Scan barcode
yocalico's review
4.0
oh, i coudl tell as soon as they brought up the storlyless story that this was one. i mean, the lack of plot was fairly obvious early on, and i think the book came impressively close to successfully capturing what it intended to, and even if it didnt, it at least managed to impressively express what it was with a sort of clever built in disclaimer ni the narrators trajectory with her own novel.
a few sentiments i related to in odd ways, (another book where i found things i related to that i hvae never been able to in actual life) and then cute bonuses in my book (in the book)--really poorly attempted pun here) in the little similarities between the character and me that sort of endeared the story to me--our fathers both being physicists, us both having basil plants etc,
and of course B was a major bonus all along :)
a few sentiments i related to in odd ways, (another book where i found things i related to that i hvae never been able to in actual life) and then cute bonuses in my book (in the book)--really poorly attempted pun here) in the little similarities between the character and me that sort of endeared the story to me--our fathers both being physicists, us both having basil plants etc,
and of course B was a major bonus all along :)
blackjessamine's review against another edition
1.0
20 .07. 2012
Premetto dicendo che lo stile della Thomas mi piace, mi è sempre piaciuto, è semplice ma accattivante, insomma, riesce spesso a catturarmi e tenermi incollata alle pagine dei suoi libri.
Eppure, nonostante abbia letto “Il nostro tragico universo” in pochi giorni, ansiosa di finirlo, alla fine sono rimasta piuttosto insoddisfatta. Il finale non ha senso, non conclude praticamente niente, non risolve nessuna questione. Tutto rimane aperto, in sospeso, quasi fosse solo la fine di un capitolo.
E riflettendoci meglio, tutta la struttura del romanzo mi convince poco: tutto si muove senza una direzione precisa, quasi si volesse semplicemente raccontare uno spaccato di vita, infarcendolo di riflessioni pseudo filosofiche e metanarrative, per poi arrivare nella parte finale ad ammassare gli elementi che sembrano dover reggere le fila della trama, quasi per caso, senza dargli la minima importanza. La bestia di Dartmoor che compare così, quasi di sfuggita, come se non fosse altro che un momento vuoto da riempire, il ruolo del personaggio di Josh che si delinea solo in fondo, non mi convincono per niente. Mi sanno di qualcosa di poco definitivo, di approssimato.
Premetto dicendo che lo stile della Thomas mi piace, mi è sempre piaciuto, è semplice ma accattivante, insomma, riesce spesso a catturarmi e tenermi incollata alle pagine dei suoi libri.
Eppure, nonostante abbia letto “Il nostro tragico universo” in pochi giorni, ansiosa di finirlo, alla fine sono rimasta piuttosto insoddisfatta. Il finale non ha senso, non conclude praticamente niente, non risolve nessuna questione. Tutto rimane aperto, in sospeso, quasi fosse solo la fine di un capitolo.
E riflettendoci meglio, tutta la struttura del romanzo mi convince poco: tutto si muove senza una direzione precisa, quasi si volesse semplicemente raccontare uno spaccato di vita, infarcendolo di riflessioni pseudo filosofiche e metanarrative, per poi arrivare nella parte finale ad ammassare gli elementi che sembrano dover reggere le fila della trama, quasi per caso, senza dargli la minima importanza. La bestia di Dartmoor che compare così, quasi di sfuggita, come se non fosse altro che un momento vuoto da riempire, il ruolo del personaggio di Josh che si delinea solo in fondo, non mi convincono per niente. Mi sanno di qualcosa di poco definitivo, di approssimato.
shoba's review
3.0
You've so far managed not much more than a few thin novels that preach neoliberal morality to unsuspecting teenagers. You tell them that the world is OK if you can find a way of owning it, and possessing it and making "your own" sense of it. You tell them, indirectly, that everything fits into some predetermined story-structure where you can do whatever you want, but only if you're the hero. You tell them what a happy ending consists of, which is always individual success. You tell them that nothing irrational exists in this world, which is a lie. You tell them that conflict exists only to be neatly resolved, and that everyone who is poor wants to be rich, and everyone who is ill wants to get better, and everyone who gets involved with crime comes to a bad end, and that love should be pure. You tell them that despite all this they are special, that the world revolves around them.
lielosob2001's review
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The theories discussed in the book are what drives the characters to move the story. This books is an ode to reading and narrating and writing books. I have never read a book like this and loved it instantly.
thestoryowl's review
3.0
I think my mind is still trying to fully digest this, it's definitely a lot to take in for such a thin novel. Can I just say that it is a breathtaking book to look at? The gold/black/white motif is so impressive. The story sucked me in, but there were a lot of long winded theory passages that tempted me to blow past them.
el_viral's review against another edition
4.0
I want to give this a higher rating, though 4 stars is by no means bad, as Scarlett Thomas' The End of Mr Y was such an important book for me, at an important time. However, though I enjoyed this book, I found it frustrating - lacking the 'magic' I felt in The End of Mr Y. It is a worthwhile read, in my opinion, but somehow unsatisfying. It also made me think about how much I'd like to learn to knit socks...
silver_violet's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
connor_my_rick's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
bluenemesis's review against another edition
5.0
After finishing this novel, I was left with that empty feeling one feels after immersing oneself unintentionally into another world. Our Tragic Universe is at once complicated and uncomfortably familiar. The characters are well-rounded, with both likeable and eye-rolling qualities in spades, and their relationships with one another reflect all the intricacies and redundancies and paradoxes we experience in our own lives. The book explores many different concepts, our relationship with stories and fiction, the structure and lack of structure in meaningful stories, paradoxes and ‘storyless stories’ or metafiction. This novel is all of those and none of those at once. While I first found the meandering plot, or lack of plot, distracting, at some point I was drawn into the bleak and hopeful world without noticing. It was one of my favorite reads this year.