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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
medium-paced
It reads like a translation of an old German book, but it was written by an English lady in the 1990s.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
really, really not for me. i can see why people appreciate the writing, it's artful and is very deliberate in what details it spells out and what it excludes. i also did enjoy reading some of the vignettes unrelated to the main plot (e.g. the bernhard's river antics)
perhaps i'm a pearl-clutching rube for feeling this way, but to me, the central narrative about a fanciful twenty-something poet madly infatuated with a dumb ass kid did not move me, no matter how much the characters insisted on how mysterious and ethereal this girl was.
perhaps i'm a pearl-clutching rube for feeling this way, but to me, the central narrative about a fanciful twenty-something poet madly infatuated with a dumb ass kid did not move me, no matter how much the characters insisted on how mysterious and ethereal this girl was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Terminal illness
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was fine, but not that good. It was kind of dry, but not dry enough to not keep going, kind of interesting, but not interesting enough to actually be interested in.
The classic writing style made the story feel frivolous and silly.
I struggled with this book. I think perhaps a different translation might be more accessible
as I found I had to keep rereading bits to understand what's happened.
This wondering, sometimes disjointed, narrative is populated by too many completely forgettable characters, lacks in details, and fails to deal with a number of questions raised. It's best feature is that is occasionally funny. Dry and usually pretty subtle it saved this book for me from being a DNF.
as I found I had to keep rereading bits to understand what's happened.
This wondering, sometimes disjointed, narrative is populated by too many completely forgettable characters, lacks in details, and fails to deal with a number of questions raised. It's best feature is that is occasionally funny. Dry and usually pretty subtle it saved this book for me from being a DNF.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book just made me tired... like I didn't care for most any of the characters and it just didn't do anything for me as a narrative.