Most powerful writing ever
924738
McCarthy says more with less than any writer I've ever encountered.  The juxtaposition of apocalyptic horror with the beauty of enduring undying love hits your heart.  McCarthy's spare words evoke more meaning than one thinks possible.

"The Old Man and the Sea" meets "As I Lay Dying" blended by a talent unknown to either Hemingway or Faulkner, indeed perhaps unseen for a long long time in this world.

I read "No Country for Old Men" shortly afterwards, and decided I couldn't read any more McCarthy for awhile - too exhausting and draining.  Not the read, but the experience.  Like going down the steep part of the roller coaster and never getting a break.  One can only handle so much.

I gave this book to my 12-year old son and he was "ecch, whatever"  -  he just didn't get it.  I suppose that's the 1 star reviews on this board.  I think it is utterly the best, most powerful writing I have ever encountered.
1841732
The most glorious work of literature that has ever been written.
2017072
Genius. What can I say. It's the best, the way his mind flows makes me weep with admiration and envy. It feels effortless. How does he do it? It's not a quick read but it is some of the most rewarding reading there is. I want to consume this so that the words are fused to my soul.
1839372
No words come close to capturing the depth and sweep of this incredible novel. Not only is the story completely compelling but the writing is, quite simply, beautiful. There are times when the action moves with such momentum that you could almost miss the intensity of the language, which makes it a book I'll keep returning to, if only to savour the words themselves.
Few novels deliver everything but this one does: vivid and complex characters; delicate observations of everyday details; a plot which is intimately connected with the lives and emotions of the characters; philosophical ideas cleverly interwoven with the story; stunning and powerful writing..
The scope and range of this novel is vast, intricate and unforgettable; a book you can't stop reading and yet you never want to reach the end.
2926986
This is one of the most powerful books ever written. Beautifully weaving together gems from every treligious and faith tradition.
3782637
I'm not one to gush, but I consider this one of the finest books ever written.  I've read a decent percentage of the "great books" and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" deserves to be on the list.
It can be read and enjoyed by young people, but so can "Huckleberry Finn."  Like "Huck Finn," this book is even more rewarding to the adult reader.
I read it for the first time at age 47 and was blown away.  The characters, even the minor ones, truly leap out from the page, they're so real. The writing is seemingly effortless (which we all know is the hardest thing to do!); nearly every word is perfect. The insights into human relations and human pscyhology are startling and profound.
The book is also incredibly modern. Published in 1943, describing life in the 1910's, yet, like any true classic, the dilemmas are timeless and the author's viewpoint, especially about women, speaks to us powerfully even today.
Among its many strengths, "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" is a completely truthful portrait of the effect of alcoholism on a family.  It also tells us about how poverty really affects people and about the immigrant experience.
I can't speak to how men will respond to this book, but I believe that any woman of any age will be thrilled by it.
Don't miss it.  And if you read it as a teenager, read it again and rediscover one of the greatest books of 20th century American literature.
3045459
I just finished reading it, and my face and neck are all sticky with tears. Phillip Pullman has done the impossible, he has surpassed any comparioson. I have never in my life read such an amazingly brilliant book, things are expressed within that harmonize perfectly with everything I have ever thought or believed, and I feel myself wanting the Story so badly that it hurts me. It is a climaxion of everything I have been feeling, and the incredible truths held within are so inexpressibaly beautiful and rare that these books must be Perfection itself. As I strive to solidify what I am feeling I feel myself failing, nothing else on earth might ever come as close to realness as the ink on those pages. The insurpassible wonder is inexpressible and incomparable.
1565686
Simply saying this is the most enjoyable book I have ever lived through would be an understatement. The characters came alive and I wasn't even aware I was reading.
The writing is simply magic. I will be getting my hands on all her books and movies.
4675056
Cormac McCarthy's magnum opus "Blood Meridian, or The Evening Redness in the West" is brilliant and breathtaking in nearly every way imaginable, from the title to the obscure epilogue. I will not lie, Blood Meridian is a formidable challenge to read, and from the opening sentence ("See the child."), McCarthy establishes how exceptionally dense the novel is (even the title has at least 3 meanings), but I have found no other novel to be so utterly beautiful and rewarding as Blood Meridian. McCarthy is probably the greatest living writer, and Blood Meridian is his greatest work. Read it. You are losing time.
516274
This is one of the most profound and powerful books I've ever read. Kathleen Glasgow tells us the story of Charlie, a girl who manages the enormous pain in her life with self-harm. The story is ultimately one of magnificent hope, all the more so after witnessing Charlie's journey wrought with danger, despair, doubt and self-loathing. Glasgow's writing mirrors the story - raw, tragic, stark and utterly beautiful - with some scenes evoking a visceral response. Her characters are rich and complex and in Charlie, she has crafted a character both vulnerable and resilient. It is impossible to read this book and not be moved by Glasgow's characters or the poetry of her writing.
739703
I've never read ANYTHING SO BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN. She writes like my mind thinks! It was an amazing experience! I could read it over and over!
396271
Wow. Roman literature is often seen as being derivative of Greek literature, but damn, Virgil is in a class all his own. Robert Fagles' translation of the Aeneid is the single most stunning, powerful book I've read from the classical era. The incredible sense of focus, the sheer intensity of some of the scenes in this book made my jaw drop. I mean, literally drop. The description of the fall of troy, Dido's bitter recrimination against Aeneas, the little moments of average people mourning the loss of their children in battle, the stunning dream sequence when the future lineage of Rome is revealed...gah. Each section is replete with searingly brilliant imagery. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Virgil outdoes Homer. He takes the epic of national identity and makes it personal, makes it heartrending. This book is 2000 years old, and it is damn near impossible to put down. Fagles was an absolute, bona fide master of the art of translation. I'll risk sounding like a pompous jerk and say that his renderings of classical works are more dramatic, and more alive than anything else available in modern English. I cannot recommend this highly enough
2335493
This book has been instrumental in drawing me to a place much deeper than ever imagined possible.  It's one of those I can pick up at anytime (and I do this almost daily) to any random page and it seems to speak just what I needed to hear in that very moment.  The writings are deeply profound and unlike any book I've ever read.  Buy it - you won't regret!
3187395
This is an enormously powerful book, among the most powerful written in the English language. To find its full equal in force, drama, and dark energy one must hark back to the greatest of Greek tragedies. Although a cruel death is at the center of this story, there is much in it about life, and why it is lived.  As Gage quotes from Andre Malraux's Man's Fate, "On the road to vengeance, one discovers life."
318774
I'm not a good enough writer to review this book.  Its depth and power are immense.  The "fine" arts are so called because they are subtle, elliptical and reverberative, and I can't think of a contemporary novel finer than this one.  It is long and dense, yet one glides through it freely.  When I reached the last page, I turned right back and started over.
92752
I've never read anyone who writes so beautifully and so powerfully.  His scathing wit and soaring prose are simply remarkable.  Highly recommended.
3796987
In terms of writing, I have never read a better writer than Tolstoy.  He writes in a way that makes you believe what you are seeing is real life.  The romance and things you get out of it is priceless.  This book will change you and for the better.  This book is the best book version as well, it is printed on bible paper, the pages are so white and smooth...the text so elegant and simple, not to mention the pretty cover.