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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can’t shake the feeling that half of this book flew over my head and the other half was lost in translation due to the prose being too artsy and me being too simple-minded.
The plot was intriguing and I was invested in this untenable and unhealthy co-dependent relationship between an adult daughter and her mother who suffered a mysterious illness. The two women traveled to Spain to see an infamous doctor, seeking a treatment for the mother. I was interested in seeing how the relationship evolved over time, and it made sense that the daughter struggled with how to be an autonomous individual.
What bothered me were the layers added that made the read overly heavy, touching many topics but not fully examining them - like the main character being an anthropologist and the story alternating to an observational field research perspective. Or the multilingualism discourse popping up here and there, and the woman-man-debate next to the Medusa-subplot. I guess I prefered an approach more straightforward or focused.
The plot was intriguing and I was invested in this untenable and unhealthy co-dependent relationship between an adult daughter and her mother who suffered a mysterious illness. The two women traveled to Spain to see an infamous doctor, seeking a treatment for the mother. I was interested in seeing how the relationship evolved over time, and it made sense that the daughter struggled with how to be an autonomous individual.
What bothered me were the layers added that made the read overly heavy, touching many topics but not fully examining them - like the main character being an anthropologist and the story alternating to an observational field research perspective. Or the multilingualism discourse popping up here and there, and the woman-man-debate next to the Medusa-subplot. I guess I prefered an approach more straightforward or focused.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
very much felt like a fever dream reading it. the beginning was very intriguing and i read the first 10 pages really quickly. it slowed down in the latter and the ending was not all that exciting, but overall still good. i enjoyed the read and really came to enjoy sophie's characterisation and her chaos - it was refreshing reading about a female main character who was so natural and was a mess, and the author didn't try to hide that.
idk, not really much to say about this book. was fine
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Honestly, just very confused. Weirdly, I did enjoy myself but cannot give it 4 stars for that reason.
The question whether this was a plot or a character driven book stumped me. I can’t find a better description than to say it was “vibe driven”. The characters behave in unrealistic ways and relationships are developed suddenly without real build up. There’s feelings and vibes and a dreamlike setting. Deborah Levy made writing look easy with this one - but I don’t think I mean that as a compliment. I stepped into hazy and hot Spain with psychologically damaged women for a couple of hours. Stepped out groggy just wondering what for?
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hmmm, I liked it - I like sinking into Levy’s deeply symbolic, descriptive prose. But I didn’t love the story. The characters felt almost exclusively unlikeable and - way worse - uninteresting. I was most captivated by the final phase of Sofia’s evolution and unfortunately it was also the shortest.