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katiekull's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Allegory of the cave meets mystery meets feminism?? What a journey. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long long time.
a_smile's review against another edition
4.5
Stunning. Sad. Frustrating. Honest. Empty. Alone. What word can one use to describe a book like this.
The book contains three parts, separated by a blank page. There are no chapters. There is just a woman, telling her story, to a listener that may or may not ever read it. This gives the reader a feeling of participation. Your story is heard, I am reading it, it was found. And this knowledge, this role of listener, will leave you speechless at the end of the book. How to process a life like this.
The woman’s story starts in a cage. Locked with 39 other women, but very much alone. Separated from them by an age gap and years of misunderstandings. Women is still a young girl at this point. The group has been in this cage for years. We don’t see rebellion or adventure, but the monotone days of a community shaped by rules and boundaries beyond their control. The difference between girl and the other woman in the cage is that these woman remember a live before imprisonment. Girl has never know any other world than the cage. And we are left to wonder: is it better to have loved and lost, then to have never loved at all. A series of unexpected events lead to group to escape. We follow as girl grows into woman, and woman grows into elder. It’s a hauntingly visual and human story.
P.S. Read the introduction at the end. It contains spoilers.
The book contains three parts, separated by a blank page. There are no chapters. There is just a woman, telling her story, to a listener that may or may not ever read it. This gives the reader a feeling of participation. Your story is heard, I am reading it, it was found. And this knowledge, this role of listener, will leave you speechless at the end of the book. How to process a life like this.
The woman’s story starts in a cage. Locked with 39 other women, but very much alone. Separated from them by an age gap and years of misunderstandings. Women is still a young girl at this point. The group has been in this cage for years. We don’t see rebellion or adventure, but the monotone days of a community shaped by rules and boundaries beyond their control. The difference between girl and the other woman in the cage is that these woman remember a live before imprisonment. Girl has never know any other world than the cage. And we are left to wonder: is it better to have loved and lost, then to have never loved at all. A series of unexpected events lead to group to escape. We follow as girl grows into woman, and woman grows into elder. It’s a hauntingly visual and human story.
P.S. Read the introduction at the end. It contains spoilers.
viktorijavaic's review against another edition
3.0
Autorės tikslas tikriausiai buvo patyrinėti žmogaus, užaugusio be civilizacijos, bet turinčio progą stebėti ją paveldėjusius (dėl to jau ir susvetimėjusius) žmones, paveikslą. Gaila, kad mane per daug sudomino, blaškė, o galiausiai ir nuvylė neatsakyta pagrindinė knygos intriga -
Dažnai atsikartoja retorinis klausimas: "o kam?/kokia prasmė?". Kam aiškinti dalykus, kurie vis tiek tau nieko neduos? Kam aiškinti paskutinei moteriai Žemėje apie meilę, daugybos lentelę, šokoladą, jeigu tokių dalykų gyvenime ji nematys? Ar slėpdami tokias žinias mes bandom palengvinti gyvenimą nežinančiajam (nesukelti pavydo nepasiekiamam pasauliui), o gal patys sau (neberdami druskos ant žaisdos prisimenant, kas buvo prarasta?).
Pagrindinė herojė yra smalsi, ir toks informacijos slėpimas - kad ir pridengtas rūpestingumu - ją siutina: "Noriu žinoti, kad žinočiau. Kartais, kai žinai, galima ka nors sugalvoti, bet svarbiausia ne tai. Noriu žinoti viską, kas įmanoma, šiaip, kad būtų malonu, todėl reikalauju, kad papasakotum viską, ką žinai pati, net jei ir neprireiks."
Spoiler
kodėl moterys buvo narve? Kur visi žmonės? Ar Žemėj jos, ar ne?Dažnai atsikartoja retorinis klausimas: "o kam?/kokia prasmė?". Kam aiškinti dalykus, kurie vis tiek tau nieko neduos? Kam aiškinti paskutinei moteriai Žemėje apie meilę, daugybos lentelę, šokoladą, jeigu tokių dalykų gyvenime ji nematys? Ar slėpdami tokias žinias mes bandom palengvinti gyvenimą nežinančiajam (nesukelti pavydo nepasiekiamam pasauliui), o gal patys sau (neberdami druskos ant žaisdos prisimenant, kas buvo prarasta?).
Pagrindinė herojė yra smalsi, ir toks informacijos slėpimas - kad ir pridengtas rūpestingumu - ją siutina: "Noriu žinoti, kad žinočiau. Kartais, kai žinai, galima ka nors sugalvoti, bet svarbiausia ne tai. Noriu žinoti viską, kas įmanoma, šiaip, kad būtų malonu, todėl reikalauju, kad papasakotum viską, ką žinai pati, net jei ir neprireiks."
mirandareddekopp's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jacketty's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
nancyyy23's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
I liked this but I definitely did not love it. I expected that it might be bleak but bleak it was 😐 an interesting exploration of what it means to live and what it means to be human.
I had some issues with the structure, there were a few passages in the beginning that I felt were noteworthy but would have had a stronger impact near the end (...but I'm not a writer so just my own opinion/preference 😉). At the end, I did go back and reread the first few pages having had a better understanding of what was being said!
I had some issues with the structure, there were a few passages in the beginning that I felt were noteworthy but would have had a stronger impact near the end (...but I'm not a writer so just my own opinion/preference 😉). At the end, I did go back and reread the first few pages having had a better understanding of what was being said!
lnbowen's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
4.25
anzz26's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
aoife_t123's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
fkshg8465's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
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
5.0
I used to say that all the answers to the unanswered questions in life would become to me in death. Reading this book makes new wonder about that again. What a unique perspective the child lived with, and what a sad life she was forced into. This is the kind of book I’ll be thinking about for a long time after.
If your version has an afterword, it’s worth reading.
If your version has an afterword, it’s worth reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail