Blood Meridian Audiobook By Cormac McCarthy cover art

Blood Meridian

Or the Evening Redness in the West

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Blood Meridian

By: Cormac McCarthy
Narrated by: Richard Poe
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About this listen

Author of the National Book Award-winning All the Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy is one of the most provocative American stylists to emerge in the last century. The striking novel Blood Meridian offers an unflinching narrative of the brutality that accompanied the push west on the 1850s Texas frontier.©1985 Cormac McCarthy (P)2007 Recorded Books Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Westerns Scary Suspenseful Thought-Provoking

Critic reviews

“The authentic American apocalyptic novel…I venture that no other living American novelist, not even Pynchon, has given us a book as strong and memorable as Blood Meridian.” (Harold Bloom)
"McCarthy is a writer to be read, to be admired, and quite honestly envied." (Ralph Ellison)
"McCarthy is a born narrator, and his writing has, line by line, the stab of actuality. He is here to stay." (Robert Penn Warren)

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What listeners say about Blood Meridian

Highly rated for:

Poetic Writing Style Vivid Descriptions Excellent Narration Compelling Antagonist Complex Villain
Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

High lit, well-read.

Never before have I encountered a book that went so far over my head the first time I read through it, but Blood Meridian passed by so high, it's taken me quite some time to reach a point that I could appreciate the work for all its accomplishments. This book is a chore, plainly stated, but - like so many difficult yet great books that are out there - it will be worthwhile for those who decided to take up the task.
As for the reading, Poe did a fantastic job in his narration. Not over-the-top but not a monotonous drone, his choices in the voicing of these characters allowed for the text to really speak out.

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Bleak and Beautiful

Unrelentingly bleak and beautifully written, in BLOOD MERIDIAN Cormac McCarthy plumbs the unlighted depths of humanity and finds no bottom. It contains, in the Judge, a character as profoundly nihilistic as I've come across in any literature. Joseph Conrad's Kurz, perhaps, would at least recognize the Judge as a kindred spirit; but the Judge would laugh at any notion of horror - or any emotion save amusement - being the proper response to psychopathology. The novel can be read as a metaphor for the consequences of manifest destiny; with the Judge representing the unstoppable, remorseless, and unrepentingly violent force of U.S. expansion, ceaselessly eliminating or absorbing all that stood in its way, even while uttering the soothing words of beneficial intent. Hard to read, harder to put down.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An outstanding reading of extraordinary book

Brutal, incandescent vision of the American west. The narrator, Poe, does a pitch-perfect reading. A work of art where soul and language meet.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Stark, brutal, violent, beautiful

An ode to violence and adventure. Beautifully written masterpiece of unrelenting brutality and visceral imagery.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Well written with a few caveats

I love McCarthy's writing style, and have read (or listened to) most of his books. My personal favorite is "The Road". Absolutely stunning!
But "Blood Meridian" seems to be missing something. As well written as it is, I don't think it has the same consitency and cohesive thread that "The Road" has. It seems to be a story that meanders back and forth, which makes it difficult to keep up with.
It seems to go nowhere at times, so I removed one star for that.
However, the narration is very good and fits the atmosphere of the story perfectly... and atmosphere is where McCarthy really shines. I suppose you could listen to this audiobook simply for the graphic and stunning (at times very violent) atmosphere, but I usually look for more of a plot in a novel, and more story development.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Riders of the Apocalypses

Beautifully written as only Cormac McCarthy is capable of but intensely disturbing if there is even a modicum of historical truth to the story. Rarely does one encounter a human being in the narrative with a modicum of morality in this world of 'kill or be killed'. McCarthy paints a picture where humans are either predator or prey and life is brutal and devoid of any meaning or redemption. The only heroes to be found are the animals who, despite enduring untold brutality at the hands of their captors, show some level of loyalty and compassion.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

a metaphysical western

This novel is much deeper than its surface meaning. Splendid reading and performance by the reader. This haunting tale must be experienced more than once to be truly appreciated.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story!!!

I was watching Windagoons video and he convinced me to listen. Definition not disappointed, worth the credit!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Our current Greatest American Author

The story is gritty, complex, and so rich with immaculately composed language that I have to stop and reread sections for the pure joy of it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Stunning

Stunning rendition of a tremendous novel. Richard Poe's performance is astounding. He captures both the austere tone of the book, and pitch-perfect interpretations of each character's voice, most notably in the ominous inflections of the Judge.

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