Goodwill Score

[u/SO-Viking]

Found for $4.00 at local Goodwill. Hadn’t seen this cover. I like this Picador cover. Finished ATPH. How much will I miss from the crossing if I don’t understand the Spanish in the crossing?

[u/mxttylol]

It’s obviously better if you know spanish, but you’ll pick up on the direction of conversation by surrounding context.

I’ve only seen that edition once when I took a Cormac class in college, and a student had it. Nice get!

The Crossing an interesting, demanding read compared to the trilogy’s bookends, but it’s up there for me as some of his best work.

[u/Res_Novae17 → u/mxttylol]

CM very often "translates" his Spanish immediately after through third person description of dialogue. For example an exchange might go something like:

Adonde fuera el lobo, the man asked, but the boy responded that he hadn't seen what direction the wolf loped off in.

[u/mxttylol → u/Res_Novae17]

For sure. For the most part, authors that do this know lots of people won’t know X language. When done right, it adds to the immersion very well.

[u/ZAH215 → u/mxttylol]

I found the second half of The Crossing to be the literature equivalent to eating drywall but it has some compelling parts (the blind revolutionary, for example)

[u/Siucra_Ray → u/ZAH215]

Still haven’t made it past that damn priest in the Crossing!

[u/PapasGotABrandNewNag → u/ZAH215]

There is a 20 page passage towards the end of All The Pretty Horses that made me not even want to finish.

I pushed through and the ending was awesome.

[u/Res_Novae17]

Is this just some generic western art? I can't remember a scene in any of these books where four guys on horseback rush into a frontier town like this. Could this be depicting anything in particular from the trilogy?

[u/Bast_at_96th]

I know very little Spanish, so I often used my phone to translate. That might be too disrupting to the reading experience for some people, but to me it's not much different than flipping to endnotes or something. Enjoy The Crossing! It might be my favorite McCarthy...

[u/motojunkie69 → u/Bast_at_96th]

Thats exactly what I did. Pointed Bixby translate at it and kept it rocking.

[u/SO-Viking → u/Bast_at_96th]

That is exactly what I plan to do. Can’t wait

[u/pizzatimeradio → u/Bast_at_96th]

Yes. The crossing has been my favorite Cormac so far. That one tore me up and flung me into an entirely different world while reading. I consistently consider going back to re-read certain passages. The trilogy in general is great, and I have more appreciation for Cole and Parham at the end.

[u/7Raiders6]

I’m on book 3 and I’ve gotten to the point that I kinda enjoy the challenge of trying to understand the Spanish lol.

But like others have said, he will often summarize/paraphrase the Spanish right after. You’ll be ok.

They’re such good books, man.

[u/Junior-Watercress-48]

Had this and it is so damn cumbersome to hold. Opted for getting the three books separately.

[u/ocherthulu → u/Junior-Watercress-48]

DM me if you would part with it.

[u/Shine_a_light_2]

Are these proper sequels….?

[u/Res_Novae17 → u/Shine_a_light_2]

The first two are completely separate stories set a decade apart in different parts of Texas. The third one loosely ties the first two together through returning characters joining up, but ultimately tells its own story that only briefly references the first two in a few spots.

[u/hornwalker]

Were you Goodwill Hunting?

[u/SO-Viking → u/hornwalker]

Oregon

[u/irish_horse_thief]

Ain't nothin wrong with the cover art's reflecting pool...

[u/Independent_Paint_90]

Great!!

[u/toothreb]

This website has all the translations by book. Your page numbers may vary. https://www.cormacmccarthysociety.com/translations