[justupvoting]

I hope, at least, you managed to watch the films before you had an opinion on them. Tarantino's, I mean.

The Road is not a violent or pessimistic book, tho there is violence and pessimism in it. Don't confuse the set and the setting.

Why write about, 'the worst among us'? Some art (and Cormac tottered over the line between wrought and overwrought plenty) is about finding meaning in the margins, in the edge cases. The statistical noise at the outerbands of anything might make it an impossible endeavor for meaning-making, but that's why art. You try anyway. Some writers are skilled enough to make the mundane sing and that's great, but McCarthy obviously didn't seem to care for that approach.

I think I can see why Child of God put you off enough for the thoughts of others to prevent any further effort, but I'd suggest you give him another go.

I'd save blood meridian for later tho; If you don't get too distracted by the setting of the road, it's a perfectly optimistic book.

As the poet said, something in us does not erode (free pun!)

[BrenBarn]

I think it's a stretch to call The Road optimistic.

[bexsella]

I would argue that the ending of the book is optimistic despite the event that precedes it. An imperfect father wants the best for his child, and does the best he can with the hand he's dealt. In a dying world of cannibals and worse, there are people who are good, and whose surroundings don't poison their view on what it means to be good. "Do you carry the fire?" is, to my mind, an incredibly optimistic sentiment.

[aYsY4dDQ2NrcNzA]

It’s quite a stretch.

[JKCalhoun]

FWIW, I've seen every one of Tarantino's films since "Reservoir Dogs".

I may give "The Road" a chance though.