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bhgold1711's review against another edition
1.0
I don't really have much to say beyond that I just hated this book.
vermilionred's review against another edition
5.0
I felt like this book articulated a lot of things that I struggle to articulate myself, and feel trite when I try to write them down. "Shouldn't art make us better people? What would it mean to create with an atrocity at the heart of it?" In some ways that question has been answered - Isn't art routinely created with atrocities at the heart of it? - but in more personal, meaningful ways for me it hasn't. Do people set out to make art that makes them worse people? I hope not.
I guess that's a roundabout way of saying that I found this book intellectually captivating. It's difficult to talk about art without seeming pompous, and it's difficult to talk about it in the abstract at all. I liked the abstraction of the Grand Jeu, and this book absolutely captured the feeling of making some kinds of art -- pulling in allusions from everywhere and hammering it into forms without resorting to being formulaic, without losing the message that you're trying to send, until it becomes a constraints problem where cause and effect are clearly laid out. It was also dead-on in terms of what it feels like to have a really excellent collaboration, when they're so brilliant that you can't help but become better in response, and they are driven to new heights by you and back and forth and -- yeah. There's some things this book just absolutely nailed.
Other things I liked:
* Chryesis & her subplot. It allowed the text to very clearly acknowledge that Leo is kind of a selfish dumbass about people a lot of the time.
* Unique setting - rise of fascism & a narrator with genuine sins and wrongdoing to put behind him. I liked that Leo wasn't absolved, and his actions did have consequences he couldn't shake.
* Claire. It took me a while to warm up to her, & the past sections felt like they had more vitality through a lot of the story, but she grew on me as the plotline heated up, and in the end watching her slowly drown under her responsibilities was what I wanted. Also committee meetings in academia really do absolutely suck.
* Perfume vs. matchsticks & different kinds of bullying.
Things I didn't think really worked:
* The Rat storyline just fell extremely flat for me. I don't think her POV really added anything at all.
*I wasn't... I don't know. This is a book that Fucks Around with Gender, and I wasn't entirely satisfied with the way that was resolved. I'm not entirely sure what else I wanted, but some of Claire's early sections felt sort of two-dimensional to me on it. IDK.
* Less 'this didn't work' and more 'I wanted something unreasonable', but I *really* wanted Monteverre to burn down at the end. I felt like it was teased all the way through, with the libraries (flammable), the grandfather who burned down the library, and everyone consistently pushing his descendants to the end of their rope in fire-related ways, and then *it didn't deliver*. And I get that you probably can't end two books in a row with libraries burning down especially when you've only published two but also every book would be improved by a massive Rebecca/Name of the Rose fire at the end, and I wish that this book reflected that fact.
I guess that's a roundabout way of saying that I found this book intellectually captivating. It's difficult to talk about art without seeming pompous, and it's difficult to talk about it in the abstract at all. I liked the abstraction of the Grand Jeu, and this book absolutely captured the feeling of making some kinds of art -- pulling in allusions from everywhere and hammering it into forms without resorting to being formulaic, without losing the message that you're trying to send, until it becomes a constraints problem where cause and effect are clearly laid out. It was also dead-on in terms of what it feels like to have a really excellent collaboration, when they're so brilliant that you can't help but become better in response, and they are driven to new heights by you and back and forth and -- yeah. There's some things this book just absolutely nailed.
Other things I liked:
* Chryesis & her subplot. It allowed the text to very clearly acknowledge that Leo is kind of a selfish dumbass about people a lot of the time.
* Unique setting - rise of fascism & a narrator with genuine sins and wrongdoing to put behind him. I liked that Leo wasn't absolved, and his actions did have consequences he couldn't shake.
* Claire. It took me a while to warm up to her, & the past sections felt like they had more vitality through a lot of the story, but she grew on me as the plotline heated up, and in the end watching her slowly drown under her responsibilities was what I wanted. Also committee meetings in academia really do absolutely suck.
* Perfume vs. matchsticks & different kinds of bullying.
Things I didn't think really worked:
* The Rat storyline just fell extremely flat for me. I don't think her POV really added anything at all.
*I wasn't... I don't know. This is a book that Fucks Around with Gender, and I wasn't entirely satisfied with the way that was resolved. I'm not entirely sure what else I wanted, but some of Claire's early sections felt sort of two-dimensional to me on it. IDK.
* Less 'this didn't work' and more 'I wanted something unreasonable', but I *really* wanted Monteverre to burn down at the end. I felt like it was teased all the way through, with the libraries (flammable), the grandfather who burned down the library, and everyone consistently pushing his descendants to the end of their rope in fire-related ways, and then *it didn't deliver*. And I get that you probably can't end two books in a row with libraries burning down especially when you've only published two but also every book would be improved by a massive Rebecca/Name of the Rose fire at the end, and I wish that this book reflected that fact.
jenny_hedberg's review against another edition
5.0
I tore through this in a day. It was very atmospheric and made me want to go back Glasgow university and sit in Bute Hall and watch the rain trickle down the windows. Ironically, I was sat in the sweltering heat of my garden in Stockholm, sweating just by existing.
I found Collins’s second book to be just as enjoyable as the first and this time the ending didn’t ruin it too much for me, although I must say I’m still not pleased with it. I think Collins must be a fan of open endings whereas I crave resolutions and happy endings. The stuff before the ending, however, was great and the twist was so perfect in timing and as things progressed, all I could think was yes, yes, yes! And no, No, NO!
What really shines through in this novel is Collins’s affinity for characters. She made me so invested in a character that I didn’t particularly like because she showed that none of us are more than human. And then the juxtaposition of the flashbacks and the diary entries which propels the reader further towards the coming betrayal - it was done beautifully and never once did I feel like it was a distraction.
Now, the Rat. Was her sole purpose in the novel to do that thing to that character? Kill your darlings I say.
I found Collins’s second book to be just as enjoyable as the first and this time the ending didn’t ruin it too much for me, although I must say I’m still not pleased with it. I think Collins must be a fan of open endings whereas I crave resolutions and happy endings. The stuff before the ending, however, was great and the twist was so perfect in timing and as things progressed, all I could think was yes, yes, yes! And no, No, NO!
What really shines through in this novel is Collins’s affinity for characters. She made me so invested in a character that I didn’t particularly like because she showed that none of us are more than human. And then the juxtaposition of the flashbacks and the diary entries which propels the reader further towards the coming betrayal - it was done beautifully and never once did I feel like it was a distraction.
Now, the Rat. Was her sole purpose in the novel to do that thing to that character? Kill your darlings I say.
12grace4's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
melohpa's review against another edition
1.0
See my full review at https://topplingbookpile.wordpress.com/2024/04/21/the-betrayals-by-bridget-collins/
laelyn's review against another edition
3.0
Bridget Collins hat mich mit ihrem ersten Roman, "Die verborgenen Stimmen der Bücher" komplett umgehauen. Es gehört sogar zu meinen absoluten Lieblingsbüchern. Dementsprechend gespannt war ich auf Collins' zweiten Roman.
Ihren wunderschönen Schreibstil hat sie beibehalten, und die Übersetzung schafft es in den meisten Teilen auch, dem zu entsprechen. "Das große Spiel" ist ein atmosphärisches Buch, manchmal fast schon poetisch. Die Geschichte rund um das abstrakte Konzept des "Grand Jeu" - inspiriert von Hesses Glasperlenspiel, wie die Autorin im Nachwort erklärt - ist faszinierend und tiefgründig, wenngleich das Worldbuilding manchmal doch ein bisschen fahrig und inkonsistent wirkt und insbesondere die politischen Aspekte etwas... klobig gestaltet sind. Letzten Endes ist es vor allem eine Liebesgeschichte, womit Collins an ihr Erstlingswerk anknüpft. Die Hauptcharaktere sind komplex, interessant und nicht unbedingt liebenswert, bleiben aber im Vergleich ein wenig blass. Ich bin mir allerdings nicht sicher, ob das nicht auch mit an der Übersetzung liegt - sie wirkt manchmal ein wenig kalt, distanziert, erlaubt keine wirkliche Nähe zu Léo, Claire und der Rättin.
Auch kann das Buch die Spannung nicht so recht aufrecht erhalten. Die Geschichte wird auf zwei Zeitebenen erzählt, der Gegenwart und der Vergangenheit, als Léo noch im alterwürdigen Monteverre zur Schule ging, um das Grand Jeu zu erlernen. Diese Vergangenheitsebene war für mich oftmals um einiges interessanter und spannender, während die Gegenwartsebene sich doch hier und da sehr in die Länge gezogen hat. Hinzu kommt, dass die Geschichte der Rättin zwar auf anfangs versteckte Weise mit dem Rest der Handlung verwoben ist, bis zum Ende aber irgendwie losgelöst und irrelevant wirkt.
Hinzu kommt das bereits genannte World Building, das wunderschön deskriptiv ist, aber oftmals nicht genug ins Detail geht. Bis zum Ende bleibt unklar, was das Grand Jeu denn nun eigentlich genau ist - wobei mich das gar nicht mal so gestört hat. Viel mehr irritiert hat mich das ganze politische Drumherum - eine deutlich faschistoide Partei, die die Macht übernimmt und klar von den Nazis unter Hitler inspiriert wurde, schön und gut. Warum aber werden von dieser Partei ausgerechnet Christen ausgegrenzt und gejagt, werden also Juden in der Narrative schlichtweg durch Christen ersetzt? Welcher Religion oder Glaubensgemeinschaft oder Ideologie gehört diese ominöse Partei denn eigentlich an? Welche Werte will sie durchsetzen, was steckt hinter ihrem Wunsch nach "Reinheit"? Durch die fehlenden Hintergründe wirkt das alles eher wie eine etwas plumpe Alternate-History-Version der deutschen Geschichte der 1930-er Jahre und kann dadurch als antagonistisches Regime innerhalb der Narrative nicht wirklich überzeugen.
"Das große Spiel" ist dennoch eine Empfehlung wert, hat mich aufgrund oben genannter Aspekte aber leider nicht so ganz von sich überzeugt. Allein für Collins Schreibstil lohnt es sich, es wird mir aber nicht lange im Gedächtnis bleiben. 2,5 Sterne, aufgerundet auf 3.
Ihren wunderschönen Schreibstil hat sie beibehalten, und die Übersetzung schafft es in den meisten Teilen auch, dem zu entsprechen. "Das große Spiel" ist ein atmosphärisches Buch, manchmal fast schon poetisch. Die Geschichte rund um das abstrakte Konzept des "Grand Jeu" - inspiriert von Hesses Glasperlenspiel, wie die Autorin im Nachwort erklärt - ist faszinierend und tiefgründig, wenngleich das Worldbuilding manchmal doch ein bisschen fahrig und inkonsistent wirkt und insbesondere die politischen Aspekte etwas... klobig gestaltet sind. Letzten Endes ist es vor allem eine Liebesgeschichte, womit Collins an ihr Erstlingswerk anknüpft. Die Hauptcharaktere sind komplex, interessant und nicht unbedingt liebenswert, bleiben aber im Vergleich ein wenig blass. Ich bin mir allerdings nicht sicher, ob das nicht auch mit an der Übersetzung liegt - sie wirkt manchmal ein wenig kalt, distanziert, erlaubt keine wirkliche Nähe zu Léo, Claire und der Rättin.
Auch kann das Buch die Spannung nicht so recht aufrecht erhalten. Die Geschichte wird auf zwei Zeitebenen erzählt, der Gegenwart und der Vergangenheit, als Léo noch im alterwürdigen Monteverre zur Schule ging, um das Grand Jeu zu erlernen. Diese Vergangenheitsebene war für mich oftmals um einiges interessanter und spannender, während die Gegenwartsebene sich doch hier und da sehr in die Länge gezogen hat. Hinzu kommt, dass die Geschichte der Rättin zwar auf anfangs versteckte Weise mit dem Rest der Handlung verwoben ist, bis zum Ende aber irgendwie losgelöst und irrelevant wirkt.
Hinzu kommt das bereits genannte World Building, das wunderschön deskriptiv ist, aber oftmals nicht genug ins Detail geht. Bis zum Ende bleibt unklar, was das Grand Jeu denn nun eigentlich genau ist - wobei mich das gar nicht mal so gestört hat. Viel mehr irritiert hat mich das ganze politische Drumherum - eine deutlich faschistoide Partei, die die Macht übernimmt und klar von den Nazis unter Hitler inspiriert wurde, schön und gut. Warum aber werden von dieser Partei ausgerechnet Christen ausgegrenzt und gejagt, werden also Juden in der Narrative schlichtweg durch Christen ersetzt? Welcher Religion oder Glaubensgemeinschaft oder Ideologie gehört diese ominöse Partei denn eigentlich an? Welche Werte will sie durchsetzen, was steckt hinter ihrem Wunsch nach "Reinheit"? Durch die fehlenden Hintergründe wirkt das alles eher wie eine etwas plumpe Alternate-History-Version der deutschen Geschichte der 1930-er Jahre und kann dadurch als antagonistisches Regime innerhalb der Narrative nicht wirklich überzeugen.
"Das große Spiel" ist dennoch eine Empfehlung wert, hat mich aufgrund oben genannter Aspekte aber leider nicht so ganz von sich überzeugt. Allein für Collins Schreibstil lohnt es sich, es wird mir aber nicht lange im Gedächtnis bleiben. 2,5 Sterne, aufgerundet auf 3.
motherofladybirds's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the world building and the suspense elements. The world had parallels with Nazi Germany, a sinister totalitarianism creeping slowly forward and how easy it is to fall into complicity or be uninformed. A great game as a backdrop to very human relationships and emotions. I did get the twist, but I did not mind that. There was a lot of action at the end after a slow build up.
d0nt_be_so_rude's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
5.0
I love collins writing! The plottwists keep you guessing at every turn and it feels very satisfying to slowly figure it out as you keep reading.
larissabee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.25