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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An interesting read that brings out a few smiles and a few tears. I recommend it if you’ve gone through grief and are trying to come to terms with the situation.
Through three points of view, you follow a family that, after the loss of their mother, is visited by a giant crow. Through the perspectives of Father, Crow, and the children, you follow their mourning over time and how they live with Crow's presence.
An interesting read
Lanny beviel heel goed, The Death of Francis Bacon een stuk minder. Deze maakte dat laatste dan weer goed :-)
Het spelen met taal, de soort van stream of consciousness van niet-mensen die in Lanny enigszins vervreemdend is, en mooi werkt, is hier ook al in een vorm aanwezig. Vader en twee zoons verliezen hun moeder, en Kraai klopt aan om ze door hun rouwproces heen te helpen.
"We will never fight again, our lovely, quick, template-ready arguments. Our delicate cross-stitch of bickers."
Weten wie Ted Hughes en Sylvia Plath zijn is niet per se nodig, maar helpt wel... (De vader is een Ted Hughes scholar, en is bezig met een boek over de gedichtenbundel Crow van Ted Hughes)
"Eugh ... you sound like a fridge magnet."
Het spelen met taal, de soort van stream of consciousness van niet-mensen die in Lanny enigszins vervreemdend is, en mooi werkt, is hier ook al in een vorm aanwezig. Vader en twee zoons verliezen hun moeder, en Kraai klopt aan om ze door hun rouwproces heen te helpen.
"We will never fight again, our lovely, quick, template-ready arguments. Our delicate cross-stitch of bickers."
Weten wie Ted Hughes en Sylvia Plath zijn is niet per se nodig, maar helpt wel... (De vader is een Ted Hughes scholar, en is bezig met een boek over de gedichtenbundel Crow van Ted Hughes)
"Eugh ... you sound like a fridge magnet."
This is a stunning, thought provoking loosely narrative poem. Worth reading, but you may be disappointed if you expect a novel.
What you should know about this "novel": It's a small book, thin book. Large type. White space. Quiet. Except when it yells.
The structure is novel, as in new, told by Boys, Dad and Crow. Boys sections feel honest. Small boys doing boy things, telling partial truths, and thinking about them later while not at all understanding the big picture of what's been lost, but somehow able to show us what's really going on with Dad.
Dad sections are sticky with fear and anxiety, which feels right, and creates questions and doubt to slog through like thick mud. It's easy to feel what he feels.
Crow sections illuminate like a candle in the night, ethereal and dark. Crow makes up words, is bossy and seems a bit nonsensical, but only if you haven't truly experienced how nonlinear and disjointed and irreverent grief can be. The beauty here, though, is that Crow, just like grief, can be interpreted in individual ways, and maybe that's the point.
What you should know about this "novel": It's a small book, thin book. Large type. White space. Quiet. Except when it yells.
The structure is novel, as in new, told by Boys, Dad and Crow. Boys sections feel honest. Small boys doing boy things, telling partial truths, and thinking about them later while not at all understanding the big picture of what's been lost, but somehow able to show us what's really going on with Dad.
Dad sections are sticky with fear and anxiety, which feels right, and creates questions and doubt to slog through like thick mud. It's easy to feel what he feels.
Crow sections illuminate like a candle in the night, ethereal and dark. Crow makes up words, is bossy and seems a bit nonsensical, but only if you haven't truly experienced how nonlinear and disjointed and irreverent grief can be. The beauty here, though, is that Crow, just like grief, can be interpreted in individual ways, and maybe that's the point.
This one may crumple you up and make you not want to talk to anyone, but that could be helpful. It was for me.
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
At times funny and irreverent
But mostly gut wrenchingly accurate
Need to reread
But mostly gut wrenchingly accurate
Need to reread
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Pedante y presuntuoso. Otros dicen que críptico y experimental. A mí los libros ininteligibles me parecen una estafa, muy postmoderna y muy postverdad, pero un timo. Hablar por boca de un cuervo y soltar graznidos no sé qué tiene de literario. Ni Poe, ni Plath, ni Hughes, ya le gustaría.