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af415's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
kteddycurr's review against another edition
3.0
This book is for anyone who loved 100 years of solitude. The family tree is told with magical realism and lots of heroic and/or tragic characters. The end lost some of the romance, however, and I was finished with the book 50 pages before it ended.
bolognio108's review
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
<trigger warning> <rape/violence>
Look I understand people don’t always enjoy reading about these extreme topics, and if you are triggered by these subjects then you probably won’t enjoy this book, but that does not take away from the content and how fantastic this book is.
Jodorowski is talking about his families heritage, and writting about a time that was plunged in disorder and chaos and inequality and power struggles, for him to hold back would be such a waste, especially since the themes and ending of the book are so much more impactful after going through all the trauma with the lineage.
This is a autobiography turned into a fantastical reimagining of the writters family history, it’s so imaginative and wonderful and sad and beautiful. The only true criticism I could give is that it is in fact sort of confusing how certain passages blend together especially when we are jumping from character to character with any kind of indication that we’ve changed sometimes.
Look I understand people don’t always enjoy reading about these extreme topics, and if you are triggered by these subjects then you probably won’t enjoy this book, but that does not take away from the content and how fantastic this book is.
Jodorowski is talking about his families heritage, and writting about a time that was plunged in disorder and chaos and inequality and power struggles, for him to hold back would be such a waste, especially since the themes and ending of the book are so much more impactful after going through all the trauma with the lineage.
This is a autobiography turned into a fantastical reimagining of the writters family history, it’s so imaginative and wonderful and sad and beautiful. The only true criticism I could give is that it is in fact sort of confusing how certain passages blend together especially when we are jumping from character to character with any kind of indication that we’ve changed sometimes.
psokid's review
challenging
dark
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Gun violence and Police brutality
lsantoski's review against another edition
4.0
The conceit of this book is that the author (who is basically a jack-of-all-trades Chilean-French guy -- he was a clown, a filmmaker, an author, he translated the book from spanish to english, and the list goes on) is mythologizing his family's history.
It took me a while to get into the book because it's honestly crazy -- like a very long fever dream. It goes through multiple generations and across continents and it's funny and gross and beautiful. Ex.: There's a part where a beekeeper's long-lost daughter finds him, they become lovers, he drowns himself in his bees' honey, the honey preserves his body for years, and eventually she drowns herself in the honey too so they can be together forever.
Once I stopped thinking of it the way I'd think of a normal novel and thought of it as the author creating a fable about his family's history, I started to really get into it. It's a wild ride.
It took me a while to get into the book because it's honestly crazy -- like a very long fever dream. It goes through multiple generations and across continents and it's funny and gross and beautiful. Ex.: There's a part where a beekeeper's long-lost daughter finds him, they become lovers, he drowns himself in his bees' honey, the honey preserves his body for years, and eventually she drowns herself in the honey too so they can be together forever.
Once I stopped thinking of it the way I'd think of a normal novel and thought of it as the author creating a fable about his family's history, I started to really get into it. It's a wild ride.
borisfeldman's review
1.0
To appreciate this book fully, you should drop acid first.
The author probably did before writing it.
How often can you combine pogroms, religious mysticism, and rape in one novel?
I'm proud that I quit at 50%, but ashamed that I made it to 50%.
The author probably did before writing it.
How often can you combine pogroms, religious mysticism, and rape in one novel?
I'm proud that I quit at 50%, but ashamed that I made it to 50%.
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