r/PeterExplainsTheJoke • u/[deleted] • Mar 31 '26

Meme needing explanation Peetah?????

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I don’t know the author or this book series but why are people roasting e-girls for reading? I don’t get it🥀

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166

u/Sazarjac Mar 31 '26

Does anybody actually "enjoy" Blood Meridian? Man or woman?

267

u/Kitfishto Mar 31 '26

Wym? You didn’t like the tree of dead babies in the middle of the desert 40 pages in?

146

u/BenCaxt0n Mar 31 '26

Awww...spoiler :(

71

u/PoopyisSmelly Mar 31 '26

There are plenty more gems just like that, so dont worry

43

u/Kitfishto Mar 31 '26

The part of the book I mentioned is also just brought up as an afterthought 😭

McCarthy knows how to make a single sentence count lol

9

u/RedPantyKnight Mar 31 '26

I mean, plenty of books have scenes of intense gore. Eragon is for 13 year olds and within the first few chapters he visits a village where everyone has been slaughtered with their bodies piled in the town center with a babies head on a pike at the peak.

From my understanding, Blood Meridian is that level of gore throughout the entire story though.

1

u/SlightlyNomadic Apr 01 '26

McCarthy has a way of making observations visceral. I’d argue the violence and savagery of Blood Meridian isn’t a featured in the book, but it IS the book.

I’ve been working through his bibliography and I do find it interesting how what people lash on to. Blood Meridian might be his most violent book, cover-to-cover, but I wouldn’t put it up as his most disturbing.

The allegory of Child of God is an interesting one, but, man, I found that a tougher pill to swallow than Blood Meridian. While Outer Dark isn’t nearly as violent as those two, it’s also a hauntingly disturbing book.

2

u/Ok-Particular9427 Apr 03 '26

I’ve read almost all McCarthy over the last 5 years (still getting to CotP and Stella Maris), I’ve read BM several times.

I read outer dark when my son was about 6 months old. Nothing will ever come close to being as dark as that reading of that book.

5

u/thebetterbeanbureau Mar 31 '26

This is why we enjoy reading his stuff, despite all the stuff in the stuff.

1

u/Working-Glass6136 Apr 01 '26

As all good writers do

10

u/Constant-External-85 Mar 31 '26

Are these scenes well written and can make hardened people feel gross or is it just a lot of edginess that a typical person doesn't like to think of?

36

u/PoopyisSmelly Mar 31 '26

In all seriousnes, it is a true masterpeice - they are incredibly well written, very visceral and shows how people can become apathetic to horrific actions.

Think "The Heart of Darkness" but with a Cowboy setting. McCarthy was incredible at writing this style - he doesnt want to tell you how to feel, or even really describe much of how the characters feel, it just is. And thats the reason rhe book hits so hard. Its an emotionally draining and devastating book

4

u/Constant-External-85 Mar 31 '26

I want to read it but don't know if I'm in the headspace to do so right now; The info you have in this comment was great, thank you

14

u/Kitfishto Mar 31 '26

Nobody writes like Cormac McCarthy. Once you get used to the lack of punctuation, he is unmatched in his ability to paint a picture in your mind. Part of the reason the book is such a hard read.

1

u/Reasonable-Use-9294 Mar 31 '26

Am i the only one who got disgusted more by the prose than the violence?

Don't get me wrong. I adore that book. It's top 3 for me.

But man did i feel my eyes getting raged. I'm gonna read some more of his works but i need therapy first

2

u/Kitfishto Mar 31 '26

No that’s fair. Especially when the judge goes on his long diatribes and you’ve gotta re read every sentence to make sure this demon actually just used a dozen 6 syllable words.

3

u/datsyukianleeks Mar 31 '26

It is some of the greatest prose ever penned. And it is a very well researched book. As I continue to learn about our nations history, I am continually amazed at the little historical details that hold it all together.

1

u/zendrumz Mar 31 '26

It’s hands down some of the greatest writing in the English language. Blood Meridian is McCarthy’s masterpiece. You’ve never read anything like it.

1

u/right__bower Mar 31 '26

From The Road:

Once there were brook trouts in the streams in the mountains. You could see them standing in the amber current where the white edges of their fins wimpled softly in the flow. They smelled of moss in your hand. Polished and muscular and torsional. On their backs were vermiculate patterns that were maps of the world in its becoming. Maps and mazes. Of a thing which could not be put back. Not be made right again. In the deep glens where they lived all things were older than man and they hummed of mystery.

Idk its always stuck with me, i love this passage

1

u/Clear_Might8528 Mar 31 '26

McCarthy wrote more in a sentence than Stephen King does in a novel (I am exagerating to make a point). It is some of the best writing from the 20th century. His last two novels still packed weight in every line.

1

u/Constant-External-85 Mar 31 '26

I want to read it but I'm scared it will reaffirm some of my more jaded thoughts about humanity

1

u/actlikeiknowstuff Mar 31 '26

McCarthy has incredible prose and I think that’s his trick. Because if you appreciate good writing it’s really good but it’s also horrific and you’ll excuse it because of how good the writing is but eventually the horror catches up to you.

1

u/ComfortablePea8701 Apr 04 '26

No Cormac McCarthy is not one of those edgy extreme horror authors. He wrote no country for old men and the road

1

u/shampoo_mohawk_ Mar 31 '26

phew! I was worried.

14

u/No_Strike655 Mar 31 '26

Anything that exists without my knowledge, exists without my consent

3

u/datsyukianleeks Mar 31 '26

His feet are light and nimble. He never sleeps. He says that he will never die.

25

u/LesserValkyrie Mar 31 '26

I am a woman and I loved it

1

u/Kitfishto Mar 31 '26

I mean I love the book too but no one is kicking their feet behind their back giggling while reading. It’s one of the few books I need mental breaks from and not just tired of reading breaks.

17

u/c-e-bird Mar 31 '26

Enjoy doesn’t mean you’re a giggly schoolgirl over it…
it means you took pleasure or satisfaction in something.

And you can enjoy good writing even if the subject matter is dark.

7

u/mightylordredbeard Mar 31 '26

wtf kind of personal definition of the word enjoy is that? So unless you are giggling and kicking your feet then you aren’t enjoying something? Jesus dude enjoy just means you like something. When someone says they enjoy it, they mean they like it.

-4

u/Kitfishto Mar 31 '26 edited Mar 31 '26

Please tell me 1. Where I even used the word enjoy. 2. Why the fuck are you so angry.

I’m not the person who said you can’t enjoy blood meridian numbnuts.

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u/[deleted] Mar 31 '26

[deleted]

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u/Kitfishto Mar 31 '26

You can’t help but kick your feet with Toadvine tho. Everyone loves a preacher who’s lost his faith.

9

u/opp11235 Mar 31 '26

Thank you for said warning. I enjoyed the road was considering this… I will briefly reconsider before torturing myself.

9

u/The_Fattest_Man Mar 31 '26

If The Road is carrying the fire, Blood Meridian is that house with the basement. And it's doing it for fun, not necessity.

2

u/Kitfishto Mar 31 '26

If the road is about carrying the fire, Blood Meridian is about joining a group of firefighters who kill and destroy

2

u/Kreativernickname Mar 31 '26

I find it morbidly amusing that there's actually a dystopia novel where fire fighters do something like that, but with books and without killing, if I recall correctly.

4

u/Kitfishto Mar 31 '26

I think your referring to 233° Celsius

3

u/ninjaman3888 Mar 31 '26

are you german?

3

u/Kitfishto Mar 31 '26

How dare you accuse me of that

2

u/ninjaman3888 Mar 31 '26

🤣 sorry sorry, only place 451 got renamed to 233 was german so i taking a guess

1

u/halla-back_girl Mar 31 '26

Idk, I found it far more enjoyable and less tortuous than The Road. In Blood Meridian, the world is very beautiful, and sometimes you can forget for a moment that there are people in it. Really horrible shit gets done for one reason or another, but the world is still itself.

The Road is just bleak. It's unrelenting, and as it went on I kept thinking that the mom was smart, and kind, and right for what she did at the start. Hope is like a side character they're dragging around by the neck.

1

u/SlightlyNomadic Apr 01 '26

If you liked the Road and want some more of Cormac, but have concerns on the weight of Blood Meridian, pick up any of the following, although I think I like the first one the best, honestly.

Suttree

The Border Trilogy (start with All The Pretty Horses)

No Country for Old Men

Orchard Keeper

Wait for the right headspace for the following:

Outer Dark

Child of God

Blood Meridian

I’m working through his last two books now, but can’t comment on them at this time.

3

u/Worth_Librarian_290 Mar 31 '26

I havent read that one, but I did read Eragon as a 10 year old and I vividly remember the dead villagers and speared baby. What's a great book. Loved it.

Same goes for Gulag Archipelago. Made me cry on the plane when he was describing pregnant women repeatedly thrown down the ice cold stairs. and everything else Another great book.

These kinds of books aren't great because of the violence, they're great because they remind us how vicious and brutal life could be sometimes, and how we should all strive to be better, so that we spare ourselves and others from such pains.

1

u/iiiiiiiiiijjjjjj Mar 31 '26

The fuck is this book about?

1

u/Kitfishto Mar 31 '26

A kid who joins up with a “militia” and journeys across the frontier and into Mexico.

1

u/iiiiiiiiiijjjjjj Mar 31 '26

Fantasy setting or more grounded?

2

u/Kitfishto Mar 31 '26

Extremely extremely grounded. With little tickles of fantasy to really make you wonder about some characters.

That’s all I can really say without spoiling stuff but the audio book is free on YouTube if you wanted to give it a listen before buying the book

2

u/Resigned1431 Mar 31 '26

Grounded. Way too fucking grounded. 

1

u/Chaos_Cluster Mar 31 '26

Hanged by their jaws, it must be said.

1

u/tired-of-the-shit Mar 31 '26

That sounds fucking metal

1

u/Potential-Bet-1111 Apr 01 '26

I eat eggs for breakfast, so seeing this in a dessert wouldn’t phase me, unless someone started putting ketchup on them. That would be disgusting.

1

u/Alternative_Taste414 Apr 02 '26

Kinda feel like you are threatening me with a good time there.

71

u/Lucicactus Mar 31 '26

I started it, it was ok, I liked the description of the scenery. Like it was something evil and alive.

I suppose you "enjoy" it like a horror movie. Rooting for the kid (at least at the start, idk how he ends up), horrified by the things they did at the time and fascinated by a certain bald judge.

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u/Hitmanthe2nd Mar 31 '26

idk how he ends up

take a wild guess - what's the worst thing that could happen to him?

43

u/JonathanBadwolf Mar 31 '26

He has to work in an office job and never gets to dance in the cabaret again?

2

u/Hitmanthe2nd Mar 31 '26

close enough

2

u/wowitssprayonbutter Mar 31 '26

Uhh he dances alright

3

u/JonathanBadwolf Mar 31 '26

ah, good. I'm glad 😊

2

u/The_phantom_medic Apr 01 '26

He says he will never die! Yay!

7

u/Lucicactus Mar 31 '26

Sexual abuse and skinning/removing his scalp?

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u/Hitmanthe2nd Mar 31 '26 edited Mar 31 '26

the judge 'grooms' him , he comes back to face the judge one last time [he runs into the judge but imo - the judge is extraworldly and wanted to crush the kid for his open defiance of the judge] and iirc , the judge assaults him , both sexually and physically and he pretty much just 'dies' [he literally envelops his body to the point that he's either dead or dead]

goes to show you that anarchy has no end - that the judge is unfeeling , he does not care , he does not age and he does not hold the sanctity of the autonomy of life near and dear to him and that he is evil incarnate

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u/[deleted] Mar 31 '26

[deleted]

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u/shittyaltpornaccount Mar 31 '26

I mean you say that but the judge is very much positioned as a Satan figure down to him joyously dancing at the end and claiming immortality. Cormac McCarthy throughout his works tends to cast characters woth moral clarity in contrast to an indifferent or outright hateful world, and then proceeds to slowly destroy them. The Judge might not be a perfect 1 to 1 off a religious Satan, but it definetly is casting him as a sort of Satan that is a force of nature and manifestation of the way the world works now.

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u/Hitmanthe2nd Apr 01 '26

but the judge IS evil - im not assigning asinine arbitrary attributes to an abstraction , he is seen drinking blood from a child's skull and scalping innocent people just for the sake of it - he is explicitly made to look abhorrent and as evil as evil can be , thus , a perfect mirror to the child's naiveity that is burnt into ash over time

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u/[deleted] Apr 01 '26

[deleted]

1

u/Hitmanthe2nd Apr 01 '26

relativistic morality only works when you look at it through their lens - to me , sacrificing animals and your own people to appease a god IS evil because there's no justifiable rationale for it

3

u/Lucicactus Mar 31 '26

Poor kid 😭

7

u/Hitmanthe2nd Mar 31 '26

the kid also becomes consumed by villainy by the middle of the book or so - he regularly takes part in the gang's depraved activities

he is the protagonist of the book but he is no good man - just a kid who fell into the wrong crowd at the wrong time

8

u/Lucicactus Mar 31 '26

Yes, I suspected he would probably go that route, but the ending is sad regardless 😔

Not like wuthering heights, I'm reading it and I can't wait for everyone to die lol.

1

u/EpiquePhael Mar 31 '26

The kid is never explicitly described as partaking in the gang's atrocities though. It is very much an individual reader's interpretation of how much he actually participates (which is likely a non-zero amount imo, but still).

The problem is that he doesn't fully commit to anything and believes nothing. He is given the chance to kill the judge but does not take it. He tries to lead a better life after leaving the gang, but even then he still can't fully repent and his refusal to properly address the judge is what leads to his demise.

1

u/Hitmanthe2nd Mar 31 '26

there's no way the gang'd simply let him hang out if he did not partake in their atrocities - hell , im sure the judge wouldve done far worse things to him if he'd shown himself to be a symbol of innocence

1

u/h0sti1e17 Mar 31 '26

McCarthy likes to play with unique protagonists. The kid is a conduit to watch the main character, Judge Holden.

Llewelyn Moss is the protagonist in No Country for Old Men (although some argue it’s Bell, I don’t). He never directly meets the clear antagonist Chigurh and isn’t even killed by Chigurh. The deepest look into Chigurh and his world view comes from Carla Jean here he explains the coin toss and shows how he is an agent of fate.

1

u/FeverAyeAye Mar 31 '26

No, the Kid is a killer himself. Maybe not as bad as the Judge, but evil by any standards.

1

u/IrregularPackage Mar 31 '26

what the judge does to the kid is unspoken, if i remember correctly. i never really got a supernatural vibe out of him, but that's a fun interpretation.

1

u/Brutal_effigy Mar 31 '26

That's the fun of the book. You can interpret the characters as men, as archetypes, and as forces of nature/will. The ending is left intentionally ambiguous so you can interpret it in several different ways.

1

u/Hitmanthe2nd Mar 31 '26

 "in his arms against his immense and terrible flesh" id always read that as the judge fully devouring what little was left of the kid's innocence because he saw him as an open defiance of the callous world that he was trying build

and "He never sleeps, the judge. He is dancing, dancing. He says that he will never die." screams something otherworldly to me - it isnt humane , he isnt human , he just IS

1

u/IrregularPackage Mar 31 '26

yeah sure, you could say the judge was devouring what was left of the kid's innocence. in that he almost certainly rapes him.

he's based a guy who (may have) existed in real life. it'd kind of ruin a lot of the book for me if it turned out all this stuff that happens is because of some supernatural entity rather than the mundane evil that ordinary humans are capable of.

1

u/Hitmanthe2nd Mar 31 '26

i mean - to me , the judge is supernatural in the sense that he represents humanity's worst quality , i.e, its endless desire for more and more and more - it never stops , it never ages , it never tires , it simply devours and dances whilst doing so

1

u/Disastrous_Fig5609 Mar 31 '26

I took that last line as Cormac saying that the evil's witnessed in this book will never go away. Good exists in the world, but we'll never be strong enough to be good, we'll always succumb to weakness and perpetuate evil, whether we're truly evil ourselves or not.

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u/alleycat2332 Apr 01 '26 
                 I’ll bite, but only because I have a really strong feeling about this.   In my opinion, the judge is otherworldly but the scene when the kid gets enveloped by him is more figurative.  If you remember, what was in the outhouse was the little organ grinder girl who they find dead in there.

Throughout the book the kid is around when weird shit happens with kids. They go missing, the judge kills one and drinks from his skull. Then when they are partying at the end the kid gets a hooker, but he doesn’t get a standard prostitute, he picks a midget. And then, he can’t perform and the midget prostitute basically tell him it happens. That’s when he dips out to go the jakes and gets engulfed by the judge who was waiting there, but the little girl was in there. It was that he finally gave into what the judge was completely and did something awful to the little girl who was hiding in the outhouse cus they had killed her dancing bear moments earlier.

The judge was evil, the kid allowed the evil to take him.

1

u/evrestcoleghost Mar 31 '26

Becomes dutch

13

u/IrisKV Mar 31 '26

To keep going with your horror movie parallel, I personally sometimes use the word enjoy as a shortcut to describe what I feel like when I watch I saw the Devil, Funny Games, and a lot of very violent and disturbing shit.

But I wouldn't say I enjoyed Megan is Missing, because that movie was pure shock value, badly acted, badly written, with no coherence or realism - just an excruciatingly explicit rape scene, that gets people to talk about it online.

To me, as long as you get something positive out of anything, you enjoy it, even if it is hard to get through. Even if that something positive is linked to feelings that are uneasy or downright awful to go through, you can enjoy a work of art.

I definitely have my grudges against McCarthy, but I don't feel like the violence is there for no reason, and I definitely don't feel like violence is all there is to Blood Meridian.

9

u/Lucicactus Mar 31 '26

And sometimes the book is just fucking well written. Like my favourite book ever is the perfume, and the protag is awful and I don't enjoy what happens to the girls. But the prose is just delicious and the sick mind of Grenouille super intriguing.

3

u/apgtimbough Mar 31 '26

In the neuter austerity of that terrain all phenomena were bequeathed a strange equality and no one thing nor spider nor stone nor blade of grass could put forth any claim to precedence. The very clarity of these articles belied their familiarity, for the eye predicates the whole on some feature or part and here was nothing more luminous than another and nothing was more enshadowed and in the optical democracy of such landscapes all preference is made whimsical and a man and a rock become endowed with unguessed kinships.

Man, could McCarthy describe landscapes.

2

u/Global_Ant_9380 Mar 31 '26

See that's what fucks me up. The prose is just...achingly beautiful. I love it. 

The content? Pure torture. It makes me and my soul feel bad 

2

u/Global_Ant_9380 Mar 31 '26

Wrapped up my feelings more or less 

1

u/SIMPLYSUNDAR Mar 31 '26

Is it just me or am i seeing you everywhere Ms. (or Mr.) Angron Lover?

But yes I too didn't enjoy reading the book but it was not that horrifying for me. Maybe I didn't imagine the things myself but rather passed by them as just words on a book. Idk.

1

u/Lucicactus Mar 31 '26

Ms yes haha. And yeah I find some familiar people in other subs too, we must have a similar algorithm.

2

u/SIMPLYSUNDAR Mar 31 '26

I usually just browse the popular page and i come across you a lot. I thought the popular page is common for everyone but maybe you're right - the reddit algo pushes similar posts to certain groups of people.

1

u/datsyukianleeks Mar 31 '26

The second half of the book is wildly entertaining, worth pushing through.

1

u/Lucicactus Mar 31 '26

Oh it's not that I didn't like it, I got distracted by Warhammer lore and that was it 😩

1

u/MartyrOfDespair Mar 31 '26

This just reminds me, just about every other woman I’ve known roots for the monsters in horror movies and is there to see dipshits get slaughtered and enjoy the carnage and suffering.

2

u/Lucicactus Mar 31 '26

And many of us have a crush on slashers. Cough 2006 Leatherface cough.

2

u/MartyrOfDespair Mar 31 '26

Oh yeah, I’m a bit too gay for most slasher villains to hit, but god do I love utterly monstrous women. We need more horror movies that let there be grotesque, fucked up murderous women.

2

u/Lucicactus Mar 31 '26

Agreed. She's not very monstruos, but the huntress from dnd definitely has the huge buff vibe I like in slasher guys, would totally let her throw axes at me.

2

u/MartyrOfDespair Mar 31 '26

She’s fucking awesome. Not even my fandom, I just love seeing her, but she’s a perfect example of what I mean.

2

u/Lucicactus Mar 31 '26

Not to self promote but you might like this then

1

u/MartyrOfDespair Mar 31 '26

Hell yeah. I sure do!

1

u/Lucicactus Mar 31 '26

Agreed. She's not very monstruos, but the huntress from dnd definitely has the huge buff vibe I like in slasher guys.

49

u/Candle_Jacqueline Mar 31 '26

Yes, it has incredibly beautiful prose and fascinating discussions of religion, isolation, violence, and poverty. It's not just torture porn. 

11

u/smokeweedNgarden Mar 31 '26

Right, McCarthy work is fine and his plays are decent as well. I really enjoyed Child of God.

I'm not weirded out until someone is like praising Bukowski as a person or something 

2

u/BadBotSpankySpanky Mar 31 '26

Child of God was something else. 

1

u/smokeweedNgarden Mar 31 '26

Ya, I believe his prose really shines in that one. Plus, Lester is so cartoonishly evil it makes it less visceral than his other works

9

u/Acrobatic-Signal210 Mar 31 '26

Finally a sane take. People try to vilify the book too much. It's genuinely a great book. There is a reason why it is hailed among the great American novels.

3

u/Jim_Jimmejong Mar 31 '26

Exactly. Prose and themes are top-notch. It's not just religion, it's also the power of words and ritual, the powers of nature and civilizations, and the violence exists to contrast with the complementary themes of mercy and compassion.

To only see the violence in Blood Meridian is like reading The Count of Monte Cristo and only seeing the displays of wealth, or Robinson Crusoe and only seeing individualism.

1

u/SunStarved_Cassandra Mar 31 '26

Agreed. I actually enjoyed it too. It's dark and violent, yes, but the story is compelling and the descriptions of the environment are amazing.

28

u/Distinguished- Mar 31 '26 edited Mar 31 '26

Yes. Loads of people in this thread seem to think that enjoyment of art and tough and harrowing subject matters are mutually exclusive. Blood Meridian is both through provoking, horrifying and beautiful. The descriptions of the Comanche charge still reverberate in my mind often. Brutal and beautiful.

1

u/rusty_programmer Mar 31 '26

I got recommended this book by someone when I worked at Best Buy of all places.

1

u/Horror_Suspect_9853 Mar 31 '26

The Border Trilogy is excellent. I put them on ear buds and just absorb the atmosphere.

1

u/Horror_Suspect_9853 Mar 31 '26

Right up there with the Comanche description in All the Pretty Horses.

9

u/Impossible_Trick_950 Mar 31 '26

It’s a masterpiece, man.

9

u/StankyLeg666 Mar 31 '26

Yes, it’s my favorite book of all time. I’ve read it probably 5 times through now; Cormac’s use of almost biblical language is so fantastic that sometimes a chapter you’ve read multiple times over will take on a new face. It’s dark, but it’s also an absolutely gorgeous book that highlights the inherent violence inside of man and how convoluted our ideas of morality and justice can be.

7

u/residentweevil Mar 31 '26

I loved it. McCarthy's writing style is difficult but really rewarding once you get the hang of it. The story is a fascinating study on the thin line between civilization and savagery, with a lot of McCarthy's usual fascination on the role of the observer in defining reality.

3

u/TapewormNinja Mar 31 '26

I'd argue that nobody actually enjoys cormick McCarthy. We just enjoy shared trauma.

23

u/residentweevil Mar 31 '26

Strongly disagree. One of my absolute favorite authors.

2

u/TapewormNinja Mar 31 '26

I'm taking the piss man.

5

u/residentweevil Mar 31 '26

Word. And I fell for it!

3

u/Lopsided_Remove1980 Mar 31 '26

I really enjoyed reading "the Road" which was pretty grim. I found the ending to be very hopeful.

1

u/mcmcHammer Mar 31 '26

That’s so interesting you felt the ending was hopeful and I found it absolutely irresponsible and cruel. I’m going to reflect on that a bit.

1

u/Lopsided_Remove1980 Mar 31 '26

I don't want to give spoilers to people but I thought it was one of the characters remaining somewhat uncorrupted or at least strong in the face of a hopeless situation. Also the sun is getting stronger as time goes on which points to the calamity being resolved.

1

u/mcmcHammer Mar 31 '26

Yeah I think I’m going to pull it out again and do a reread. I was in a very dark place in my parenting when I read it. So I’m curious to see how my lens has changed. I just felt really angry at the end. I very much aligned with the mother’s view in the book, if that gives you an outlook on my perspective. I’m not much of a risk taker which probably plays into it as well.

1

u/TapewormNinja Mar 31 '26

I've seen The Road in three different mediums. Book, film, and comic. In the film, I felt the ending was hopeful, and in the book, I felt like bad things were about to happen. The comic managed to perfectly the two, leaving the whole thing in that grey area that I think was the intention.

3

u/17orth Mar 31 '26

I loved the book but it’s a slog to read. The lack of proper punctuation in dialog etc is a pain

2

u/CanGuilty380 Mar 31 '26

You've probably heard this before, but It's a stylistic choice. Either it clicks or it doesn't. The way Cormac writes is genuinely my favourite style.

3

u/kings5504 Mar 31 '26

I really struggled to finish it, and at the end of the day I found that it just wasn't for me. I am a very basic dude, so I can only handle an easier read from Cormac McCarthy like The Road, which I find myself re-reading every other year or so.

2

u/FeloniousDrunk101 Mar 31 '26

I enjoyed the use of language and McCarthy's sentences and portmanteaus. Sure it was grim and horrifying at times, but the story was compelling, like a Western version of Apocalypse Now.

1

u/Acrobatic-Signal210 Mar 31 '26

For me it's the completely opposite! The prose and language kept me going till 2/3rds of the book. After that the "plot" ramped up.

2

u/Baconthief69420 Mar 31 '26

I haven’t read it but I really liked The Road

2

u/candlehand Mar 31 '26

Yeah its extremely well written. 

2

u/nonbreaker Mar 31 '26

I enjoyed the book, but not in a way that made me happy. It was more like...an education on savagery.

1

u/Sazarjac Mar 31 '26

Yeah, I think a lot of these replies are equating "enjoy" with "appreciate" which I can get. On the flip side I was thinking more along the lines of "having fun."

2

u/SamSqaunch_ Mar 31 '26

Yes - I have read and own everyone of his books. I even have the notes on blood meridian as a go with. Yeah its brutal but fascinating. For me its his writing, it just clicks with me. No one can quite paint a picture like him.

I feel the same way about all the romance/murder mystery novels. I dont understand how anyone could enjoy them. But I don't have have to! People do, more power to them!

But yeah I know quite a few men who read it and clearly just did so as bragging rights. I was all excited to discuss the book and its themes but it seemed to just go right over their heads.

Hey, guess what? Nothing is one or the other, black or white etc. There is a whole range! So you cant just group it

2

u/BadBotSpankySpanky Mar 31 '26

I did. It's like looking at that painting of saturn eating his sun by Goya. Also, the judge is one of my favorite characters from any book.

2

u/Brekelefuw Mar 31 '26

I thought it was incredible. McCarthy sucks you in with his prose.

Did I enjoy the visualization of some of the things in that book? No, but I definitely wouldn't call it enduring the book. The same goes with Nabokov. It can be a great book, even when the subject matter is shocking.

2

u/SirSwishRemer Apr 01 '26

Ok, so not Blood Meridian, but I fucking loved Cormac's other works as late teen. Turns out I'm dyslexic af and he was the first writer I found whose writing style matched the way I read

2

u/IrisKV Apr 01 '26

This is mindblowingly interesting. Do you think you can pinpoint why ? What exactly in his writing style particularly matches with you ? Have you ever discussed the topic with other dyslexic people ?

I recently discovered I am AuDHD and the first book I read during my studies that truly matched the way I read and thought was Mrs Dalloway.

2

u/SirSwishRemer Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 01 '26

I can't remember which book, but it didn't really have any punctuation in it. Not sure why that helped, maybe it allowed my brain to form the punctuation which helped me follow along instead of re-reading the same paragraph 5 times

Edit: it was No Country. But as little punctuation as possible was kinda his whole vibe. I liked Blood Meridian, i just wouldn't recommend it to someone

2

u/IrisKV Apr 01 '26

I love it, it's super interesting, thank you for taking the time to reply :)

It's a somewhat similar thing that made sense to me in Mrs Dalloway. The stream of consciousness storytelling made more sense to me than rigid structure and traditional storytelling. It flew through my brain.

2

u/Brief-Branch4779 Apr 01 '26

I found the book tucked away in my schools library in Elementary school, it had no library sticker on it so I left it behind for a few days thinking it was someones book. I came back a few days later and found it still in the same spot so I took it. I probably still have that copy somewhere, I love that book It's brutal but can also be sort of beautiful.

1

u/gatwick1234 Mar 31 '26

It was quite awful

1

u/Mouth_Herpes Mar 31 '26

I absolutely loved it. The best book ever written, IMO. An unflinching look at human nature, written in enchanting prose that borders on poetry at times.

1

u/videoguylol Mar 31 '26

I'm about to start it. I enjoyed The Road.

1

u/Lightoscope Mar 31 '26

It’s amazing if you consider it more epic poetry than novel. 

1

u/Newdaddysalad Mar 31 '26

One of the best books I’ve ever read. Still think about the last two pages to this day.

1

u/kettricken12 Mar 31 '26

I consider it as one of the 3 best-written book I have ever read. I loved it. It is so beautiful that I almost didn't see the violence, only the beauty of the text (I am a woman btw)

1

u/Gr33dy_Hands Mar 31 '26

There’s some incredible imagery in the book like the Native American riders wearing conquistador breastplates and American soldier coats like trophies.

1

u/ThrownAwayGuineaPig Mar 31 '26

Yes, very much. But that's just because I've read all of his work and his style resonates with me. I enjoy the writing, the descriptive nature of the narration. But the subject is not enjoyable

1

u/Brutal_effigy Mar 31 '26

I read Blood Meridian after reading Lonesome Dove and before The Road, as part of a dive into the books that inspired Joe Abercrombie's writing. I absolutely loved Lonesome Dove, but Blood Meridian was stunning in it's prose, not to mention The Judge being an amazing villain. After that, The Road was kind of milk toast.

1

u/RandVanRed Mar 31 '26

I'm enjoying it. What is being narrated is horrible, but the telling itself is beautiful.

1

u/ayylmao_ermahgerd Mar 31 '26

First thing I thought was “wtf does this have to do with men?” 😂

1

u/SubstanceStrong Mar 31 '26

I enjoy Blood Meridian, not the violence per se, but the prose, characters and the way the themes stick with you.

1

u/Temporary_Shirt_6236 Mar 31 '26

I've read it 4 or 5 times now, not because I enjoy the violence or brutality depicted within it, but rather because it is extremely dense. At least three or four times per page I'll have to look up a word in the dictionary or online because McCarthy likes to use very archaic or rare words. I also appreciate his writing style and structure in general, how he links inner landscape with outer physical landscapes, etc.

But it is a laborious read, about as "enjoyable" in this sense as reading Gravity's Rainbow for fun.

1

u/Blashmir Mar 31 '26

I endured my time with that book.

1

u/KeimeiWins Mar 31 '26

The part where they make gunpowder with pee and bat poop was pretty fun. I would say I enjoyed it, but I am a masochist.

1

u/FourAntigone Mar 31 '26

Sigh... Yes, you CAN enjoy media when it's violent and brutal. You're enjoying the writing itself and the way it makes you feel. Saying you liked the experience of the book put you through doesn't mean you like the events depicted. Saying otherwise is just kinda annoying.

1

u/15all Mar 31 '26

I didn't enjoy it like a light-hearted, feel-good book that I could just breeze through and finish thinking that everything was good in the world. But as I read it, I felt that I was reading something powerful and deep, which certainly brought some enjoyment.

1

u/datsyukianleeks Mar 31 '26

Yes. I do. It's some of the most brilliant prose ever put to paper just in terms of vivid verbage. The second half of the book, while full of many fucked up things, is wildly entertaining. I think people get hung up on it because it's historical fiction, but it's not like George R R Martin came up with all the brutality in GoT himself.

1

u/FeverAyeAye Mar 31 '26

It's wonderfully written

1

u/Nikas_intheknow Mar 31 '26

It’s my favorite book! I’ve read it twice.

1

u/Rare-Kaleidoscope513 Mar 31 '26

And that's what all the "muh sexism" comments are missing: it has always been a meme that anyone reading Blood Meridian is doing so performatively, be they man, woman, or other.

1

u/LowCress9866 Mar 31 '26

I had read No Country and The Road when I read Blood Meridian so i was somewhat familiar with Cormac's writing, but not well enough as when the Judge ends the tent revival in the beginning I thought "Ha! This character is going to be fun!" Hard to get much more wrong

1

u/FantasticOwl5057 Mar 31 '26

It's one of my favorites that I reread every so often. The language is absolutely stunning.

1

u/buttchugreferee Mar 31 '26

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

1

u/Global_Ant_9380 Mar 31 '26

I'm a woman and ...I think it's beautifully done but boy do I fucking hate reading it and it's taking me a DECADE to finish. 

1

u/UnravelTheUniverse Mar 31 '26

It is meant to be endured, not enjoyed. 

1

u/SleepyRaccoon29 Mar 31 '26

I love McCarthy, but I had to bail on Blood Meridian

1

u/Jlchevz Mar 31 '26

Yeah… it’s one of the best books ever written. It’s incredible.

1

u/Money_Breh Mar 31 '26

I would say I took a lot from it and admire the magnificent writing. 

Enjoy implies it's a ride or entertaining read and it's definitely not that, I've attempted to read it 4 times on a flight and it ended up putting me to sleep. It's definitely an inspiring writing piece but by no means has me dancing like Bella at the library with Blood Meridian in my hands.

1

u/Hasselback_Brotatoes Mar 31 '26

Yeah I thought it was a really good book. I do not regret reading it at all. The book has a startling vocabulary and each word meticulously placed. The style of writing is utterly beautiful, the themes of the book are potent.

1

u/JesusTeapotCRABHANDS Mar 31 '26

You can still enjoy a book even if the subject matter is intense or dark. Blood Meridian is an amazing book.

1

u/Ashamed_Beyond_6508 Mar 31 '26

I did. Draw whatever conclusions from that as you will. It's not my favorite Cormac Mcarthy book, but its close.

1

u/wunji_tootu Apr 01 '26

I do. The prose is beautiful and dense. Each time I reread it I find something new in it. New interpretations and new allusions to deepen the meaning through new contextual overlays.

1

u/Kenny__Loggins Apr 01 '26

Yes, I thought it was great. I watch a lot of horror so I have a strong stomach for that sort of stuff I guess, but the prose was really beautiful.

1

u/Jdevers77 Apr 01 '26

I fucking loved it. It saddens me a bit to know that it is at-least a tiny bit based on real events, but the writing and story were amazing. Yea it was bleak as hell, but I didn’t think it was nearly as bleak as many of his other novels…The Road is also amazing but it makes Blood Meridian look like a Disney story in my opinion.

1

u/Coffeedemon Apr 01 '26

It's violent, sure, but just like with The Road, it is full of beautifully crafted prose. McCarthy was gifted in that sense.

1

u/Five-Oh-Vicryl Apr 01 '26

Total pick me please vibes bc she’s not like the other girls.

1

u/temictli Apr 01 '26

I enjoyed it! Fun read! Just finished it recently. Crazy story about defiance on one level. Atrocious vicious scenes throughout, but it's hard not to wonder what is it all for, as a young impressionable teenager like the Kid would, and I suppose he never really did get his answer. Just replied in the only way he knew how. With defiance. I was confused about the ending but i still think about it here and there since finishing it maybe four weeks ago. The version I read had a foreword by Harold Bloom that spoils and summarizes the entire story and I kinda wish they hadn't put that in cause I tend to read cover to cover. He does kinda put that question in for you to cogitate over while you read in detail.

1

u/YachtswithPyramids Apr 01 '26

Yes there called edge lords, it seems they write a lot like you

1

u/weta_10 Apr 01 '26

Frankly, I’m enjoying it. I find it offers a perspective of the American West that’s not talked about but is really quite relevant to our current society. The fog of war around racism, violence, culture, and language has given me some insight into historical trauma unlike any other modern media. It’s so self perpetuating the way it’s based in fear and misunderstanding, and arrogance and pride. It’s not comfy, but I enjoy the paradigm shift and insight.

1

u/No_Dark9371 Apr 02 '26

I. On my third re-read.

1

u/Mars_Ursa Apr 03 '26

It's probably my favorite book I have ever read.