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daisywriting's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Une incroyable histoire de la mémoire. Dans ce roman de Patrick Modiado, on retrouve Jean Daragane, un écrivain à la recherche de ses souvenirs et de réponses à son passé flou. Ses réponses lui sont apportées sous la forme de photographies, rencontres, ou en repassant dans ces quartiers marquants de sa jeunesse passée à Saint-Leu-la-Forêt avec une certaine Annie Astrand. Tout au long de cet ouvrage, Jean retrace ses souvenirs retrouvés, et souvent encore incertains. Passé la soixantaine, le protagoniste semble sur la voie de l'amnésie, si bien qu'on en vient parfois à se demander si ses souvenirs ne sont pas uniquement le fruit de son imagination pour pouvoir se raccrocher à quelque chose.
Agathe 🐢
Agathe 🐢
shimauchiha's review against another edition
کتاب کوتاهیست ولی خواندنش راحت نبود. نمی دانم به خاطر نثر ترجمه بود یا شیوه ی نوشته شدن خود کتاب که تکیه بر اتمسفر بیشتر از داستان داشت و به راحتی در زمان این طرف و آن طرف می پرید. شاید هم هیچ کدام از این ها نبود و به سلیقه ی شخصی خودم بر می گشت ولی به هرحال با وجود این که کل کتاب چند ساعت هم وقت نگرفت از تمام شدنش خیلی خوشحال بودم.
nguyen's review against another edition
2.0
A short read, very well-written and gripping at times. But maybe not for me.
A man living in isolation suddenly confronted with his past, one that feels distant and blurry. Jean embarks on a trip down memory lane, finding the sense of self he's left behind. Looking through remnants of a different time and imagery of France, the truth slowly unravels for the reader. It took me a while to notice, but the novel really marches to its own beat, not following any kind of concrete structure, the first of its kind that I've read. Most of the time, character-focused plots are what I look for in stories I read, so I was intrigued by the characters surrounding our protagonist and their mysteriousness. But once they no longer have any importance to the main story (to the author, at least), when they still have so much potential to play a part in the eventual outcome, it seems like they are made redundant altogether. I have no problem with being able to see the ending from miles away, but the way it was executed did not feel rewarding enough for the amount of time I devoted to the story. The entire time, I was looking past what's presented on the surface for some factors that can resolve my curiosities, but to no avail.
Having said all that, I must admit that it's not that kind of story. I'm glad that I chose to dive into this blindly, without having read any reviews beforehand. It's fascinating, the author's ways with words, and I can see it having resonance with those who see themselves in this purposefully crafted landscape of Paris.
A man living in isolation suddenly confronted with his past, one that feels distant and blurry. Jean embarks on a trip down memory lane, finding the sense of self he's left behind. Looking through remnants of a different time and imagery of France, the truth slowly unravels for the reader. It took me a while to notice, but the novel really marches to its own beat, not following any kind of concrete structure, the first of its kind that I've read. Most of the time, character-focused plots are what I look for in stories I read, so I was intrigued by the characters surrounding our protagonist and their mysteriousness. But once they no longer have any importance to the main story (to the author, at least), when they still have so much potential to play a part in the eventual outcome, it seems like they are made redundant altogether. I have no problem with being able to see the ending from miles away, but the way it was executed did not feel rewarding enough for the amount of time I devoted to the story. The entire time, I was looking past what's presented on the surface for some factors that can resolve my curiosities, but to no avail.
Having said all that, I must admit that it's not that kind of story. I'm glad that I chose to dive into this blindly, without having read any reviews beforehand. It's fascinating, the author's ways with words, and I can see it having resonance with those who see themselves in this purposefully crafted landscape of Paris.
chrispatrickhansen's review against another edition
1.0
Fair to say I've arrived at my first dud of the year. The first 1/3 of this book sets up a mildly interesting mystery element, unfortunately told through a series of mind-numbing phone calls and cafe meetings. After that the book ditches its initial mystery and just details completely. This book is a MESS. I typically give books 4-5 stars, 3 for something not particularly to my liking, but this is my first ever 1 star for sure. Not worth the read.
ejg92's review against another edition
3.0
Þessi bók minnti mig á Paul Auster. Núna þarf eflaust að biðja ansi marga frakka afsökunar, en þannig er það. Ég kann vel að meta þegar höfundar rugla mann í rýminu, bregða fæti fyrir lesendanum og leyfa honum á fljóta óljóst á milli tíma. Það er kúnst að fanga minni og gleymsku í texta. Höfundi tekst það vel.
Að öðru leyti stóð bókin ekki undir þeim væntingum sem ég hafði. Mér fannst eitthvað vanta. Eitthvað auka. Samt langar mig til að lesa meira, næst er það Dora Bruder.
Þýðingin er góð, allavega var þetta mjög samstilltur texti - Búlivarða.
Að öðru leyti stóð bókin ekki undir þeim væntingum sem ég hafði. Mér fannst eitthvað vanta. Eitthvað auka. Samt langar mig til að lesa meira, næst er það Dora Bruder.
Þýðingin er góð, allavega var þetta mjög samstilltur texti - Búlivarða.
mindygough's review against another edition
2.0
This book was like being in a dream where nothing really makes sense and the pieces don't fit together, or like being drunk and missing the reality of what's going on. It reminded me of a Duran Duran video from the 80s as seen through blurry goggles.
I will be the first to suggest that perhaps my intelligence and level of sophistication simply don't match this author's abilities.
I will be the first to suggest that perhaps my intelligence and level of sophistication simply don't match this author's abilities.
literaryinfatuation's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ckbooks's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This is a very strange book. It’s pretty slow paced, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style. The plot was intriguing at times, though I’d say I reached peak interest about half way through, and I was disappointed by the ending. I found the timeline was hard to follow, I never knew quite what was present day and what was a memory, or which memory came before or after another. It’s possible some of that has been lost in translation, or it’s possible it was written this way intentionally to add an air of 'mystique’, but I found it more distracting and confusing than anything. Mostly it just felt unresolved. I can appreciate a story that leaves you with more questions than answers, but this one really doesn’t give you any answers. It seemed to me less like a book written to leave you in mystery and more like a book designed to have solid conclusions with the last third of it chopped off.
You’re introduced to all these characters and storylines in disjointed out of order memories, bits and pieces of what Jean remembers when he remembers them, and then not much else happens.
We never find out why Annie went to prison, why she fled the country with Jean, what her relationship to Roger Vincent was, how Jean ended up in her care in the first place, or what happened to his parents, and we learn nothing about Giles Ottolini or Chantal Grippay after the mysterious warning Chantal gives Jean.
telahe's review against another edition
2.0
کتاب قابل فهمی نبود. با وجود حجم کم مدت خیلی طول کشید تا تمامش کنم. علاوه بر ترجمه و ویرایش خیلی خیلی بد نشر کوله پشتی ، نوع روایت داستان هم گیج کننده بود.
داستان درباره مردی است که خاطرات فراموش شده اش از سال های دور را به یاد می آورد و دنبال حقیقت چیزی که در دوران کودکیش اتفاق افتاده می گردد. خاطراتی که معلوم نیست واقعا اتفاق افتادند یا صرفا ساخته و پرداخته ذهن و تخیل کودک هستند بدون خط زمانی مشخص و جسته و گریخته بیان می شوند.
فکر نمی کنم حتی در صورت تسلط به فرانسوی و خواندن نسخه اصلی هم این داستان برایم قابل فهم می بود.
البته باید یکی دو کتاب دیگر و با ترجمه مناسب از مودیانو بخوانم ولی به نظرم مودیانو سبک جالب توجهی (حداقل برای من) دارد.
داستان درباره مردی است که خاطرات فراموش شده اش از سال های دور را به یاد می آورد و دنبال حقیقت چیزی که در دوران کودکیش اتفاق افتاده می گردد. خاطراتی که معلوم نیست واقعا اتفاق افتادند یا صرفا ساخته و پرداخته ذهن و تخیل کودک هستند بدون خط زمانی مشخص و جسته و گریخته بیان می شوند.
فکر نمی کنم حتی در صورت تسلط به فرانسوی و خواندن نسخه اصلی هم این داستان برایم قابل فهم می بود.
البته باید یکی دو کتاب دیگر و با ترجمه مناسب از مودیانو بخوانم ولی به نظرم مودیانو سبک جالب توجهی (حداقل برای من) دارد.