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julesjoulesjewels's review
2.0
Well, I'm glad that's over.
This book passes the Bechdel test by the skin of its teeth, but don't let that fool you; throughout, it is absolutely abominable to women while being extremely forgiving of the men who abuse them. There isn't a single woman in this novel's 674 pages that doesn't exist to serve a male plot -- that doesn't exist to be either his savior or his destroyer. That alone I could have handled; it's not great, but it's unfortunately pretty common fare in the stories we tell. But when I am asked to sympathize with men who simply "can't control" themselves around women, when I am asked to sympathize with a man who takes advantage of a woman less than half his age or with a man who rapes a woman after murdering her lover because he believes she is "his" now, when I am asked to sympathize with men like these while the woman who seeks to ruin their way of life is designated "inhuman"? I cannot believe this book was written in the last decade, much less the last century.
I think what annoys me the most about this book is that I wanted to love it so badly. There are moments when it is truly beautiful, especially in the first half, and it holds, at times, the promise of being great. But I can only read so many disgusting sentences that treat women as creatures or things before I start to wonder what a book is really about. Beyond its gross misunderstanding of women and its blunt insistence that a life at sea is a hard one where men drown and drown and drown, this book didn't seem to know.
This book passes the Bechdel test by the skin of its teeth, but don't let that fool you; throughout, it is absolutely abominable to women while being extremely forgiving of the men who abuse them. There isn't a single woman in this novel's 674 pages that doesn't exist to serve a male plot -- that doesn't exist to be either his savior or his destroyer. That alone I could have handled; it's not great, but it's unfortunately pretty common fare in the stories we tell. But when I am asked to sympathize with men who simply "can't control" themselves around women, when I am asked to sympathize with a man who takes advantage of a woman less than half his age or with a man who rapes a woman after murdering her lover because he believes she is "his" now, when I am asked to sympathize with men like these while the woman who seeks to ruin their way of life is designated "inhuman"? I cannot believe this book was written in the last decade, much less the last century.
I think what annoys me the most about this book is that I wanted to love it so badly. There are moments when it is truly beautiful, especially in the first half, and it holds, at times, the promise of being great. But I can only read so many disgusting sentences that treat women as creatures or things before I start to wonder what a book is really about. Beyond its gross misunderstanding of women and its blunt insistence that a life at sea is a hard one where men drown and drown and drown, this book didn't seem to know.
makovn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
faymus1985's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mbloudoff's review against another edition
3.0
Fun read about several generations of sailors in the town of Marstal, Denmark and how society changes (or is forced to change) with the times. I don't particularly care for the way the author portrays women because, though it's indicative of the era he's writing about, surely he could've included female characters who didn't need rescue. BUT, otherwise an entertaining and engaging story.
bennought's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful, startling, heartbreaking, breathtaking, epic. Spanning a century from the failed revolutions in 1848 to the end of the Second World War, this book tracks the stories of the Danish town of Marstal and it's inhabitants, as they ply the seven seas of the world and human experience. Definitely a serious time commitment, but the book will drag you in and leave you gasping for breath every time you surface from its pages.
marcuslawrence_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was phenomenal to read.
I can’t remember the last time a book had me locked in the way this one did. With a unique cast of characters and a historically driven plot I found myself smiling and crying while reading this book.
I can’t remember the last time a book had me locked in the way this one did. With a unique cast of characters and a historically driven plot I found myself smiling and crying while reading this book.
krobart's review against another edition
4.0
We, The Drowned is an unusual novel by Danish writer Carsten Jensen that has become an international best seller. It relates the history of the author’s home town, the port of Marstal, Denmark, from 1848 to 1945. Although it picks principal characters to follow during these times, large portions of the novel are written in the first person plural, as though the entire town in the Greek chorus in a play. The novel follows the fate of the town as it rises to become a major shipping port to its near demise just before and during World War II.
The many stories related in the novel tell the rich tales of the lives in this seafaring town. Although I was initially a little put off by the narrative style, I found myself barely able to put down this book.
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/we-the-drowned/
The many stories related in the novel tell the rich tales of the lives in this seafaring town. Although I was initially a little put off by the narrative style, I found myself barely able to put down this book.
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/we-the-drowned/
wordienerd's review against another edition
3.0
Was really interesting, well written, just expected more.
heyviki's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0