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Outer Dark

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Outer Dark

By: Cormac McCarthy
Narrated by: Ed Sala
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About this listen

Outer Dark is a novel at once fabular and starkly evocative, set is an unspecified place in Appalachia, sometime around the turn of the century. A woman bears her brother's child, a boy; he leaves the baby in the woods and tells her he died of natural causes. Discovering her brother's lie, she sets forth alone to find her son. Both brother and sister wander separately through a countryside being scourged by three terrifying and elusive strangers, headlong toward an eerie, apocalyptic resolution.

©1968 Cormac McCarthy (P)2013 Recorded Books
Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Emotionally Gripping
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What listeners say about Outer Dark

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  • Overall
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perfectly narrated

Cormac McCarthy writes about the human condition. He doesn't shy away from or deny, any of its aspects.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Bleak subject matter but sublime writing.

Nobody writes quite like Cormac McCarthy.

A dark Southern Gothic tale of an incestuously conceived baby abandoned in the woods, and the mother's subsequent search for her child.

If that sounds like a very dark story to you, then you would be correct; this is, after all, Cormac McCarthy. Yes, it is bleak, but at the same time it is written in the most lyrical, beautiful style that I have encountered.

It is perfectly read by Ed Sala, his voice and manner completely in sync with McCarthy's writing.

Given the subject matter, this is not for everyone, but my goodness it is writing so near perfect that it takes the breath away.

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    5 out of 5 stars

A deeply sad but compelling tale told beautifully.

Few books have characters as real and empathetic as Cormac McCarthy’s. The tragedies of their lives make me appreciate everything in mine. This story’s twists and turns are unpredictable, fascinating and cathartic.

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Desolate masterpiece

Nobody does southern gothic like Cormac McCarthy. Abundant with allegory and coruscating imagery this book left its imprint long after the final words faded. Darkly humorous, violent, bleak, beautiful and laced with McCarthys stunning prose. There are demons in the woods that look like men.

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1 person found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars

pay attention

not an easy listen, casual violence lyrically written and performed brilliantly. The words are lean and the talented narrator delivers them vividly. Only an American actor could do this because he captures the nuances of the language and the rhythm of McCarthy's prose which immerses the listener in the bleak but brilliant novel from one the world's greatest writers.

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christ that was bleak

love Cormac Mccarthy, and this was no exception if you like unrelenting, grinding poverty, misery and awfulness.

really well read and atmospheric, I did enjoy it but don't expect any rays of sunshine.

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Quietly horrific

Classic Mcarthy, worth a listen and a read. brilliant work by the narrator as well.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Bleak but riveting

Any additional comments?

An extremely bleak story but so well written as to be entirely absorbing. The dialogue is so good I cannot think of any novelist who surpasses it. The reading is perfect for the book, so gritty you feel you are right there among these wiry people, tough as worn out boots. Ed Sala is a true performer, bringing out the dialogue perfectly. I will look for more books he has done..

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An atmospheric literary classic

A powerful and harrowing story beautifully and evocatively written and brilliantly narrated in a style absolutely appropriate to the voice of the author.

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A Bad Mens' World

Don't read this one if you haven't already read latest books from the author. 'Outer Dark' is a tipical wrong second novel after a tolerable first book: loads of material with no tangible concept. Incongruent simbolism, exhausting poetry,confused picaresque narration. However you can see traces of the future genius: endless erration on a road to nowhere, hostile landscape, evil locals and dead, dead, dead all along the story. (God will certainly punish Mr. McCarthy for all the babies and young people massacred in his novels) But locks of humour and a minimum of benevolent thinking. Adolescent blood hunger and uncomfortable storytelling. Quite forgettable.

Ed Sala is like a fat country cat, slow and jovial. Very enjoyable!

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3 people found this helpful