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caramels's review against another edition
1.0
“Don’t judge a book by its cover” more like “don’t judge a book by its freaking title”, dammit. (But as for the English edition, the cover, too, since it’s really lovely).
Let me start with the most obvious thing: the writing. Especially in some parts, the writing was so less than average that you got the feeling any wannabe author could have written those lines, which left me deeply dumbfounded considering all the literary prizes the author has won over the years. Some examples of that were along the lines of:
- "His smile was like a sunny day in February."
- "His lacrimal glands were drier than the desert."
- "She was so cold and aloof, she must have swallowed a block of ice for breakfast".
and so on.
I mean.. whaaat? The only explanation I can come up with is that the dialogues, descriptions and everything else had to be consistent with the characters of a small village, so the poor writing was sort of done on purpose, but frankly that’s no excuse either, on the contrary if that’s the case it would be more of a sign of laziness than anything.
Secondly, thank you, Mister author, for reminding me that humans are scum and that 90% of the time there’s no logic explanation behind their despicable actions and if there is one it’s really stupid, but I kinda already knew that.
I think the characters were meant to be realistic, but they were a little too realistic, so they ended up being bad, clichéd caricatures.
Also, the only two characters worth your attention, in the end are depicted as weak outcasts that end up being pushed in a corner or crashed either by society or other human beings. A very positive message indeed. (Now obviously books don’t necessarily have to give out an overall positive message and everything, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be pissed off by those that don’t, especially when they don’t make much sense).
Let me start with the most obvious thing: the writing. Especially in some parts, the writing was so less than average that you got the feeling any wannabe author could have written those lines, which left me deeply dumbfounded considering all the literary prizes the author has won over the years. Some examples of that were along the lines of:
- "His smile was like a sunny day in February."
- "His lacrimal glands were drier than the desert."
- "She was so cold and aloof, she must have swallowed a block of ice for breakfast".
and so on.
I mean.. whaaat? The only explanation I can come up with is that the dialogues, descriptions and everything else had to be consistent with the characters of a small village, so the poor writing was sort of done on purpose, but frankly that’s no excuse either, on the contrary if that’s the case it would be more of a sign of laziness than anything.
Secondly, thank you, Mister author, for reminding me that humans are scum and that 90% of the time there’s no logic explanation behind their despicable actions and if there is one it’s really stupid, but I kinda already knew that.
I think the characters were meant to be realistic, but they were a little too realistic, so they ended up being bad, clichéd caricatures.
Also, the only two characters worth your attention, in the end are depicted as weak outcasts that end up being pushed in a corner or crashed either by society or other human beings. A very positive message indeed. (Now obviously books don’t necessarily have to give out an overall positive message and everything, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be pissed off by those that don’t, especially when they don’t make much sense).
tomatoes127's review against another edition
3.0
Questo libro è stato un po' diverso dai libri che leggo normalmente, e anche il mio primo libro italiano "per adulti". Dunque sarà difficile per me dare una recensione obiettiva. È stato tanto meno leggero di quanto ho pensato quando ho iniziato, e penso anche che la tonalità della storia cambia mentre va avanti.
Il linguaggio a me sembra un po' semplice, che per me era un bene visto che l'italiano è la mia seconda lingua, ma può essere noioso per persone più brave di me. C'erano anche un paio di momenti in cui la voce del narratore onnisciente spiega una cosa proprio al lettore che a me dava fastidio.
Finalmente il trattamento dei personaggi femminili era un po' scomodo a volte. L'autore a volte ha dato troppo spazio per descrivere i corpi delle femmine, e questo, a me, sembrava un po' pornografico. Ovviamente, questo può essere una riflessione dell'attenzione dei personaggi, ma a me non sembrava che le voci dei personaggi fossero alla fronte spesso.
Nonostante questi problemi (è molto più facile parlare dei problemi), il libro è una bella commedia nera, principalmente nella prima metà, e un racconto triste e "scuro" nella seconda. Dimostra i fallimenti dei personaggi, e in questo modo, della società e l'anima umana.
Il linguaggio a me sembra un po' semplice, che per me era un bene visto che l'italiano è la mia seconda lingua, ma può essere noioso per persone più brave di me. C'erano anche un paio di momenti in cui la voce del narratore onnisciente spiega una cosa proprio al lettore che a me dava fastidio.
Finalmente il trattamento dei personaggi femminili era un po' scomodo a volte. L'autore a volte ha dato troppo spazio per descrivere i corpi delle femmine, e questo, a me, sembrava un po' pornografico. Ovviamente, questo può essere una riflessione dell'attenzione dei personaggi, ma a me non sembrava che le voci dei personaggi fossero alla fronte spesso.
Nonostante questi problemi (è molto più facile parlare dei problemi), il libro è una bella commedia nera, principalmente nella prima metà, e un racconto triste e "scuro" nella seconda. Dimostra i fallimenti dei personaggi, e in questo modo, della società e l'anima umana.
bookbel's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
stef369's review
4.0
Gelezen in Nederlandse vertaling: "Ik haal je op, ik neem je mee..."
Een knap geconstrueerde roman met veel gevoelens. Het type van Graziano: ik kan het me zo voorstellen, hij is zo van deze tijd! En Pietro... ik denk direct aan onze eigen kinderen... De personages bij Ammaniti zijn heel diep gevoelig: hun gevoelens barsten soms volledig uit. Ze kunnen hun gevoelens niet meer de baas en worden zo soms ongelofelijk brutaal en wreed. Deze roman is niet enkel een verhaal over liefde, maar ook over onrechtvaardigheid, brutaliteit, wreedaardigheid... Ook de liefde is niet altijd mooi en zoet, maar kwetst vaak.
Dus toch wat bitterheid ook in deze mooie liefdesroman.
Een knap geconstrueerde roman met veel gevoelens. Het type van Graziano: ik kan het me zo voorstellen, hij is zo van deze tijd! En Pietro... ik denk direct aan onze eigen kinderen... De personages bij Ammaniti zijn heel diep gevoelig: hun gevoelens barsten soms volledig uit. Ze kunnen hun gevoelens niet meer de baas en worden zo soms ongelofelijk brutaal en wreed. Deze roman is niet enkel een verhaal over liefde, maar ook over onrechtvaardigheid, brutaliteit, wreedaardigheid... Ook de liefde is niet altijd mooi en zoet, maar kwetst vaak.
Dus toch wat bitterheid ook in deze mooie liefdesroman.
serayk's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
katejones's review
1.0
OK intro (though slightly boring story) followed by at least 30 pages full of sex and profanities. I quit.
cristinanori's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
rcsyink's review against another edition
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read this book years ago and back then it had made my stomach turn. I gave the book away and since a few months I've tried to remember the title or the author. I looked online based on what I could remember and the cover. They've changed the cover now so that makes sense. I asked at the book store and a few hours later they told me they found it.