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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book was like pure vibes with an undercurrent of plot that tugged you through. the most striking thing for me was the imagery, how dull everything felt but that it was never boring. it was deep and mundane at the same time, and the peaks where things should have been fantastical and vibrant, when magda goes on trips away, felt eerie and surreal.
the characters were so deeply compelling, and i’m not even sure how they became so interesting to me. there’s just some silent power coursing through the novel, that little edge that passion and love lend to writing. it would have been a five star read if i had more knowledge of hungary i think. it felt like a historical allegory or cultural commentary that i just couldn’t break through to the point of Understanding. but that i want to understand, it’s the kind of story that feels so deeply motivated that im left curious.
the characters were so deeply compelling, and i’m not even sure how they became so interesting to me. there’s just some silent power coursing through the novel, that little edge that passion and love lend to writing. it would have been a five star read if i had more knowledge of hungary i think. it felt like a historical allegory or cultural commentary that i just couldn’t break through to the point of Understanding. but that i want to understand, it’s the kind of story that feels so deeply motivated that im left curious.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, War
Minor: Genocide, Religious bigotry
The characters were interesting but the ending was disappointing.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Will flesh out my take further on a reread closer to book club. But as I was watching The Bridge on the River Kwai I thought how interesting it is to watch two people in conflict both be completely wrong at each other. It got much more compelling for me closer to the end, as the national, political, professional obligations develop in nightmarish incompatibility to personal ones. Emerence resists the pull of history and only feels it bodily. But Magda and her life of the mind is powerless to these larger forces. Will keep on chewing for the next several weeks.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes