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itsyeboy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
znorgaard's review against another edition
4.0
A solid novel from the wonderful Cormac McCarthy.
The Orchard Keeper is less brutal than many of McCarthy's other works, but still tragic. It deals with how lies can shape our relationships and beliefs. It touches on many aspects of small town life after WWI during prohibition. We see characters living on the edges of polite society. The characters are relatable and there are no pure villains.
Definitely worth a read.
The Orchard Keeper is less brutal than many of McCarthy's other works, but still tragic. It deals with how lies can shape our relationships and beliefs. It touches on many aspects of small town life after WWI during prohibition. We see characters living on the edges of polite society. The characters are relatable and there are no pure villains.
Definitely worth a read.
j_laws_tagg's review against another edition
3.0
Elegiac. That word perfectly describes my feelings on this book because it’s a word I don’t know what it means but I have a general sense of what it’s getting at. Cut out McCarthy’s descriptions of the land and weather and the story is pamphlet-length, but that’s not necessarily a criticism. Not his most accessible but still incredible.
jdurancarlson's review against another edition
3.0
Hard to rate this one, and any attempts to unpack it so soon after finishing it will expose my woefully inadequate skills at literary analysis. So going with the default three stars, although I'd give it 3.5 if I could. What I can say is that it's a beautifully written window into a time and place in America that lives on now only in myth, legend, dust.
michaelrhoda19's review against another edition
3.0
Not that Cormac is ever an easy read, but I had a little trouble following the story in this one. I've read just about all of his books and you can see the potential in his first novel. The writing and language is all there, the focus just needs a little tightening up.
cjcarroll's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
amongthefaithless's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bpowals1's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There's not really a plot but the story is a shifting between the perspectives of several characters and how their stories intertwine. It took awhile to really feel invested but it was really worth it. These characters are all extremely sympathetic even if they're not "good" people according to society. The way this small town's characters are all connected and how their relationships grow between them is really good.