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papelgren's review against another edition
5.0
This is a chaotic and lyrical work that contains more worlds than seems possible in something so short. The translation does the near impossible job of conveying the impossible - some passages are clearly in a Croatian dialect that is not feasible to replicate in English exactly. The range of styles and scope of the book make it truly special.
snoakes7001's review against another edition
4.0
There's a lot to get to grips with in this slim volume. Clementine is on a road trip following a car accident that has affected her memory. She is searching for the graffiti artist Nightingale - her first love and first husband. He has left town and in the boat they co-own she finds some letters he wrote before he left. The letters are written as from a variety of characters including God and an unborn poet and allow for a good deal of philosophical musing on a wide range of subjects.
It's a strange and rambling read that still manages to entertain.
It's a strange and rambling read that still manages to entertain.
adrianasturalvarez's review against another edition
3.0
Read for the #BorderlessBookClub which has been a fantastic experience.
While I appreciated the prose and general premise I had a really hard time getting in sync with this one. I'm hoping some discussion with others will help reveal its splendor (or confirm it just wasn't for me).
While I appreciated the prose and general premise I had a really hard time getting in sync with this one. I'm hoping some discussion with others will help reveal its splendor (or confirm it just wasn't for me).
whatadutchgirlreads's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
arirang's review against another edition
2.0
Singer in the Night has been translated by Celia Hawkesworth from Olja Savicevic's 2016 original Pjevač u noći.
This was one of those 'it's me, not you' books, which while a fine novel just wasn't too my taste. Hawkesworth has previously translated books by Dubravka Ugrešić, Ivo Andrić and Daša Drndić, authors more to my liking. This, about a surgically enhanced soap-opera writer with memory problems searching for her ex-lover, a street poet and graffiti artist, whose poems about blowing up banks inspired someone to do just that, wasn't.
For a better take on this book, see https://roughghosts.com/tag/singer-in-the-night/
This was one of those 'it's me, not you' books, which while a fine novel just wasn't too my taste. Hawkesworth has previously translated books by Dubravka Ugrešić, Ivo Andrić and Daša Drndić, authors more to my liking. This, about a surgically enhanced soap-opera writer with memory problems searching for her ex-lover, a street poet and graffiti artist, whose poems about blowing up banks inspired someone to do just that, wasn't.
For a better take on this book, see https://roughghosts.com/tag/singer-in-the-night/
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