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alessiasbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Quando un libro parla dice molto più di quel che puoi immaginare.
constantine2020's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Literary Fiction
"The Pages" by Hugo Hamilton is a story that spans both time and place and weaves together two different stories. At some point in the past, in 1933, Jewish novelist Joseph Roth wrote his final piece in Nazi Germany, surrendering his novel "Rebellion" to a hiding place within volumes that are prohibited from circulation. Meanwhile, in the current day, contemporary artist Lena Knecht inherits the book and finds a mysterious map hidden among its blank pages.
The concept of this novel is fantastic. The book itself acts as a character in the story and narrates everything in the past and present. The story is narrated in first person style, and through the book’s eye and experience with humans, we get to see how the book itself becomes a symbol of resistance against censorship and oppression. I think the author has done such a good job of highlighting the different ideologies that the book itself had to go through.
When it comes to the notion itself, the thought that lies behind it is quite good, and the prose that is written is exquisitely executed. On the other hand, I believe that the numerous characters that are present make it difficult to develop them through the course of a novel that is less than 350 pages long. And this is where the book is lacking in quality. Because I did not spend sufficient time with those characters, it was challenging for me to develop a sense of attachment to what they represented. In some respects, this plot brings to mind the novel Fahrenheit 451. They have similar concepts but different stories and executions. I am still of the opinion that you should read it and enjoy the rich themes it offers.
lauralvm's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly one of the best books I have read!
Written from a unique pov and having up‘s and down‘s throughout the story was clearly enough for me to start kicking my feet in the middle of public transport because the story got me hooked!
Written from a unique pov and having up‘s and down‘s throughout the story was clearly enough for me to start kicking my feet in the middle of public transport because the story got me hooked!
maggie73's review against another edition
4.0
3.5*. I kept thinking I was going to give up but I kept being pulled along (and not just because it mentioned Nick Cave
readingthruthewards22's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
melonbolt's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
atsundarsingh's review against another edition
Maybe I just need to consume it not as audio? Seems like I’m not quite connecting to the story despite being interested in the message(s).
al07734's review against another edition
1.0
The tone of the boon was annoying. It felt like a Book Thief rip-off and the messages in the story were confusing at times. I hate when books try to be deep then say nothing at all.