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jannekurki's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
hans_castorp's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
sozh's review against another edition
5.0
yes I read this twice - basically back to back - with only a Richard Bachmann novel as a palate cleanser of sorts.
Why read it twice? I was so gobsmacked by the story of Uncle Toby's amours - that I had to read through the whole book twice just to come to terms with it.
Read if you dare.
Why read it twice? I was so gobsmacked by the story of Uncle Toby's amours - that I had to read through the whole book twice just to come to terms with it.
Read if you dare.
angelique68's review against another edition
4.0
Eindelijk uit! Maar nu weet ik nog steeds niet of oom Toby getrouwd is!
maggiekwinters's review against another edition
i was reading this for a class and didn’t have to finish it
thereaderintherye's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
zach_collins's review against another edition
5.0
I'm running on little sleep. Things are blurring together. Funny associations are made in this state. But they are associations. They reveal something. There are limitations but that's alright. This review is flawed anyway. We read and write not because our thoughts are perfect and laser focused. We digress. We make puns. We draw attention to our shortcomings as we try to hide them behind a veneer of culture or information or style. But some of us will admit it, gleefully, dragging others to the mirror so we can all laugh at our ridiculous clothes and postures.
Comedy is one of the most natural of human attributes and yet it is also one of the most terrifyingly complex concepts ever. Everyone loves a good pun and farts are universally hysterical. However. A pun is a limitation of language, inherent confusion, uncertainty. Flatulence robs us of our nobility and reminds us we are full of crap, covers us in swampy stench. There is an anxiety hiding behind every gleeful guffaw.
This is our collective experience. Our lives. Our opinions.
Ever wonder why so many comedians OD?
Wow this got serious. Fast.
But stay with me here.
Because the best of us will laugh it off. They point to the sheer absurdity because this are our limitation. The boundaries are now visible.
Did you know kids will only spread out and explore if they sense an area of safety? Fences or adults. Or at least a sign (no trespassing). Let kids loose on a playground and they will huddle together if there is no fence, but will spread out and explore only if there is a fence. Yeah, one will attempt to pass the barrier but only at the urging of friends, support from a group.
We claim we want absolute freedom (Tea Party, teenagers, punk rockers) but absolute freedom is anarchy is Somalia.
Wait I was going somewhere with this.
Let me back up.
Tristram Shandy is a wonderful genre-bending work of loving satire published in freaking 1759. A shameless shaggy dog story, and excuse to drone about favorite stories and pet projects and esoteric facts. It is the best kind of humor. The kind that revels in the limitations of, well, everything. Language/symbol fails its one purpose ("this is not a pipe"). The scenery moves but the vehicle is stationary. Our biology will eventually break down. Stream-of-consciousness is confusing. No one wants to hear about your scale model you worked so diligently to construct unless they really love you.
This is the safe zone. Feel free to explore.
And there is so much to explore.
Laurence Sterne should have been a contemporary of the post-modernists, he gleefully sees the arbitrary and petty, and instead of getting an ulcer lets loose a hearty guffaw, grabs the clown's paint and oversized shoes and dances the horribly cheesy dance we all wish we were brave enough to emulate.
So go ahead, toe that line. Double dog dare you.
Comedy is one of the most natural of human attributes and yet it is also one of the most terrifyingly complex concepts ever. Everyone loves a good pun and farts are universally hysterical. However. A pun is a limitation of language, inherent confusion, uncertainty. Flatulence robs us of our nobility and reminds us we are full of crap, covers us in swampy stench. There is an anxiety hiding behind every gleeful guffaw.
This is our collective experience. Our lives. Our opinions.
Ever wonder why so many comedians OD?
Wow this got serious. Fast.
But stay with me here.
Because the best of us will laugh it off. They point to the sheer absurdity because this are our limitation. The boundaries are now visible.
Did you know kids will only spread out and explore if they sense an area of safety? Fences or adults. Or at least a sign (no trespassing). Let kids loose on a playground and they will huddle together if there is no fence, but will spread out and explore only if there is a fence. Yeah, one will attempt to pass the barrier but only at the urging of friends, support from a group.
We claim we want absolute freedom (Tea Party, teenagers, punk rockers) but absolute freedom is anarchy is Somalia.
Wait I was going somewhere with this.
Let me back up.
Tristram Shandy is a wonderful genre-bending work of loving satire published in freaking 1759. A shameless shaggy dog story, and excuse to drone about favorite stories and pet projects and esoteric facts. It is the best kind of humor. The kind that revels in the limitations of, well, everything. Language/symbol fails its one purpose ("this is not a pipe"). The scenery moves but the vehicle is stationary. Our biology will eventually break down. Stream-of-consciousness is confusing. No one wants to hear about your scale model you worked so diligently to construct unless they really love you.
This is the safe zone. Feel free to explore.
And there is so much to explore.
Laurence Sterne should have been a contemporary of the post-modernists, he gleefully sees the arbitrary and petty, and instead of getting an ulcer lets loose a hearty guffaw, grabs the clown's paint and oversized shoes and dances the horribly cheesy dance we all wish we were brave enough to emulate.
So go ahead, toe that line. Double dog dare you.