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sunimret's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
crustieloaf's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I don’t want to spoil much, but if you’re on the fence about this book, just read it. I currently subscribe to the ghost/purgatory theory as well as the murderer theory, but that’s not a spoiler because there are so many different ways to interpret this books it’s crazy. Definitely a book that creeps under your skin without you knowing it, then you find yourself sitting in traffic thinking about it on the way home from work.
Also, I think the best way to read this book (if you want to form a theory for yourself) is to see what’s NOT being said/included in this story. What does Mr. Weer not want to talk about? That’s where the real story is.
Also, I think the best way to read this book (if you want to form a theory for yourself) is to see what’s NOT being said/included in this story. What does Mr. Weer not want to talk about? That’s where the real story is.
Content Warnings
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Antisemitism, Cultural appropriation, Medical content, and Death
pineconek's review against another edition
4.0
This book is so weird and I love it. I read explanations and analyses of it for hours after finishing it, and definitely want to pick it up again for a more informed reread. Want alchemy? Murder? Weird childhoods? Unreliable narrators? Conspiracy theories with yourself? All there, against a quiet biographical backdrop. This book is cool.
montescrito's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
that was some high quality brilliant prose and writing. probably the only reason why i pushed through. the context of the book put me off from the very beginning and i tried to care about anything that was going on but i failed. regardless i blame it on me not connecting with the book due to personal reading preferences and not the author's story-telling skill. thus i'll give mr wolfe another chance sometime.
that was some high quality brilliant prose and writing. probably the only reason why i pushed through. the context of the book put me off from the very beginning and i tried to care about anything that was going on but i failed. regardless i blame it on me not connecting with the book due to personal reading preferences and not the author's story-telling skill. thus i'll give mr wolfe another chance sometime.
chaumps's review against another edition
5.0
A rich, dark, confounding and spiralling memoir that left me with far more questions than answers. Questions such as: What does it mean to be dead? What is the relationship between the dead and the living? Does the human conscience have the capability to recognize evil within itself? And whose story of whose story am I listening to?
The entirety of the book is spent meandering through the narrator’s reminiscent stream of consciousness, waxing poetic on the jumbled and oddly arranged timeline of his life. The reader is plucked from memory to memory without any warning, and often left scrambling for details on date or setting. I’ve never read such an authentic and intriguing representation of the human mind.
Woven through the story are a collection of anecdotes, folklore, and fairy tales provided by a few of the notable people of his life, which seem to offer a few thematic correlations to some of the ambiguously worded recollections of the events in his real life. However (just like in any Wolfe story) much latitude is given to the reader to determine the depth and applicability of such. This has been a rewarding activity for me as I skim through the book for the second time.
I am already looking forward to revisiting this story again
The entirety of the book is spent meandering through the narrator’s reminiscent stream of consciousness, waxing poetic on the jumbled and oddly arranged timeline of his life. The reader is plucked from memory to memory without any warning, and often left scrambling for details on date or setting. I’ve never read such an authentic and intriguing representation of the human mind.
Woven through the story are a collection of anecdotes, folklore, and fairy tales provided by a few of the notable people of his life, which seem to offer a few thematic correlations to some of the ambiguously worded recollections of the events in his real life. However (just like in any Wolfe story) much latitude is given to the reader to determine the depth and applicability of such. This has been a rewarding activity for me as I skim through the book for the second time.
I am already looking forward to revisiting this story again
arkhen's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lucas_lex_dejong's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
deckofkeys's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Neil Gaiman said he saw ghosts in this book on his second read. I could feel them, but couldn’t quite see them yet. Which means I’m going to come back to this in a few years. Try and see them again.