I agree with The Guardian's assessment that this is one of the greatest American novels - because it so accurately captures what American is. How it feels out there in the West. This is pure American existentialism, the kind of philosophy that most of our writers (even the best ones) never felt like dabbling in because we're all too busy pushing forward and being Capitalists and getting that next great thing. But there's a sadness in this land, one that sits under everything like an underground stream. McCarthy gets that - and he also sees the beauty of it, how simple and wonderful this land is. This is a simple bildungsroman, in many ways - but it's also a novel about the very best and the very worst of America.The big problem is that, like any life, it drags a bit at times. But that (and the lack of quotation marks...) can be forgiven.More - lots more, including some philosophizing - at RB: http://wp.me/pGVzJ-mX
