The Road by Cormac McCarthy - Audiobook Review

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Title: The Road
Author: Cormac McCarthy
Narrator: Tom Stechschuld
Publisher: Recorded Books
Duration: 6 hours, 39 minutes
Copyright: 2007
Genres: post apocolypse, literary, future
Filed in: Audiobook reviews

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: 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.
©2006 M-71, Ltd.; (P)2006 Recorded Books LLC

MY TAKE ON IT: I absolutely loved “The Road”, and my only regret is that it is a relatively short audiobook. Cormac McCarthy uses a simple, yet elegant, prose that renders incredibly vivid images on the mind. Throughout “The Road”, McCarthy describes a bleak, ash-gray world without ever becoming boring or redundant. Even now I can still picture the landscapes he described.
The helplessness of the father in “The Road” is what really stands out, as he tries to bring up his young son in a world that no longer has any sense or meaning. The boy was born just as the devastation was beginning, and the burnt and ashy landscape is all he knows. The father is often lost for words as he tries to explain how things were before the holocaust, and it is sad when the author reveals that the boy simply can’t bring himself to believe most of what he hears. As the pair struggle to find food, warm clothes,and safe places to sleep, all the while avoiding the “bad guys” who now see other humans as a viable source of nourishment, the father is often reduced to two small words, which he repeats to the boy again and again throughout the audiobook: “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
You cannot possibly read “The Road” without feeling sad for our future generations who may have to live like this. If we had a chance to speak to them, I wonder if we would repeat the father’s helpless appeal: “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

NARRATOR: Tom Stechschuld did a very good job narrating “The Road.” Just like Cormac McCarthy, Stechschuld’s style is simple, yet elegant. His pacing was very good, and at times he reads with great feeling that matches the story perfectly. Thanks to Stechschuld’s inspired reading, you could really feel the bleak hopelessness of the characters.
Tom Stechschuld is a film and television actor. He played a prominent role in the movie “The Manchurian Candidate”, and has made guest appearances on the television series “Law & Order.”

FINAL WORD: “The Road” is a great story with a great narrator. I would highly recommend this audiobook to anyone.

CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS:
“I Am Legend” by Richard Matheson
“Under the Dome” by Stephen King
“The Prince of Tides” by Pat Conroy

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If you liked this audiobook review, you can purchase the audiobook here:
Get "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy (Unabridged Audiobook) Audio CD, from Amazon.com.

This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.
Audiobook review by Steven Brandt
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