Reviews

The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht

dotty51's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I feel conflicted about rating this book.  The themes and dialogue were expertly woven into the most intricate but also abstract design.  I laughed out loud so many times at the loveable and quirky deathless man’s relationship with the grandfather.  I was on the edge of my seat, despite the fact that everything was left ambiguous.  I found the language describing animals to be palpable.  I loved the way she incorporated minute and often unnecessary details into the story without lamenting.  I felt like I was there and then some. Death, animals, war, and relationships were the main themes explored throughout this book.  Tea’s writing seemed to aim to explore why people do the things they do within the reflection of the above mentioned themes.  I loved deciphering my own meaning from random stories woven into the overarching story of Natalia and her grandfather.  Every character down to inanimate objects was done justice.  That is every character except the relationship between the wife and the tiger.  I hated the ending for that reason.  I felt like it had completely deviated from everything I loved about the book.  Natalia seemed to reveal that she thought the made up myth about the tiger and his “wife” was real.  She laid out a picture of the tiger and the girl’s intimate relationship, despite the fact that previously to this the book painted the villagers as scared and irrational.  Painting that poor girl in that way didn’t sit right with me.  I would’ve loved it if it the end only described how Natalia thought the tiger processed the “wife’s” death.  I felt like her themes would’ve been wrapped up in such a satisfying way while also staying true to the ambiguity.  but the part where she was describing the tiger mourning her death felt rushed by comparison to the overly long winded story about why a girl and a tiger fell for eachother and why Natalia thought that the myth actually happened.  Grrrr.  Anyways I’m still going to read it again and maybe skip the last five pages.  It didn’t feel right to have loved this book as much as I did but only rate it 4.75 stars.  I didn’t like 5 out of hundreds of riveting and masterful storytelling, so I’m going to pretend that the book didn’t end with describing a tiger and a dv victim laying together and having a child

katharim's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

underthejunipertree's review

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.25

This book made sense to me at night. For whatever reason, when I read it in the daytime, the words wouldn’t click into place, like I was reading fuzzy words behind the glass. And then the moon would come out, and I’d pick up the book to read something before bedtime, and the book would come into focus and flow, like it did the night before. 
 

The book asks more questions than it answers— but if you can make peace with this, it’s a verdant read, powered by the muscles of its own prose and instinctual sensibilities in a roiling dreamscape of myth and memory. Plot is not a steady thread, but rather, a sharing of confidences when the moment feels right.

lil1inblue's review

slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

missyjohnson's review against another edition

3.0

enjoyed the folk stories that were made a part of this story. I am not sure that I am satisfied with the story of the grandfather being told to completion, but that is just personal preference. I need to learn more about the history of the Baltic area and how the wars there have continued for so long. this book also made me want to visit that area.

festivefun's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

byp's review against another edition

4.0

I don't know much about the Balkan Peninsula, but I love this story about death, legends, and legends of death.

julija125's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Hard read. Hab einen massiven Kloß im Hals. Es war gut, sehr gut, nur so unglaublich nah auch an Dingen, die ich von meinem familiären Umfeld kenne. Ich konnte nicht zu viel an einem Stück lesen, weil es mir streckenweise zu nahe ging. Der Stil war gut, aber auch nichts, das ich fließend runter lesen konnte. Es erinnert mich sehr an die Geschichten, die im Dorf in Bosnien, bei meinen Großeltern, erzählt und immer weitergegeben werden. Sind sie real? Sind sie es nicht? Nur ein Mythos? Wer weiß. Einzigartiges Buch. 

hayleysreads's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

frederica49's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0