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dre_'s review against another edition
4.0
Not much of a review writer, so consider this more of a journal entry. This book grew on me page by page. The book’s style is very challenging. My experience was initially one of disorientation - I would say it was (at the beginning) confusing and utterly baffling in places (pronouns changing, identities / objects shifting, punctuation, timelines blurring). At some point, I either “caught on” or it “eased up” - I don’t know! All I know is that, at about the halfway mark, I was obsessed with this book and couldn’t put it down. The last chapters are absolutely unforgettable. I loved it.
i_lyn's review against another edition
4.25
from my literature teacher, Ms Solah. thank you for getting me my first, very pretty, hardcover novel.
this took me like 6 weeks to read lol it's not like 300 pages it felt like 400 cus of the very literature wordings and stuff. but I read most of it within the past week was just a slowwwww start.
anyways long review cus I can't sleep now how could I after reading such a big chunck of this book lol
honestly I didn't expect to like it as much as I did when I finished it (that was such a bittersweet ending I rlly paused for like a whole minute). there were so many rlly nice words, phrases and thoughts in this book.
the main couple...wow...*spoilers btw* there was a quote I rlly liked when amelia went "you saved something in me that didn't deserve to be saved; I destroyed something in you that didn't deserve to be destroyed" like </3 ouch TT-TT no like it was so sad but beautiful but realistic and especially with their child near the end and the fact that even through their "abandonment" and "seperation" cus of everything they still loved eachother (nah when they said at the same time that they were glad their daughter looked like the other TT-TT) BUT HE DIDN'T REALISE HOW MUCH SHE REALLY LOVED HIM TILL SHE PASSED WHAT THE HELLLLLL 😭😭😭 (the girlie is kinda crazy and when she gave birth she couldnt recognise her man's and her daughter and he thought she was finally insane and felt sad and that when she was really hoping that that was her family even though she thought she was unworthy TT-TT)
anyways the girl kinda reminds me of me and is like a reminder to not be like that ig? (self destructiveness) cus this book was more bitter than sweet ngl
i did end up liking this book and way more than I thought I would...TT-TT
this took me like 6 weeks to read lol it's not like 300 pages it felt like 400 cus of the very literature wordings and stuff. but I read most of it within the past week was just a slowwwww start.
anyways long review cus I can't sleep now how could I after reading such a big chunck of this book lol
honestly I didn't expect to like it as much as I did when I finished it (that was such a bittersweet ending I rlly paused for like a whole minute). there were so many rlly nice words, phrases and thoughts in this book.
the main couple...wow...*spoilers btw* there was a quote I rlly liked when amelia went "you saved something in me that didn't deserve to be saved; I destroyed something in you that didn't deserve to be destroyed" like </3 ouch TT-TT no like it was so sad but beautiful but realistic and especially with their child near the end and the fact that even through their "abandonment" and "seperation" cus of everything they still loved eachother (nah when they said at the same time that they were glad their daughter looked like the other TT-TT) BUT HE DIDN'T REALISE HOW MUCH SHE REALLY LOVED HIM TILL SHE PASSED WHAT THE HELLLLLL 😭😭😭 (the girlie is kinda crazy and when she gave birth she couldnt recognise her man's and her daughter and he thought she was finally insane and felt sad and that when she was really hoping that that was her family even though she thought she was unworthy TT-TT)
anyways the girl kinda reminds me of me and is like a reminder to not be like that ig? (self destructiveness) cus this book was more bitter than sweet ngl
i did end up liking this book and way more than I thought I would...TT-TT
eloiseh's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
3.5
selsel_'s review against another edition
4.0
Qu'est-ce que c'est beau et qu'est-ce que ça fait du bien de lire une œuvre qui semble revenir à son point de départ pour boucler la boucle. On découvre un récit décousu, quelque chose de flou, comme de vieilles archives mal rangées que notre protagoniste Amélia aurait pu découvrir lors de sa quête. Tout est incertain dans cette intrigue, et pourtant tout est visible, et même parfois prévisible si l'on fait attention à certains schémas qui se répètent au fil du récit.
La mémoire et les remords sont au cœur de ce roman, que l'on se situe dans le présent, le passé ou bien dans le futur. C'est un livre qui décrit de multiples ravages : les ravages d'un vécu personnel, les ravages d'un passé, les ravages d'une histoire d'amour qui n'a pas lieu au bon moment, les ravages d'une nostalgie maladive.
En tant que personne qui a une histoire personnelle reliée à la Bosnie j'ai été à la fois soulagée et peinée de retrouver ce sentiment de mélancolie presque inexplicable ancrée dans mon identité à travers le personnage d'Amélia. C'est précieux tout en étant douloureux, c'est un sentiment qui donne l'impression de garder une image indélébile d'un pays qui ne pourra plus jamais être ce qu'il a été. Alors merci à Jakuta Alikavazovic d'avoir si bien décrit cela. J'ai également beaucoup apprécié le développement de Paul, notamment dans la troisième partie du roman où le temps semble lui permettre d'ouvrir les yeux. Et puis ces personnages féminins inoubliables : Amélia, Albers, Nadia Dehr et même Louise, qui sont des œuvres en elles-mêmes, des femmes qui rayonnent par leurs convictions souvent mal comprises.
C'était beau, c'était flou mais c'était intense.
La mémoire et les remords sont au cœur de ce roman, que l'on se situe dans le présent, le passé ou bien dans le futur. C'est un livre qui décrit de multiples ravages : les ravages d'un vécu personnel, les ravages d'un passé, les ravages d'une histoire d'amour qui n'a pas lieu au bon moment, les ravages d'une nostalgie maladive.
En tant que personne qui a une histoire personnelle reliée à la Bosnie j'ai été à la fois soulagée et peinée de retrouver ce sentiment de mélancolie presque inexplicable ancrée dans mon identité à travers le personnage d'Amélia. C'est précieux tout en étant douloureux, c'est un sentiment qui donne l'impression de garder une image indélébile d'un pays qui ne pourra plus jamais être ce qu'il a été. Alors merci à Jakuta Alikavazovic d'avoir si bien décrit cela. J'ai également beaucoup apprécié le développement de Paul, notamment dans la troisième partie du roman où le temps semble lui permettre d'ouvrir les yeux. Et puis ces personnages féminins inoubliables : Amélia, Albers, Nadia Dehr et même Louise, qui sont des œuvres en elles-mêmes, des femmes qui rayonnent par leurs convictions souvent mal comprises.
C'était beau, c'était flou mais c'était intense.
muuske's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
rozanne_visagie's review against another edition
4.0
*Disclaimer: I was kindly gifted a copy of this book by Jonathan Ball Publishers in exchange for an honest review.
"He would become the architect of nights, of their light. His life's work would amount to a footnote, an appendix to his professor's missing thesis: he would shed light on the night. He would enshrine the night, and the night, he realised, would enshrine him in turn."
Night As it Falls is a story about Paul, who by day is a student and by night a night guard at the Elisse Hotel. Amelia is a student by day and by night an enigma. Their paths cross, but not at the university both are attending, but at the hotel where Amelia occupies room 313.
They start to spend time together and Paul realises Amelia is different; she is complicated but beautiful. He struggles to understand her, but yet he falls in love with her.
Paul and Amelia share a passion for the teachings of Anton (previously known as Antonia) Albers and signs up for her seminars at the university. Anton's teachings are different in the way that it borders philosophy and Paul and Amelia with their uncanny personalities understands it.
One day, without warning, Paul discovers that Amelia disappeared. As it turns out she went in search of her mother in Sarajevo. Her mother was obsessed with writing documentary poetry about the war but was later driven mad by her failure to capture the reality of the war in words.
A thread ties Paul and Amelia together and her name is Louise. Paul tries his best to shield Louise from Amelia, but the inevitable happens.
At first, I found the story a bit confusing but then I got used to the narrative. I don't usually read Literary Fiction, so this book was quite different to what I'm used to reading. It is an interesting read with a sombre mood, but please keep in mind that this book is translated from French by Jeffrey Zuckerman. When a book is translated it reads a bit differently. This book might not be for everyone, but people who prefer Literary Fiction will find it interesting.
While reading this book, it reminded me of reading a poem. On the surface, you don't grasp the full meaning, but as you leave the words to marinate in your soul then comes an understanding especially about the topic 'night'.
This review is posted on my blog:
https://willowscornerbook.wordpress.com/2021/07/07/night-as-it-falls-by-jakuta-alikavazovic-book-review/
"He would become the architect of nights, of their light. His life's work would amount to a footnote, an appendix to his professor's missing thesis: he would shed light on the night. He would enshrine the night, and the night, he realised, would enshrine him in turn."
Night As it Falls is a story about Paul, who by day is a student and by night a night guard at the Elisse Hotel. Amelia is a student by day and by night an enigma. Their paths cross, but not at the university both are attending, but at the hotel where Amelia occupies room 313.
They start to spend time together and Paul realises Amelia is different; she is complicated but beautiful. He struggles to understand her, but yet he falls in love with her.
Paul and Amelia share a passion for the teachings of Anton (previously known as Antonia) Albers and signs up for her seminars at the university. Anton's teachings are different in the way that it borders philosophy and Paul and Amelia with their uncanny personalities understands it.
One day, without warning, Paul discovers that Amelia disappeared. As it turns out she went in search of her mother in Sarajevo. Her mother was obsessed with writing documentary poetry about the war but was later driven mad by her failure to capture the reality of the war in words.
A thread ties Paul and Amelia together and her name is Louise. Paul tries his best to shield Louise from Amelia, but the inevitable happens.
At first, I found the story a bit confusing but then I got used to the narrative. I don't usually read Literary Fiction, so this book was quite different to what I'm used to reading. It is an interesting read with a sombre mood, but please keep in mind that this book is translated from French by Jeffrey Zuckerman. When a book is translated it reads a bit differently. This book might not be for everyone, but people who prefer Literary Fiction will find it interesting.
While reading this book, it reminded me of reading a poem. On the surface, you don't grasp the full meaning, but as you leave the words to marinate in your soul then comes an understanding especially about the topic 'night'.
This review is posted on my blog:
https://willowscornerbook.wordpress.com/2021/07/07/night-as-it-falls-by-jakuta-alikavazovic-book-review/
alexlc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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