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pattricejones's review against another edition
5.0
Exquisitely worded. Written just before its Algerian author was murdered by fundamentalists, this novel offers insights into religious extremism and mob behavior along with meditations on aging, time, and place.
megelizabeth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
"Some men, citing divine will and legitimacy, decided to shape the world in the image of their dream and their madness. Many citizens discovered that God could reveal a grisly face."
This is a remarkable and incredibly poignant book, sadly still as relevant as when it was written thirty years ago. It's haunting, mesmerising, hugely immersive, and one of the most impactful books I've read in a while. It has so many important things to say about freedom, fundamentalism, and societal decline, and it says them in such gorgeous, lyrical ways. It's such a powerful ode to the desperate cruciality of art and literature too.
It wasn't a 5* read for me only because there's one topicwhich I felt could've been dealt with in a more nuanced way and because there are some strands to the narrative which I felt needed a bit more development. However, I would hesitate to truly call these criticisms of the book due to the circumstances of its publication and the fact that we'll never know what edits Djaout might or might not have made before putting it out into the world, had he lived to do so.
I truly cannot recommend this enough and I'm super grateful that this came onto my radar and that I was able to deepen my understanding of such a crucial time in history through Djaout's brilliant fictionalisation of an all too real incredibly dark time that in various forms continues today.
This is a remarkable and incredibly poignant book, sadly still as relevant as when it was written thirty years ago. It's haunting, mesmerising, hugely immersive, and one of the most impactful books I've read in a while. It has so many important things to say about freedom, fundamentalism, and societal decline, and it says them in such gorgeous, lyrical ways. It's such a powerful ode to the desperate cruciality of art and literature too.
It wasn't a 5* read for me only because there's one topicwhich I felt could've been dealt with in a more nuanced way and because there are some strands to the narrative which I felt needed a bit more development. However, I would hesitate to truly call these criticisms of the book due to the circumstances of its publication and the fact that we'll never know what edits Djaout might or might not have made before putting it out into the world, had he lived to do so.
I truly cannot recommend this enough and I'm super grateful that this came onto my radar and that I was able to deepen my understanding of such a crucial time in history through Djaout's brilliant fictionalisation of an all too real incredibly dark time that in various forms continues today.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Death, Violence, Murder, and Religious bigotry
vivireads99's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Enjoyed this one! Gave an interesting take on life under a regime. Makes me want to learn more about the Algerian War.
karla_rizzi's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
emarie1919's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
definitely something to think about, I’m glad I read it
Will there be another spring?
Will there be another spring?
sydnattyice's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
cynthiareads's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Prose is a little to poetic for my taste, but the story is worth reading. It follows a bookseller during the Civil War in Algeria in the 1990s. Explores themes of religious fundamentalism and the importance of books and independent thought. Eerie to learn that the author was assassinated during the same civial war. "They understand the danger in words, all the words they cannot manage to domesticate and anesthetize. For words, put end to end, bring doubt and change."
marybo01's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Despite not quite vibing with this book, I respect that it is a very interesting premise and a good story. A very short novel following the downfall of a country into religious extremism through the perspective of a bookstore owner, refusing to accept this new way of life as easily as those around him. The story was thought provoking and complex, but I struggled to connect with it due to the omniscient, distant narrative voice. I personally feel like this story would have been more compelling with a deeper emotional connection to our main character.
The slow pace and lack of loud, violent plot points originally caught me off guard, but I soon understood that was the point of the story. Something slow, lurking in the background until it's too late. A subtle take on the serious situation.
Was on the whole a nice change of pace to the books I normally read, but I definitely didn't appreciate it as much as I should have.
The slow pace and lack of loud, violent plot points originally caught me off guard, but I soon understood that was the point of the story. Something slow, lurking in the background until it's too late. A subtle take on the serious situation.
Was on the whole a nice change of pace to the books I normally read, but I definitely didn't appreciate it as much as I should have.