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shimmery's review against another edition
2.0
The back of this edition promises ‘The Fall’ is a brilliant portrayal of a man who has lost his innocence and glimpsed the emptiness of his life, yet is happy to die.’
I’m sorry to be such a heathen but I didn’t find this book brilliant. There were some really nice descriptions of Amsterdam, where the novel is set, but the rest of it, all the narrator’s musings and confessions, seemed overly cynical and self important to me — the sort of stuff that if it was written by a 17 year old girl people would roll their eyes at but coming from a 40 year old man is deemed somehow profound.
I’m sorry to be such a heathen but I didn’t find this book brilliant. There were some really nice descriptions of Amsterdam, where the novel is set, but the rest of it, all the narrator’s musings and confessions, seemed overly cynical and self important to me — the sort of stuff that if it was written by a 17 year old girl people would roll their eyes at but coming from a 40 year old man is deemed somehow profound.
bexlrose's review against another edition
4.0
Not entirely sure what to make of it, but it was short and diverting and enjoyable. Certainly well written. 3.5 stars.
margaux8903's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Odd. I did appreciate the argument Camus was making but to be honest, I found it scattered and convoluted. Some excellent insights into the human condition: our shared guilt, self-importance, hypocritical relationship with freedom, all of which I found profound and useful. However, the story was a bit deranged and narrated confusingly--though I suppose that's part of the point. Did not enjoy this book, per se, but did get something out of it. Would possibly like it better if it was more clear.
kpanagod's review against another edition
4.0
“One plays at being immortal and after a few weeks one doesn’t even know whether or not one can hang on till the next day.”
So many parts of this book were amazing but there were many times where I found myself a little bit bored, as Jean-Baptiste often went on tangents and was super pretentious. I did, however, like the way Camus wrote it so that Jean-Baptiste is speaking directly to the reader, it was an intellectual y/n experience.
4.3⭐️s
-0.7 stars for slurs and drivel
So many parts of this book were amazing but there were many times where I found myself a little bit bored, as Jean-Baptiste often went on tangents and was super pretentious. I did, however, like the way Camus wrote it so that Jean-Baptiste is speaking directly to the reader, it was an intellectual y/n experience.
4.3⭐️s
-0.7 stars for slurs and drivel
fridge4's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0