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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
the bones are there....and bones are fun to look at.
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Of these 6 finished chapters and one unfinished chapter, quite a lot resonated with me. Karl Rossman is an impudent, proud young man, but this early American landscape he finds himself in really tosses him around. There's a constant balancing act of itching claustrophobia and optimistic exultation (about making a home out of whatever horrid situation Karl is in). In a new world like America at the turn of the century, there seems to be endless, infinite opportunities to apply oneself to. But at the same time, there's almost no satisfaction, equity, or prosperity to be seen from any labor and kindness. Wealth in this story is held tightly by those who have it, and even the most penniless, pathetic ruffian berates Karl for their oft-imagined generosity. This book is 100% a surreal fever dream, and I really wish it was complete. The final, untethered chapter about Karl making his way to Oklahoma with an ethereal theater company seemed genuinely exciting and hopeful. My last note is that there were frequent times I cackled out loud with the deadpan nature of imbecilic arguments, awkward fisticuffs, and characters shrieking in indignant aggression.
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Karl Rossman arrives in America without a dream exactly, but he does have a box containing his precious few possessions, which he promptly loses, and recovers, while making some unreliable friends and having some very mundane adventures. Kafka had never visited America, but it seems he was fascinated by the "American Dream," which he apparently found somewhat ridiculous, or at least comical. The story is very episodic, jumbled together, and finally, unfinished. And yet it has its moments of brilliance. The last chapter -- The Theater of Oklahoma piece -- which dangles at the end like an nearly unrelated short story, is wonderfully weird. I wish this had been the start of the novel, and that it went on from there... but we're lucky to have any Kafka novels at all, so this will have to do.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Love his unique writing style, but this story wasn't a favourite.