Scan barcode
songwind's review against another edition
5.0
This book is almost a prose poem, which I am sure is the author's intent.
The titular city, Palimpsest, is an alternate world of alchemy and beauty that people from our world can enter only by sex with another person that has been there. Visitors to Palimpsest always come in fours, called a Quarto. The story follows the adventures (in Palimpsest and the real world) of a Quarto of immigrants as they learn their way around the city and the new world into which they have been thrust.
In addition to the beautiful language, the story follows many themes. Madness, death, loneliness, faith and war are all touched upon in the course of the story.
The only complaint I have is that the decorous language of the first handful of chapters is so intricate that it seems overdone. In addition, once more standard storytelling and dialogue become important, it can't really continue, so it feels as though the book has shifted a bit in viewpoint.
The titular city, Palimpsest, is an alternate world of alchemy and beauty that people from our world can enter only by sex with another person that has been there. Visitors to Palimpsest always come in fours, called a Quarto. The story follows the adventures (in Palimpsest and the real world) of a Quarto of immigrants as they learn their way around the city and the new world into which they have been thrust.
In addition to the beautiful language, the story follows many themes. Madness, death, loneliness, faith and war are all touched upon in the course of the story.
The only complaint I have is that the decorous language of the first handful of chapters is so intricate that it seems overdone. In addition, once more standard storytelling and dialogue become important, it can't really continue, so it feels as though the book has shifted a bit in viewpoint.
mollywetta's review against another edition
4.0
Lovely! Incredibly original and literary fantasy. Full review at wrapped up in books.
miseraya's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
jo_bee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
3.75
Reads like a character study more than a story with a set plot. Incredibly confusing at times, even though I enjoy Valente's prose immensely it is hard to figure out what is going on in certain parts. A number of heavy topics are touched upon and a lot of time is spent with the protagonists' emotions. I did like all four of them and cared for them a lot by the end of it, but on occasion they almost feel like a stereotype.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Incest, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Self harm
erinflight's review against another edition
4.0
Like all of Catherynne Valente's books, this book is beautiful.
But the beauty in this book is... sharp, for lack of a better word. Every character in this book is broken and every element of beauty in the strange city we are shown glimpses of is tinged with pain.
This book takes a hard look at certain parts of humanity that many other authors prefer to skim over in stories like these (the two that stand out most are the transactionality of sex and our willingness to accept beautiful lies). But, while the focus of the story is fascinating, the characters feel strangely distant. They are ideas and shapes more than fully fleshed out people. I enjoyed reading about them, but they didn't feel real enough for me to get attached.
The ending was also a strange contrast to the rest of the book. In that it was almost too straightforward, too easy. The book raised very complex questions, but ended them with a simple answer.
Overall, I'm glad I read this book. There are certain scenes that will stick with me.
And, everything else aside, I really love the idea of a sexually transmitted city.
But the beauty in this book is... sharp, for lack of a better word. Every character in this book is broken and every element of beauty in the strange city we are shown glimpses of is tinged with pain.
This book takes a hard look at certain parts of humanity that many other authors prefer to skim over in stories like these (the two that stand out most are the transactionality of sex and our willingness to accept beautiful lies). But, while the focus of the story is fascinating, the characters feel strangely distant. They are ideas and shapes more than fully fleshed out people. I enjoyed reading about them, but they didn't feel real enough for me to get attached.
The ending was also a strange contrast to the rest of the book. In that it was almost too straightforward, too easy. The book raised very complex questions, but ended them with a simple answer.
Overall, I'm glad I read this book. There are certain scenes that will stick with me.
And, everything else aside, I really love the idea of a sexually transmitted city.
eletricjb's review against another edition
3.0
This is like the adult version of Fairyland, which is the exact opposite of what I want, but still it was engrossing.
squirrelsohno's review against another edition
4.0
That was weird. And I don't think I even 50% understand what happened. But I liked it.
fletcher's review against another edition
So pretty but that felt like all there was to it. It makes no goddamn sense and I could never figure out what the world was or what as going on between the prose. The characters were also so weird and unrelatable--the girl who is like sexually attracted to trains? What?
jsbynm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
wellyreads's review against another edition
1.0
This book evidently wasn't for me. While being beautifully written the lack of/slow plot made it that I just can't bring myself to finish it.