Minimal Character Description vs Lengthy

If the choice is between minimal description and long wordy passages, I tend toward minimal. However, I believe the story should determine which way to go. A fast paced narrative can usually get by with descriptive items that fall naturally into the action. A more contemplative story can pause the action and dig deeper into descriptive passages to create a setting.

I think of Cormac McCarthy as a minimal description author. In the novel "All the Pretty Horses" the two main characters meet a young kid on horseback on a trail leading to Mexico. The meeting scene consists of four pages of descriptive action and dialogue. The only physical description he uses in the four pages consists of the following two sentences: He had on a broadbrim hat and bib overalls. - -He was a kid about thirteen years old. The other impressions about the character are conveyed through his actions and dialogue.

Haruki Murakami in the novel "After Dark" begins a character description with the following paragraph:

She sits at a four-person table, reading a book. Hooded grey parka, blue jeans, yellow sneakers faded from repeated washing. On the back of the chair next to her hangs a varsity jacket. This, too, is far from new. She is probably college freshman age, though an air of high school still clings to her. Hair black, short, and straight. Little makeup, no jewelry. Small, slender face. Black-rimmed glasses. Every now and then, an earnest wrinkle forms between her brows.

The description continues in this vein for two more pages. He handles the scene well with not much action and lengthy description, where a less skillful writer might tend to bore the reader.

In summary, I think description should be sprinkled as needed, complementing the action and dialogue throughout the story. As a writer, it's your story. You decide.