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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was unbelievably stunning. By far my favorite book I have read so far this year. And the best way I can describe this book is ponderous. Most of the book is the main character describing the chores and tasks of her everyday life trying to survive alone. And I actually loved hearing about the mundane little details like what the cat did or how the weather was. I just absolutely loved this book. And I love when books are written from a retrospective viewpoint like this one. In this book it is the character physically writing down her thoughts and experiences until she runs out of paper to write on. Retrospectives can be so cool because it allows the book to build the dread because you can get hints that tragedy is coming. For example, she keeps mentioning that the dog has died, but the reader hasn’t yet seen how that happens. And of course, you end up finding out that a mystery man kills him, which holy cow made this whole book way more confusing and intriguing. Like how did the man stay hidden the whole time? Why didn’t he make contact with the main character sooner? And that is assuming that he has been inside the boundaries of the wall the whole time. But if he came from outside, how did he get through? And why was he so murderous? So many questions that never get answers, so the reader is just left to speculate.
I would seriously recommend that anyone who enjoyed I Who Have Never Known Men by Jaqueline Harpman read this book. They gave me extremely similar vibes. Both are very mysterious and have plot elements that make the many unanswered questions even more confusing. They also both explore the concepts of loneliness and resilience, and both end on quite a cliffhanger, where you never get the answers you’ve been waiting for. This book just left me feeling hollowed out, but in the most incredible way. I cannot recommend this book enough.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Violence
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
oh my god... after rereading this I somehow like it even more. I focused more on seeing this through a feminist lit lens bc of all the reviews mentioning it and it certainly helped me see a side to it i didn't previously see.
the aspects of (white, middle-class - yes) womanhood in this are very interesting! if a woman is in solitude she is no longer a woman because there is no one to perceive her as such. (if a tree falls and no one hears it etc.) the woman in this novel still suffers from how society has told her woman should act - i.e. calling herself weak and meant for nurturing/caring. these thoughts are not holding her back from doing anything though - if she wants to survive, nothing matters except her and her animal's continued existence.
this applies for all other aspects of her personality and personhood as well. she is stripped down to a bare, childlike state of mind because she has no other person to compare herself to.
i do think this book would be very different if it was written by a man - especially in the time period it was created. i honestly don't think a book with these ideas could even be conceived of by a man. too much male posturing often gets in the way of good survival novels.
the aspects of (white, middle-class - yes) womanhood in this are very interesting! if a woman is in solitude she is no longer a woman because there is no one to perceive her as such. (if a tree falls and no one hears it etc.) the woman in this novel still suffers from how society has told her woman should act - i.e. calling herself weak and meant for nurturing/caring. these thoughts are not holding her back from doing anything though - if she wants to survive, nothing matters except her and her animal's continued existence.
this applies for all other aspects of her personality and personhood as well. she is stripped down to a bare, childlike state of mind because she has no other person to compare herself to.
i do think this book would be very different if it was written by a man - especially in the time period it was created. i honestly don't think a book with these ideas could even be conceived of by a man. too much male posturing often gets in the way of good survival novels.
Until I finished The Wall, I had no idea it was something of a classic. Probably more so than most end-of-the-world stories, this one is profoundly moving, disturbing even. Moreover, it's intentionally written in a style whereby the chronology of events is unclear, and it works. Written in the first person, the character seems to alternately write as a diary and write as a reviewer of her own diary. The effect is that you get glimpses of her future while reading about what she's doing now.
Recommended.
Recommended.
Encore un magnifique roman. Qu'il s'agisse de science fiction ou d'anticipation, on ne peut s'empêcher de frissonner du début à la fin en se mettant à la place de l'héroïne. Malgré la dureté de ses conditions de vie, force est de constater que la vie qu'elle est obligée de mener est la plus juste écologiquement parlant, et la plus saine du point de vue de l'individu. Car, seule, la protagoniste ne se questionne plus sur le passé et les futilités d'une vie mondaine, mais se recentre sur l'essentiel et vit "en phase avec le monde qui l'entoure", pour ce que cette expression éculée peut encore représenter.
Très bien écrit, ce roman recèle une part de violence qui ne peut que heurter, et porte également son lot de remises en question, mais n'est jamais critique ni sentencieux.
S'il fallait comparer ce roman à Dans la forêt de Jean Hegland, dans le même registre, j'ai cependant préféré ce dernier, car je m'étais plus attachée aux personnages lors de ma lecture. Le roman de Marlen Haushofer, écrit bien avant celui de Jean Hegland, se perd sans doute moins en conjecture et se centre bien plus sur les choix du protagoniste d'aller avant tout de l'avant et de laisser derrière elle son passé.
Très bien écrit, ce roman recèle une part de violence qui ne peut que heurter, et porte également son lot de remises en question, mais n'est jamais critique ni sentencieux.
S'il fallait comparer ce roman à Dans la forêt de Jean Hegland, dans le même registre, j'ai cependant préféré ce dernier, car je m'étais plus attachée aux personnages lors de ma lecture. Le roman de Marlen Haushofer, écrit bien avant celui de Jean Hegland, se perd sans doute moins en conjecture et se centre bien plus sur les choix du protagoniste d'aller avant tout de l'avant et de laisser derrière elle son passé.
Edit: Einziger Kommentar: 4,75 und keine 5 Sterne, da ich zu oft den Eindruck hatte, dass vermeintlich „weibliche“ Eigenschaften als „naturgegeben“ betrachtet werden —> Trennen von Eigenschaften in „weiblich“ und „männlich“ (z.B. sich aufopfern, liebevoll sein, sich kümmern usw. als Teil der weiblichen Natur)
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes