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2.77 AVERAGE
2.77 AVERAGE
Livre étrange, où les protagonistes sont deux petites filles qui ont des pouvoirs magiques parce que, pour diverses raisons, liées avec les elfes. Une guerre, un piano et beaucoup d'animaux magiques. Ce ne fut pas ce que je pensais, mais il est pas mal.
Strano libro questo, che vede come protagoniste due bambine che hanno poteri magici perché, a vario titolo, imparentate con gli elfi. Una guerra, un pianoforte e tanti animali magici. Non era quello che mi aspettavo, ma non é male.
Strange book, where the protagonists are two little girls who have magical powers because, for various reasons, unrelated with the elves. A war, a piano and many magical animals. It was not what I expected from Muriel Barbery, but it's not bad.
Strano libro questo, che vede come protagoniste due bambine che hanno poteri magici perché, a vario titolo, imparentate con gli elfi. Una guerra, un pianoforte e tanti animali magici. Non era quello che mi aspettavo, ma non é male.
Strange book, where the protagonists are two little girls who have magical powers because, for various reasons, unrelated with the elves. A war, a piano and many magical animals. It was not what I expected from Muriel Barbery, but it's not bad.
This book is both horrible and wonderful in an interesting way. The ideas certainly sing, and they are profound. Unfortunately, the prose seems in need of some serious editing. Perhaps it's an issue of a fairytale having been grafted onto the novel form, or that's the impression that I get. I feel that the editor really let readers down by not asking for rewrites, but I also wonder if there is a translation issue, here. I wish I knew how it reads in the French in order to compare. The English version, at least, seems muddy and congested, with sometimes quite poor dialogue. The story and ideas are wonderful, but ultimately the whole thing should be shorter-- or, paradoxically, it could have been spun out into more than one book if the author had wanted to really go for it a la Tolkien. As it is, the flow of the narrative gets bogged down by too much description of character and reminiscences and memories.
Overwrought, with a murky plot, confused and confusing relationships between primary characters, insufficient context regarding the elvish world and its intersection with the human word, and no clear reason for the "super powers" vested in the various characters.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While the story may not be the absolute best, the language and description more than make up for any other lack. This has to be the most beautiful book I have read in a very long time. I truly believe the biggest reason this book does not get much higher reviews is that the language challenges the reader to slow down and think; to stop and close ones eyes and picture the story as it happens.
The prose in this book was sometimes stunningly beautiful and the images she describes stay with you. I liked the theme throughout the book which was about connections - between people and communities, and with nature. There were times however where I wondered where the book was going and was unsure exactly who the main actors were. I enjoyed it enough that I hope to read the sequel.
Coming to this after reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog, you realise that this is a very different book in terms of plot, but it's similar in tone and the ideas behind it.
Elves does have more of a plot than Hedgehog, but it takes some time to begin to unfold, and you're left, at the end, with an awareness that there is more story to be told in the sequel. Whether or not you will eagerly await that sequel depends on how well you enjoyed the 280 pages of this novel. If you're someone who likes ideas and language that flows over the page like a river flows over landscape, then you'll be waiting for the sequel. Me...I wish I had it in my hands right now.
Barbery writes meaningful books, as you might expect from a philosopher. What links Hedgehog and Elves is the meaning, the desire for transcendence beyond the every day. The search for beauty in the ordinary was key to Hedgehog, and that idea is taken into the realm of the sublime in Elves. Barbery touches on the connection between music, art, and story - especially story - in this novel. She also celebrates the simplicity of life on the land and the moments of clarity and beauty to be found in everyday work. She also celebrates the power of love.
This isn't an easy read. it's a difficult book to classify. It reads in the beginning like a fairy tale, but it might be more similar to magical realism (though I'm not entirely sure what that is!). I did find myself having to skip back to the character list at the beginning a few times, and had to go back a few pages to remind myself of things sometimes, but I think it's a book that benefits from a second reading, which I will do at some point.
Without having read the sequel, it's difficult to say what Barbery's key aim is with this story. Her message can feel as vague as the mists that appear throughout the story. That may be the point. For now, I think this is a parable about the importance of the connection between everyday life and the things that make it beautiful, like art and music and stories and love. It's about a connection between all things - life, the land, emotion, and art - and how we lose out and our lives are diminished when we lose those connections.
Elves does have more of a plot than Hedgehog, but it takes some time to begin to unfold, and you're left, at the end, with an awareness that there is more story to be told in the sequel. Whether or not you will eagerly await that sequel depends on how well you enjoyed the 280 pages of this novel. If you're someone who likes ideas and language that flows over the page like a river flows over landscape, then you'll be waiting for the sequel. Me...I wish I had it in my hands right now.
Barbery writes meaningful books, as you might expect from a philosopher. What links Hedgehog and Elves is the meaning, the desire for transcendence beyond the every day. The search for beauty in the ordinary was key to Hedgehog, and that idea is taken into the realm of the sublime in Elves. Barbery touches on the connection between music, art, and story - especially story - in this novel. She also celebrates the simplicity of life on the land and the moments of clarity and beauty to be found in everyday work. She also celebrates the power of love.
This isn't an easy read. it's a difficult book to classify. It reads in the beginning like a fairy tale, but it might be more similar to magical realism (though I'm not entirely sure what that is!). I did find myself having to skip back to the character list at the beginning a few times, and had to go back a few pages to remind myself of things sometimes, but I think it's a book that benefits from a second reading, which I will do at some point.
Without having read the sequel, it's difficult to say what Barbery's key aim is with this story. Her message can feel as vague as the mists that appear throughout the story. That may be the point. For now, I think this is a parable about the importance of the connection between everyday life and the things that make it beautiful, like art and music and stories and love. It's about a connection between all things - life, the land, emotion, and art - and how we lose out and our lives are diminished when we lose those connections.
Lovely prose, but so full of metaphors that it gets a little crazy in the beginning trying to discern the story. After a while you get used to it and the plot becomes more clear. I thought it was wonderful.
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
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
Comencé a leerlo para darle una oportunidad a los cuentos, pero me resulta muy difícil lidiar con el estilo de la autora (o quizás de este tipo de cuentos), que recurre a una abundancia de metáforas infinitas.
Sentí que, a medida que avanzaba en la tercera o cuarta metáfora de las sensaciones que quería transmitir, perdía el hilo de lo que realmente intentaba comunicar. No digo que sea un mal libro; simplemente no logré concentrarme en él y decidí abandonarlo.
Reitero que este no es mi género literario favorito, aunque sigo en búsqueda de algún autor que me permita disfrutar y viajar a través de este tipo de narrativa.
Magical and lyrical. I really enjoyed this and can’t wait for the second book to come out!