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bluejayreads's review
I really wanted to actually finish this book - mainly because I was just so close to finishing it and it felt like I might as well push through. But eventually I gave up. Life's too short to read bad books, or those that probably aren't bad but are definitely dull and beyond my comprehension. This feels like a book that might be assigned in a class on post-World War II Europe. That's not a bad thing. If I'd been reading it with an instructor's guidance and through some sort of historical-critical lens, I might have had a chance at understanding what the heck was happening here. But without some additional guidance, it feels like something that Eastern Europeans who grew up in the 1970s-1980s would find relatable, funny, and/or true to life, but that I just didn't get as an American who grew up in the 2000s. And that definitely didn't help my enjoyment, because without that understanding this book is just dull. The initial concept, setting up rooms as if they're from previous decades as an experimental dementia treatment, was interesting. But the unnamed narrator kept going on long tangents about European history and attitudes, to the point where the entire Part 4 of the book is just a discussion of what year or decade the majority of people in each European country think is the best. There are also some weird and confusing elements that feel almost like they're trying to be magical realism but not quite succeeding, or maybe are metaphors that I just don't get. Either way, it all felt very boring and pointless. Or perhaps I just don't have enough context or background information or intelligence or something to understand the point.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia
Minor: War and Mental illness
chelseyg's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: War and Xenophobia
bookishbee27's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
A great concept for a novel but slow and difficult to navigate.
The good: I really liked the concept of Time Shelter as a memory clinic "stuck in time" and the writing really vividly brought these historical periods to life.
The not-so-good: I just found it very very slow going and the writing and dialogue quite stilted and dry. Unfortunately it wasn't particularly enjoyable to read.
Definitely an interesting concept and setting but a slog.
The good: I really liked the concept of Time Shelter as a memory clinic "stuck in time" and the writing really vividly brought these historical periods to life.
The not-so-good: I just found it very very slow going and the writing and dialogue quite stilted and dry. Unfortunately it wasn't particularly enjoyable to read.
Definitely an interesting concept and setting but a slog.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Chronic illness, and Dementia
grunbean's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Unexpected.
I think the blurb of the book does not do it justice. I would say that what it was advertised as is not necessarily what the book is.
It took a while for me to get into this. It has a lot of history and politics in it. I was a little disappointed that more of it wasn’t about these ‘clinics of the past’. However, that’s likely from the poor description of what you’re picking up.
I like it. Particularly in the last third of the book. It hits you with an interesting development. It would probably be more appealing to a person with a greater appreciation for European history and politics.
I think the blurb of the book does not do it justice. I would say that what it was advertised as is not necessarily what the book is.
It took a while for me to get into this. It has a lot of history and politics in it. I was a little disappointed that more of it wasn’t about these ‘clinics of the past’. However, that’s likely from the poor description of what you’re picking up.
I like it. Particularly in the last third of the book. It hits you with an interesting development. It would probably be more appealing to a person with a greater appreciation for European history and politics.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia
Minor: Genocide, Grief, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Abortion, Gun violence, War, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Murder
synchronicity's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia
tysuckz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I would’ve loved to have rated it higher but I just can’t. The parts that I loved, I loved enough to give it a five star but the parts I didn’t like, I disliked enough to have nearly stopped reading. The parts I didn’t like became chores to read and it was just unpleasant.
I loved the beginning, enjoyed the idea of the towns a lot and meeting the patients that lived in the clinics was sweet. However, I didn’t enjoy when it randomly went off the rails and suddenly there were 5000 referendums, so much historical talk & information about wars and leaders and political parties.
It did seem quite philosophical, which honestly I feel like my mind can’t quite grasp or maybe just doesn’t like to, but I enjoyed it all the same even if I didn’t understand some of the ramblings.
Loved the diary format, made for an interesting read and was refreshing from the usual following the main character around everywhere, all the time.
Some places it’s a little boring and others it’s really interesting! Gave us a 3 because the really interesting parts made for some great reading.
Also the translation of this book was pretty good in my opinion, usually I find translated books lose a lot of depth but this still felt very deep to me!
I loved the beginning, enjoyed the idea of the towns a lot and meeting the patients that lived in the clinics was sweet. However, I didn’t enjoy when it randomly went off the rails and suddenly there were 5000 referendums, so much historical talk & information about wars and leaders and political parties.
It did seem quite philosophical, which honestly I feel like my mind can’t quite grasp or maybe just doesn’t like to, but I enjoyed it all the same even if I didn’t understand some of the ramblings.
Loved the diary format, made for an interesting read and was refreshing from the usual following the main character around everywhere, all the time.
Some places it’s a little boring and others it’s really interesting! Gave us a 3 because the really interesting parts made for some great reading.
Also the translation of this book was pretty good in my opinion, usually I find translated books lose a lot of depth but this still felt very deep to me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Dementia
Minor: Suicide
caittothelin's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia and War
samsearle's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia
Minor: Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Violence
znvisser's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
This book managed to utterly intrigue and completely bore me at the same time. The narrator (or dare I say author?) uses fiction to explore some interesting ideas about the loss of memory and time, but it takes its time doing so. Well into the first part I was desperately starting to wonder if it was going to lead us somewhere, hoping the other four parts would be different, but unfortunately, insufficiently so. I loved the premise of this book but sadly most of this stays in the 'ideas' realm; the main character lacks any character and while history and philosophy are applied in an interesting way, the plot isn't rich enough to keep me in it either. Very dry. Not unhappy to have read this, but definitely happy it's done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Dementia
Moderate: Violence
tigger89's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was a very interesting book. As an American, I know I'm not getting the same experience out of it that I would if I were Bulgarian, or even European. Even so, I can't help but see the parallels between Gospodinov's referendums to return to the past and movements such as MAGA in my own country, even down to the sharp observations about how we construct idealized versions of the past. If this sounds like a heavy topic, believe me: it is. But the author approaches it with a dry sense of humor that helps to keep the tone lighter, observational rather than horrifying even as events take a dark turn.
The narration in this book is somewhat twisty and turny, not always easy to read. I had the most success once I managed to secure a narrative voice in my mind, but even so I frequently found myself re-reading passages to ensure I was following them correctly, particularly toward the beginning and end of the book. It can be challenging for sure, but I believe it's worth attempting if you're someone who wonders about themes such as nostalgia, the fallibility of memory, and the inherent discomfort of new experiences.
The narration in this book is somewhat twisty and turny, not always easy to read. I had the most success once I managed to secure a narrative voice in my mind, but even so I frequently found myself re-reading passages to ensure I was following them correctly, particularly toward the beginning and end of the book. It can be challenging for sure, but I believe it's worth attempting if you're someone who wonders about themes such as nostalgia, the fallibility of memory, and the inherent discomfort of new experiences.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia