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No Country for Old Men Audiobook
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(4.00) - 53,730 listener ratings
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Plot Summary
No Country for Old Men braids the lives of three men along a dark path of theft and murder in southwest Texas in 1980, near the Mexican border.
The first man is Llewelyn Moss. Out hunting antelope, he discovers the aftermath of a drug deal gone bad, leaving but one survivor begging for water and a satchel filled with $2.4 million. He takes the money and returns with water, only discover the man has since been killed, and he must now go on the run.
Among those he is running from is Anton Chigurh, a hit man who often decides the life and death fate of those he meets with the flip of a coin. With no conscience, Chigurh will stop at nothing to retrieve the lost money, and will let no one get in this way.
Caught in the middle is Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, a man whose decoration for valor in World War II hides a haunted past. He has worked for many years to make up for his troubled history, and in solving this case and helping the Moss family, he sees his chance at redemption. But is he any match for the sociopathic Chigurh and the drug cartel that wants Moss dead?
Author Cormac McCarthy, in a review posted in the Houston Chronicle in 2005, has been called "our greatest living writer." His book "The Road" won the Pulitzer Prize in 2006, and the film adaptation of "No Country for Old Men" won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Born in Rhode Island, McCarthy's first novel was published in 1965, and his works have been widely acclaimed ever since. He now lives in Santa Fe with his third wife, Jennifer, and his son John.
"The narrator on this audiobook is fantastic and does a range of voices well with appropriate accents given the story context. The story, however, was messy and relied far too much on enormous chunks of rambling, action-less dialogue followed by sudden explosions in action. None of the characters except for the main villain were interesting or felt worth investing in. Can't recommend this one."
— FD (5 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
Llewelyn Moss, hunting antelope near the Rio Grande, instead finds men shot dead, a load of heroin, and more than $2 million in cash. Packing the money out, he knows, will change everything. But only after two more men are murdered does a victim's burning car lead Sheriff Bell to the carnage out in the desert, and he soon realizes how desperately Moss and his young wife need protection. One party in the failed transaction hires an ex-Special Forces officer to defend his interests against a mesmerizing freelancer, while on either side are men accustomed to spectacular violence and mayhem. The pursuit stretches up and down and across the border, each participant seemingly determined to answer what one asks another: how does a man decide in what order to abandon his life? A harrowing story of a war that society is waging on itself, and an enduring meditation on the ties of love and blood and duty that inform lives and shape destinies, No Country for Old Men is a novel of extraordinary resonance and power.
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Quotes
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“Riveting…A harrowing, propulsive drama.”
— New York Times -
“A profound meditation on the battle between good and evil and the roles choice and chance play in the shaping of a life.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Profoundly disturbing and gorgeously rendered.”
— Washington Post -
“Feels like a genuine diagnosis of the postmillennial malady, a scary illumination of the oncoming darkness.”
— Time -
“He is nothing less than our greatest living writer, and this is a novel that must be read and remembered.”
— Houston Chronicle
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A USA Today bestseller
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A 2005 ALA Notable Book Finalist for Fiction
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A 2005 Hammett Prize Finalist
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A 2005 New York Times Book Review Notable Book
No Country for Old Men Listener Reviews
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" Breezy and quick listen, highly recommended. The narration is very appropriate, and entertaining. The storyline keeps the listener riveted the whole way thru. characters are necessary, and there are no waste of words. "
— Chris A, 1/26/2023 -
" Dark. I love Cormac McCarthy. "
— Laura, 1/29/2014 -
" No country for old men was surprisingly good but it got a little boring toward the end but it was still a pretty good. The book was about a guy named Moss that finds find a group of jeeps in the middle of the Texan desert. There he finds lots of dead bodies that seem like Mexican drug dealers, he looks into one of the cars and finds a a suitcase with 2 million dollars in it. Moss takes the money knowing that the drug dealers would come looking for him, throughout the book Moss continually runs away from getting killed. The book is filled with action and thats why I recommended it. PS I read the book for the extra credit opportunity but I never got an email telling me when the meeting was so I didn't go. "
— Juan, 1/17/2014 -
" It's heavy and thick. This native Texan is a fan! "
— Sara, 1/11/2014 -
" Not as good as I'd expected, it was interesting enough though. "
— Rebekka, 1/11/2014 -
" I found the story itself exciting, but the first person dialogue of the sheriff bored me. I began skimming towards the end after the "chase" was over. I enjoyed "The Road" much more. This one left me with no questions of my life choices or posing any what if scenarios. It was an entertaining read for a few days. "
— Rachael, 12/21/2013 -
" So what happened? I enjoyed this book when I read it in preparation for seeing the movie several years ago, but admittedly, I found it somewhat perplexing. The main plot thrust ends up having little meaning on its own. And the ending doesn't really end anything. The book just stops. So does the movie... in exactly the same way. Both made me say, "What?" That said, it's an engaging read. Difficult to put down. "
— Al, 11/25/2013 -
" One of the best books I've ever read. I love this book. "
— Salvatore, 11/25/2013 -
" Really great but drags a little in the final third. Might be my familiarity with the film that makes me feel this way (the film removes a few scenes and creates a bit more tension with another). Love McCarthy's dialogue. "
— Colby, 11/17/2013 -
" You know a book is solid when you've seen the movie more than once, you know exactly what is going to happen, and the writer still draws you in and holds your attention with suspense. "
— Jeremy, 9/18/2013 -
" I am in a quandry about which to love more, the movie or the book. "
— Laura, 7/21/2013 -
" Quite possibly the best book I've read page for page. I can count the books that have affected me on this deep a level on one hand, and McCarthy has written two of them. "
— Scott, 7/5/2013 -
" The movie was excellent, one of my favorites, and this book was better than the movie. Highly recommended reading. "
— David, 5/26/2013 -
" Mc Carthys The Road is of the strongest reading experiences I have had. No Country for Old Men does not reach the same emotional fireworks, but is still very strong in both the story and the characters. A very strong four. "
— Fanny, 5/5/2013 -
" I can't give this book low stars because content wise, it's some interesting stuff. I just could not get into the writing style. "
— Brooke, 1/6/2013 -
" This was supposed to be an easy read...maybe if you're accustomed to a lack of punctuation mixed with an uneducated, southern dialect. "
— Gina, 9/25/2012 -
" Poetic and violent; an amazing page-turner from a writer who creates real people, real dialogue, and wrenchingly real story. "
— Ken, 4/29/2012 -
" Gritty and engaging. Film was well adapted. Coen brothers added subtle comedy in their film which enhanced the darkness of the story. "
— Beth, 1/15/2012 -
" Better than the Border Trilogy, but not as good as Blood Meridian or The Road. "
— Jasonchicks, 6/28/2011 -
" I enjoy Cormac MaCarthy's writing style, but this one was pretty gruesome. "
— Liann, 6/23/2011 -
" Nobody writes like McCarthy, unless it's maybe<br/>Richard Wright. Surprising, sad. I read just for<br/>the dialogue that makes my heart sing. "
— Kate, 6/14/2011 -
" McCarthy is the ultimate narrator of existential dread in an American idiom. "
— Dale, 6/13/2011 -
" Cormac McCarthy has written a decent story. I'm aware that "No Country for Old Men" has been widely acclaimed. As you'll note from my rating, I found it OK. It just didn't capture my attention. "
— Joe, 6/13/2011 -
" Makes you want a God with wrath as well as love. "
— Steven, 6/10/2011
About Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy (1933-2023) was an award-winning American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. The Road won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. All the Pretty Horses won the National Book Award. His works adapted to film include All the Pretty Horses, The Road, and No Country for Old Men—the latter film receiving four Academy Awards, including the award for Best Picture.
About Tom Stechschulte
Tom Stechschulte (1948–2021) was an acclaimed narrator and winner of the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He had been a college athlete and business major when a friend dared him to audition for a play. He got the part and traded the locker room for the dressing room, eventually taking him to New York City and to recording audiobooks.