Thanks Keith, it was me.

Posted on August 29, 2026 at 12:04:49 AM by gbmcq

I should have considered that this would be an issue.
Admittedly, the first time I ever read it, I quit after 100 pages. You really have to be in a state of mind to not only read the violence but also the prose. It's almost biblical the way he speaks. He's not Pynchon or anything, but it's defintely a mode you need to be in. I started over a few days later, knowing exactly what I was getting into, and it was a much better experience for me.

For me I think it's the greatest American novel because it highlights the myths of American exceptionalism. How war, violence, and evil aren't just a scar on our history; they are our history. I am not a religious person, the idea of where does Nihlism leave godlessness and find the devil was so intriguing to me. The journey of the kid, and his morality.

I hope you go back to it someday, now that you know how it's written.

Back to the board

Thread:

Blood Meridian - someone asked me to make a post when I finished it - By KeiTh August 28, 2026 at 04:37:47 PM
- Thanks Keith, it was me. - By gbmcq August 29, 2026 at 12:04:49 AM
- Agree on Lonesome Dove, it's near the top for me. Absolutely outstanding in every way. * - By Scouser August 28, 2026 at 07:53:46 PM
  - A great book* - By syrfan August 28, 2026 at 10:01:42 PM
  - Might re-read it. Just downloaded For Whom The Bell Tolls.* - By Alpo August 28, 2026 at 08:22:48 PM
    - Love Hemingway, but not a fan of For Whom The Bell Tolls, thought it was a slog.* - By Scouser August 28, 2026 at 08:56:23 PM
- I’m almost done, has been my travel book. Had a college student discussion across the aisle on one flight - By plug August 28, 2026 at 05:44:50 PM
  - I was an English Major and don't believe you that she was hot.* - By mattb August 28, 2026 at 06:48:26 PM
    - I will admit it’s a low bar for a 50ish guy talking to a college student who was probably 23. * - By plug August 28, 2026 at 07:46:56 PM
      - I think she really liked you.* - By Alpo August 28, 2026 at 08:18:50 PM
        
        almost certainly posting something on her board of English majors, “so, I met this hot guy reading Blood Meridian on the plane and…” * - By plug August 29, 2026 at 11:14:56 AM
- I found it annoying that he kept using words no one has used since the 1800s** - By Brad August 28, 2026 at 05:07:15 PM
  - Stick a buskin in it.* - By jjwalker August 28, 2026 at 05:16:41 PM
    - Such words are a rowel to his hindquarters * - By Spirit August 28, 2026 at 05:19:30 PM
- It is a response to the romanticized stories of the American West (m) - By Spirit August 28, 2026 at 04:55:56 PM
  - Also, have you read other books in the Lonesome Dove series? * - By Spirit August 28, 2026 at 05:07:35 PM
    - I just purchased the other two but have not started them yet. * - By Scouser August 28, 2026 at 07:54:51 PM
- The Road is probably the best intro to Cormac imo* - By Daytripper August 28, 2026 at 04:38:38 PM
  - NCFOM imo. All the Pretty Horses is much more straightforward too.* - By mattb August 28, 2026 at 06:37:58 PM
    - true* - By Daytripper August 28, 2026 at 08:08:07 PM
  - yeah agree. for Keith Hernandez - also read All the Pretty Horses and No Country for Old Men* - By el fuego August 28, 2026 at 04:42:22 PM
  - Re: The Road is probably the best intro to Cormac imo* - By KeiTh August 28, 2026 at 04:40:28 PM
  - I hated that movie* - By tem August 28, 2026 at 04:40:21 PM
    - did the book dirty imo, didn't like it either* - By Daytripper August 28, 2026 at 08:08:35 PM

The Victors

Thanks Keith, it was me.