Recommend a book (5 Viewers)

[Mercian In Anglia]

Easily gets in my top ten books, but it`s without doubt one of the darkest books I`ve ever read. At no point in the book, is there a moment of lightness, it`s just non stop, brutality, darkness, depravity and bleakness.

It`s crying out to be made into a film, but from what I`ve read, everyone that`s attempted to make it into a film, just can`t find a way around keeping the film true to the book and somehow getting it through the sensors.


Have you read McCarthy`s - Border Trilogy ?

Probably his " lightest " work, but some of his most beautiful writing.

Once you read these three books and in particular - All the Pretty Horses, it`s easy to see why his books are already being studied at degree level in the States.

took me a couple of goes to get into it, but once I did then wow, incredible.

'And The Ass Saw The Angel' by Nick Cave may appeal if that's your sort of thing.

 

---

[Mercian In Anglia]

10 books i recommend, not necessarily my top ten but first 10 great reads that popped in my head

The Road - Cormac McCarthy
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Marabou Stork Nightmares - Irvine Welsh
The Bridge - Iain Banks
For Whom the Bell tolls - Hemingway
The Siege- Helen Dunmore
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Big Nowhere - James Elroy
The Underground Railroad - Colson Whitehead
Heart of the Matter - Graham Greene

If you like 'The Road' I'd recommend 'The Parable of The Sower' by Octavia Butler, could almost be set in the same world. Not dissimilar to 'The Handmaid's Tale' in some respects too.

 

[Mercian In Anglia]

Just finished 'Into Thin Air' by Jon Krakauer, about the 1996 accident on Everest. Brilliantly written and an incredible story

Great read, that. Try 'The White Spider' by Heinrich Harrer if you want something similar- also a true life mountaineering survival tale.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Great read, that. Try 'The White Spider' by Heinrich Harrer if you want something similar- also a true life mountaineering survival tale.

It did leave me thinking you have to be more than a bit bonkers to attempt what those guys attempt, but I got the impression they'd rather die trying to climb these peaks than live not trying at all.

 

[JohnWH]

If you like 'The Road' I'd recommend 'The Parable of The Sower' by Octavia Butler, could almost be set in the same world. Not dissimilar to 'The Handmaid's Tale' in some respects too.

And if you enjoyed 'The Handmaid's Tale', her follow up 'The Testaments' is excellent, just read it two weeks ago.

Many years ago I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Windup Girl' by Paolo Bacigalupi; I recall it being a terrific exploration of a sort of mix of environmental catastrophe / economic groaning type dystopia. I just purchased a few more books by the author so looking forward to seeing his other works.

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

If you like 'The Road' I'd recommend 'The Parable of The Sower' by Octavia Butler, could almost be set in the same world. Not dissimilar to 'The Handmaid's Tale' in some respects too.

Nice one. I'll check it out

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

And if you enjoyed 'The Handmaid's Tale', her follow up 'The Testaments' is excellent, just read it two weeks ago.

Many years ago I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Windup Girl' by Paolo Bacigalupi; I recall it being a terrific exploration of a sort of mix of environmental catastrophe / economic groaning type dystopia. I just purchased a few more books by the author so looking forward to seeing his other works.

I enjoyed The Testaments as an easy read but thought it was not in the same league as Handmaid's. In many ways i found it similar to the follow up to The Siege..(i forget the name).. a good accompaniment but would never be able to match the darkness and dread of the original. And as for the Handmaid's TV show....they should have just ended at the end of season 1 like the book finishes.

 

[Mercian In Anglia]

Nice one. I'll check it out

Sequel is good too- sadly the author died before she could finish the final part of the trilogy.

 

[SBT]

If you like 'The Road' I'd recommend 'The Parable of The Sower' by Octavia Butler, could almost be set in the same world. Not dissimilar to 'The Handmaid's Tale' in some respects too.

Also similar to The Road is Juice by Tim Winton. An ex-soldier/vigilante in a post-apocalyptic Australia tells the story of his life to his captor. Like Mad Max if it was even more righteous about climate change.

 

[JohnWH]

I enjoyed The Testaments as an easy read but thought it was not in the same league as Handmaid's. In many ways i found it similar to the follow up to The Siege..(i forget the name).. a good accompaniment but would never be able to match the darkness and dread of the original. And as for the Handmaid's TV show....they should have just ended at the end of season 1 like the book finishes.

I largely agree with your comments, in that 'The Handmaid's Tale' is uniquely excellent in comparison.

'The Testaments', I thought does a good job diving more into the mindsets, perspectives, frames of references, complex personal thoughts of other specific types of women within and outside the oppressive Gilead. Helped greatly to flesh out motivations and risks in my opinion.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

I just couldn’t put this one down. Really big twist at the end!

 

[ajsccfc]

I really enjoyed* The Road, glad I read it before watching the film which I didn't think was up to much in comparison.


* as much as you can enjoy something while your anxiety rises with each page

 

[Farmer Jim]

I really enjoyed* The Road, glad I read it before watching the film which I didn't think was up to much in comparison.


* as much as you can enjoy something while your anxiety rises with each page

The film was a missed opportunity, but they`d have had to cut bits of the book out regardless, as there`s no way it`d have got shown otherwise.