‘No Country for Old Men’ Proclaimed Most Famous Book That Takes Place in Texas
Before we go any further, I should say that Cormac Mccarthy is my favorite author of all time, despite the fact that I am no cowboy, no cop, and certainly not a professional scalp-hunter or horse thief.
Yes, I might carry Blood Meridian in a Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper, but in spite of my girly-girl radio DJ life, his stories somehow speak to my very soul. McCarthy captures my Texas -- my home -- in a mystical, dark and truly lovely way.
Business Insider recently released a list of the most famous book that takes place in every state and proclaimed Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men as the Lone Star State's most famous novel.
It's a terrifying masterpiece and also an incredible film directed by the Coen Brothers. The film adaptation won the Best Film Oscar in 2008, along with three other Oscars and four nominations. And that's just the Oscars. No Country for Old Men was nominated for and won many other prestigious awards.
'Most Famous' is a pretty nebulous term, and certainly many great novels have taken place in Texas. Honestly, I'm shocked they didn't pick Larry McMurtry's epic Lonesome Dove, which was also made into a hugely popular mini-series that pretty much everyone just binge-watches like one really long movie. It also won and was nominated for many awards. Perhaps it's simply the fact that the Lonesome Dove miniseries was released in 1989 that set it back, although it's endurance as a perrenial favorite cannot be denied.
Let me also recommend McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses, which also takes place in Texas (and New Mexico and Mexico) and is a much more romantic and adventurous tale than No Country for Old Men, although it certainly has its own moments of darkness. And if you just want to completely dive right into the inky depths, I cannot recommend Blood Meridian, which takes place in West Texas, enough.
The tarot, extremely antiquated Spanish and a horrifying description of a Native American raid await you there. The book is so mystical and so strange that every attempt to make it into a film has so far failed. It is simply the best book I've ever read.
For a comprehensive list of other novels that take place in Texas, Goodreads has you covered.
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