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2.14k reviews for:
The Sorrows Of Young Werther: Translated By R.D. Boylan; Edited By Nathen Haskell Dole
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
3.47 AVERAGE
2.14k reviews for:
The Sorrows Of Young Werther: Translated By R.D. Boylan; Edited By Nathen Haskell Dole
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
3.47 AVERAGE
بالاخرههه! تموم شد.
فکر کنم فقط ۴۰ درصدش رو فهمیده باشم. بعدا باید دوباره بخونمش. :)
فکر کنم فقط ۴۰ درصدش رو فهمیده باشم. بعدا باید دوباره بخونمش. :)
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I finally finished The Sorrows of Young Werther, and honestly… I wish I hadn’t. Reading it felt more like enduring it. The novel follows a young man, Werther, who becomes hopelessly infatuated with a woman already engaged. He spirals into emotional obsession, returns after trying (and failing) to distance himself, and ultimately takes his own life because he can’t be with her.
Yes, I understand its historical and literary importance — it was groundbreaking at the time for diving so deeply into personal emotion and the overwhelming nature of romantic love. I get why it caused a stir and why it’s considered a cornerstone of Romantic literature. But from a modern reader’s perspective, it just didn’t work for me.
To put it bluntly, it felt like listening to a friend drone on endlessly about a new crush. Pages upon pages of dramatic, self-indulgent monologues that lacked nuance, development, or relief. The characters felt flat and uninteresting, and the writing style (which I know is “dated,” yes) only added to my sense of detachment.
Maybe this book still resonates with people experiencing the high of a first crush or the ache of unrequited love. But if that’s not your current emotional state, the entire experience might just feel exhausting.
In short: I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re specifically in the mood to wallow in someone else’s romantic misery. Otherwise, there are more compelling, more relatable, and more stylistically engaging explorations of love and longing out there. This one was not for me.
Yes, I understand its historical and literary importance — it was groundbreaking at the time for diving so deeply into personal emotion and the overwhelming nature of romantic love. I get why it caused a stir and why it’s considered a cornerstone of Romantic literature. But from a modern reader’s perspective, it just didn’t work for me.
To put it bluntly, it felt like listening to a friend drone on endlessly about a new crush. Pages upon pages of dramatic, self-indulgent monologues that lacked nuance, development, or relief. The characters felt flat and uninteresting, and the writing style (which I know is “dated,” yes) only added to my sense of detachment.
Maybe this book still resonates with people experiencing the high of a first crush or the ache of unrequited love. But if that’s not your current emotional state, the entire experience might just feel exhausting.
In short: I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re specifically in the mood to wallow in someone else’s romantic misery. Otherwise, there are more compelling, more relatable, and more stylistically engaging explorations of love and longing out there. This one was not for me.
emotional
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was short but it never ends. Werther, you need to calm down. But I guess it encapsulates what it means to be in love with an idea of someone. I mean, he hardly knew Lottie. He just goes on and on about how he loves her, but never why he does.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes