments of the book being an apocalyptic themed story are missing the overriding point. This is a story about a father's instinctual need to protect and want the best for his son, while struggling through the worst of circumstances. It is also about a young boy's unwavering trust of his father. The dialog is amazing, accurate and simple. The setting could have changed to some other doomed scenario and the point would have been the same. It can be slow in spots. But since the stakes are so high the book kept me hooked. I seriously would not recommend this book for anyone that is depressed or has a gloomy outlook on the future. Otherwise, it is an unforgettable book that I highly recommend.

Bad Timing, Incredible Story

This is a a horrifying story told with hope. It seems every generation believes at times there’s will be the last.
The performance is terrific. No one has a name and yet every character has its own personality.
I tried reading this book several times and put it down each time, frustrated I couldn’t get past the first few pages. I’m glad I chose to listen to it. After those first few pages I was hooked.

Compelling

A spare, haunting tale of post-apocalyptic America, this story recounts the quest of a father and son to walk down the road to friendlier environs. The meta-themes of the story are not subtle -- the quest that provides meaning to ones life, the transition of life and knowledge to sustain the next generation, the survival of the species, the innate goodness and evil of mankind. This is one book you think about a long time after you finish reading it.

The narration is superb. This is one "literary" novel that works well as an audiobook.

just wonderful!

a magnificently written, beautifully narrated story of hope in the midst of despair. A must read! I loved it.

Spare and moving

Pared-down-to-the-bone and powerful. A man and a boy in a brutally elemental post-apocalyptic world "carry the fire." McCarthy's bleak paean to love in the ruins.