Child of God is a simplistic story that takes place in a spread out Hamlet in Sevier County Tennessee where we see about a year in the life of Lester Ballard. Ballard is a character with no redeeming quality to such an extreme that it is impossible to share any empathy or sympathy. We are given so little information of his past that his characteristics seem to have sprung out of the unforgiving and inconsistent land of the middle hills.

Among other crimes, the novel commits a narrative venia... (show more)

Child of God is a simplistic story that takes place in a spread out Hamlet in Sevier County Tennessee where we see about a year in the life of Lester Ballard. Ballard is a character with no redeeming quality to such an extreme that it is impossible to share any empathy or sympathy. We are given so little information of his past that his characteristics seem to have sprung out of the unforgiving and inconsistent land of the middle hills.

Among other crimes, the novel commits a narrative venial sin. Most of the novel is a third person but there are a few first person chapters that give very small bits of information about Ballard or very small bits of information about the region. At least one of these chapters has literally nothing to do with the story or region. The sin is not the sparse chapters, it is that McCarthy dispenses with them after about halfway and for no apparent reason. This gripe may seem silly but it is a metaphor of the novel as a whole: spastic, confusing, unconvincing.

There is an active debate about whether the violence prevalent in McCarthy’s novels is gratuitous. In Child of God this argument is not relevant because there is no artistry that accompanies acts of violence in his other novels. The best example for this is that several aspects in this novel are lifted almost as a whole and moved to his next novel Blood Meridian. A deformed and retarded child, a specific scene and general quality of a philosophy about the evils of women and whisky, and an underlying disgust with other races show up, but are presented with McCarthy’s beautiful and controlled language. (show less)

um, yeah. you know, i enjoy a depressing and tragic tale as much as the next person who likes to horrify themselves with tragedy, but jesus. i can't read any additional cormac mccarthy books for a while. it's like he sits around and makes up lists of the most fucked up human characteristics known to man and then tosses it all into a 200 page story. i did love this book. but i loved it in the same way i love watching myself bleed. it sure is pretty but it's best served up in small doses. you w... (show more)

um, yeah. you know, i enjoy a depressing and tragic tale as much as the next person who likes to horrify themselves with tragedy, but jesus. i can't read any additional cormac mccarthy books for a while. it's like he sits around and makes up lists of the most fucked up human characteristics known to man and then tosses it all into a 200 page story. i did love this book. but i loved it in the same way i love watching myself bleed. it sure is pretty but it's best served up in small doses. you want a book full of violence and depravity that will make you lose all faith in humanity? here you go. cheers! (show less)

Cormac McCarthy's second novel, "Child of God," opens with a few lines of overly poetic, clumsy prose a friend compared to the lines read by Eli Cash in the "Royal Tenenbaums." (Wes Anderson based the Cash character on McCarthy.) Soon after, McCarthy settles into the arresting prose for which he is known.

The title character, Lester Ballad, reminds you of the kid from "Blood Meridian," possibly how the kid would turn out if things went differently. Personally t... (show more)

Cormac McCarthy's second novel, "Child of God," opens with a few lines of overly poetic, clumsy prose a friend compared to the lines read by Eli Cash in the "Royal Tenenbaums." (Wes Anderson based the Cash character on McCarthy.) Soon after, McCarthy settles into the arresting prose for which he is known.

The title character, Lester Ballad, reminds you of the kid from "Blood Meridian," possibly how the kid would turn out if things went differently. Personally tragedy so isolates Ballad from man that he remains isolated even when around others. Ultimately, when moral constraints cease to exist in his mind, Ballad controls and puts to order those he contacts.

While "Blood Meridian" and "The Road" exhibit more developed meditations on humanity and life, "Child of God" presents a powerful view of man that is as bleak as the mountains of Tennessee are beautiful. (show less)

Cormac rocks! I've never read a book by this guy that wasn't totally awesome. This is one of his earliest ones, and it's just as sick, funny, and well-written as all the rest. The best anecdote of all was the guy trying to get his oxen to move by lighting a fire under them (literally). They end up taking maybe 5 steps forward and stopping again, leaving the fire right under the guy's wagon (to which they are hitched). When the guy freaks and climbs under the wagon to put out the fire, the oxe... (show more)

Cormac rocks! I've never read a book by this guy that wasn't totally awesome. This is one of his earliest ones, and it's just as sick, funny, and well-written as all the rest. The best anecdote of all was the guy trying to get his oxen to move by lighting a fire under them (literally). They end up taking maybe 5 steps forward and stopping again, leaving the fire right under the guy's wagon (to which they are hitched). When the guy freaks and climbs under the wagon to put out the fire, the oxen take off again and roll over the guy. What a hoot. Seriously though, a brief but outstanding novel that I highly recommend. (show less)

Prior to reading this I had read The Road and No Country for Old Men, so I at least knew what to expect from McCarthy's writing style. In that respect, this book did not disappoint. Still, it didn't quite seem to live up to the level of the aforementioned titles.

Child of God seemed a bit too disjointed in the wrong way to make it as enjoyable as it could have been. Certain spots, especially between the sections and then in the final act, seem to skip around too randomly to form much of a c... (show more)

Prior to reading this I had read The Road and No Country for Old Men, so I at least knew what to expect from McCarthy's writing style. In that respect, this book did not disappoint. Still, it didn't quite seem to live up to the level of the aforementioned titles.

Child of God seemed a bit too disjointed in the wrong way to make it as enjoyable as it could have been. Certain spots, especially between the sections and then in the final act, seem to skip around too randomly to form much of a coherent narrative to wrap up the story.

The ending is fine and the novel on the whole makes sense, but McCarthy does a disservice to his own style of vivid conservatism and choice dialogue to let the yarn pull apart down the stretch.

And yeah, it goes without saying that this one, while not being as violent as No Country, is certainly far more surreal and depraved and in that respect it keeps you interested the entire way. Provided you can stomach that sort of thing. (show less)

I really wasn't that impressed by this book. I had high expectations of McCarthy since he also wrote No country for old men, the road and the crossing but as my first outing into his novels, I'm unsure I chose the best of his work. It was easy enough to read but didn't draw me in whatsoever. The descriptions were eloquent but I couldn't use them to bring to life the landscape painted for me- it lacked something. It's hard to say what. Generally it was disappointing. I'm a bit miffed I spent m... (show more)

I really wasn't that impressed by this book. I had high expectations of McCarthy since he also wrote No country for old men, the road and the crossing but as my first outing into his novels, I'm unsure I chose the best of his work. It was easy enough to read but didn't draw me in whatsoever. The descriptions were eloquent but I couldn't use them to bring to life the landscape painted for me- it lacked something. It's hard to say what. Generally it was disappointing. I'm a bit miffed I spent money buying the paperback to be honest. However I am open to the idea that this is maybe not McCarthy's best work so may try again with a different one. (show less)

I must say that after reading The Road I wanted to give this book a try. I find this one very similar in writing styles. Cormac is very descriptive when it comes to the environment and its people...almost too descriptive. After reading several of this author's books I am beginning to see how repeataitive they all actually are. This book, The Road, and Blood Meridian are very repeatative in what happens in the story. Suttree for example. He fishes very little, sells the fish, eats at a diner, ... (show more)

I must say that after reading The Road I wanted to give this book a try. I find this one very similar in writing styles. Cormac is very descriptive when it comes to the environment and its people...almost too descriptive. After reading several of this author's books I am beginning to see how repeataitive they all actually are. This book, The Road, and Blood Meridian are very repeatative in what happens in the story. Suttree for example. He fishes very little, sells the fish, eats at a diner, then joins his "friends" in a drunken binge. The next day comes, rinse and repeat. Over and Over. Blood Meridian is the same way. Ride into town after killing innocent people, ignore everyone in town and go straight to bar, get drunk and rowdy, start fights and kill everyone in town, leave town, ride through harsh desert to next town, Rinse and Repeat. over and over again.

Its not that I don't like the writers overall style, Hell the Road was like reading great poetry, its I just get a sense that there really is no set direction for any of these books and I am beginning to feel like I have been swindled and cheated. Like Fox Mulder, I want to believe. I want to believe the hype that Comac receives, but the more I read him the less I think his books are all that great.

Say what you will but you cannont deny how repeatative these 3 books are. (show less)

I have read all of McCarthy's southwestern novels, but this was my first time reading a book from his Appalachian phase. The style was very different. Suttree is a fairly episodic book that follows the life of a man living among criminals, squatters, and drunks in Knoxville, Tennessee. Suttree's life seems to be a series of long lows with sparse, intense highs. Every time things seem to look up for the character, things quickly take a turn for the worse. As usual, death is a main theme. ... (show more)

I have read all of McCarthy's southwestern novels, but this was my first time reading a book from his Appalachian phase. The style was very different. Suttree is a fairly episodic book that follows the life of a man living among criminals, squatters, and drunks in Knoxville, Tennessee. Suttree's life seems to be a series of long lows with sparse, intense highs. Every time things seem to look up for the character, things quickly take a turn for the worse. As usual, death is a main theme. I recommend it. (show less)