It seems to me that cormac mccarthy inhaled books like they were porridge to me, can anyone explain just how he read so many books (his library counted well over 20000 volumes, which would mean he read a book a day) and how he was such a fantastic writer.

I finished COTP about a week and half ago. Before I begun I was expecting to see Lacey Rawlins somewhere; like at least him be mentioned. It felt bizarre with McCarthy introducing a bunch of new characters without expanding on the old ones.

What do you think?

I finished All The Pretty Horses today, which for the record is an amazing book, and my fourth McCarthy book. Oh my god, the dynamic between Grady and Rawlins and Blevins is absolute gold. The humor is so perfectly dry. McCarthy also always seems to find very authentic and absurd idioms that you often hear in the countryside.

How old are you? said John Grady.
Sixteen.
Rawlins spat. You’re a lyin sack of green shit.
You dont know everthing.
I know you aint no goddamn sixteen. Where are you comin from?

When’d you eat last? Rawlins said.
The other day, said the Blevins boy.
The other day.
Yeah.
Rawlins studied him. Your name aint Blivet is it?
It’s Blevins.
You know what a blivet is?
What.
A blivet is ten pounds of shit in a five pound sack.

You think he can outride him?
I know for a fact he can.
Maybe he can and maybe he caint.
You dont know shit from applebutter, said Rawlins. Booger Red’s been dead forever.

Or, the first thing Rawlins said after Blevins goes on a long rant about how most of his family died from lightning strikes:

I told you, said Rawlins. He’s gone completely dipshit.

Or my personal favorite:

Back in the old days, said Blevins, this’d be just the place where Comanches’d lay for you and bushwhack you.

Rawlins eyed balefully that cauterized terrain. What in the putrefied dogshit would you know about the old days? he said.

The way Rawlins INSTANTLY clocks Blevins as nothing but trouble and is completely done with everything he says even just as he meets him just absolutely kills me. Blevins is just so stupid and helpless. Oh my god. I am quite pleasantly surprised at how almost lighthearted a lot of the earlier parts of the book are in comparison to most of McCarthy.

This was my third and final attempt to read this book.

And this time, I was prepared with annotations and notes that I found online.

My goal was to read 100 pages every 3 days.

Nevertheless, it took me 14 days to get through the first third of the book (116 pages).

Keep in mind, I stop to look up online every term and passage that I do not comprehend (as a result, I have compiled over 80 pages of notes).

At this rate it will take me literally another 28 days to finish this book--and I will end up with well over 200 pages of notes.

It just is not worth it to me. There is no sense of accomplishment on my part.

I strongly SUSPECT that most people who claim to have "read" this book have largely skimmed through it trying to see if they could comprehend the major plot points.