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2.78 AVERAGE
2.78 AVERAGE
I just feel really guilty rating this, so I'm going to not. The book to me felt like...
Word calamity. Like the author wasn't exactly sure of the plot so she just wrote as many words as she could to fill the space.
Elegance of the Hedgehog was, I remember, gorgeous. And I love stories with gorgeous words. Just this one... I had no idea what was going on at least 3/4 of the time.
Word calamity. Like the author wasn't exactly sure of the plot so she just wrote as many words as she could to fill the space.
Elegance of the Hedgehog was, I remember, gorgeous. And I love stories with gorgeous words. Just this one... I had no idea what was going on at least 3/4 of the time.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This is a strange, strange little creation.
I really don't know if I loved it or hated it. I don't know if the florid prose is beautiful and meditative, or eye-rollingly overwrought and ridiculous. I don't know what happened in the plot, but somehow I understand the emotion behind it, or something similar.
Things make no sense for entire chapters and it doesn't matter, as they snap into focus for brief seconds later. I think that's a good thing. (I think.)
Reading this is like trying to see through the mists Barbery mentions so often, and I feel (I hope) that was intentional.
I still don't know if this is a terrible book or a beautiful one. I haven't felt this ambivalent towards anything in a long time.
I really don't know if I loved it or hated it. I don't know if the florid prose is beautiful and meditative, or eye-rollingly overwrought and ridiculous. I don't know what happened in the plot, but somehow I understand the emotion behind it, or something similar.
Things make no sense for entire chapters and it doesn't matter, as they snap into focus for brief seconds later. I think that's a good thing. (I think.)
Reading this is like trying to see through the mists Barbery mentions so often, and I feel (I hope) that was intentional.
I still don't know if this is a terrible book or a beautiful one. I haven't felt this ambivalent towards anything in a long time.
"Mas ele também percebeu o poço vertiginoso que nela existia e soube que ela ria sem trair um só dia seu ofício de perfuradora de poços."
Strange and not my normal type of book, but I read it and generally enjoyed it. In the hands of a lesser writer it would have been a sodden catastrophe.
This book gets off to a ravishing beginning and falls apart completely about two-thirds of the way through. Sad.
emotional
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
There was a scene in this where I realised exactly what the problem is with Barbery's latest book. Maria rearranges some cloves of garlic, a sprig of ivy and a few other things on a table in the kitchen, and this is discussed as a sign of perfection, beauty and even divinity. The fact that this scene isn't allowed to be a single transient moment but is revisited several times shows that Barbery was clutching at straws. It also shows that she gets fixated on certain ideas and images which to her may be extremely poignant but to the reader just come across as utter garbage. I understand what she was trying to do with that scene but it was tacky and didn't add anything to the story.
Barbery has the right idea, the two girls are well drawn and enchanting, the first 100 pages are quite good, the maestro, old women and the elves are interesting but her florid writing and insistence on certain scenes are at times completely tone deaf. She completely drains the magic from the story by forcing you to read pages of heavily detailed scenes and events that she clearly thinks are beautiful but come across as overblown junk.
The battle scene at the end was terrible. Mainly because you never really know who the enemy is (other than the major player), or where they've come from, why they are doing what they are doing. It all seems like a make believe play-fight. I understand there are more books to come and maybe it will be explored later in the series but this book hasn't set them up well at all. In fact it's completely put me off. The only other thing I can think of is that the translation is terrible.
Barbery has the right idea, the two girls are well drawn and enchanting, the first 100 pages are quite good, the maestro, old women and the elves are interesting but her florid writing and insistence on certain scenes are at times completely tone deaf. She completely drains the magic from the story by forcing you to read pages of heavily detailed scenes and events that she clearly thinks are beautiful but come across as overblown junk.
The battle scene at the end was terrible. Mainly because you never really know who the enemy is (other than the major player), or where they've come from, why they are doing what they are doing. It all seems like a make believe play-fight. I understand there are more books to come and maybe it will be explored later in the series but this book hasn't set them up well at all. In fact it's completely put me off. The only other thing I can think of is that the translation is terrible.
It does get abit wordy but it is an enticing and unique adventure, based half in the world and half in fantasy (ok...maybe 1/4 in real world and 3/4 in fantasy?)