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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
emotional
sad
This book could have done without the first 120 pages or so, in my opinion... I found it completely pretentious and the characters so ridiculous. Was very tempted to just give up on it, which is honestly what I usually do, but I'm glad in the end that I pressed on, it does get better/more interesting. Definitely not a book I would have chosen for myself, but glad I read it and thereby opened up myself to something completely new and different. Also, I wish my French was good enough that I could have read it in its original language... I'm pretty sure I would have liked it better that way :)
I think my audiobook messed up, and I'm honestly not sure if I heard all of this book. I definitely heard the ending though...so...
Anyway, read this if you like philosophical tangents. Renée was a lot of fun.
Anyway, read this if you like philosophical tangents. Renée was a lot of fun.
One of my favorite books of 2009 - Paris, philosophy, and fascinating characters hiding beneath ordinary exteriors.
Would not read again. The last 20 pages were quite sweet but does not make up for the first 300.
So far, I profoundly dislike this book. The pretentiousness of it makes me want to vomit. I've been sitting in college classes for four years listening to people spout this kind of stuff (mostly over-eager first years trying to prove their worth) and I'm so sick of it. I think it would be interesting to me if I wasn't forced to think about it all the time for school--in ways that i don't find meaningful. Yeah, these characters read and think about philosophy in their life, but have no constructive way of dealing with it. Maybe that's not really the point of philosophy...The author clearly is using these characters as a medium to name-drop and mention all the philosophy blurbs she's gathered in her life, without really saying anything about it that's applicable or meaningful. I was also never into philosophy all that much. I'm more of a social/hard sciences kind of girl, so yes, I'm a bit biased.
Some people are into this kind of stuff, and that's totally ok. I have no judgment against people who like this book because there are certainly some interesting concepts explored by the characters. But I also think it's important for a novel to have a plot, and I prefer plot-driven books.
I might finish. I haven't really decided.
......
Yeah, I'm not going to bother finishing it. There are so many books in this world, why read a book that doesn't interest you? Nothing wrong with that.
Some people are into this kind of stuff, and that's totally ok. I have no judgment against people who like this book because there are certainly some interesting concepts explored by the characters. But I also think it's important for a novel to have a plot, and I prefer plot-driven books.
I might finish. I haven't really decided.
......
Yeah, I'm not going to bother finishing it. There are so many books in this world, why read a book that doesn't interest you? Nothing wrong with that.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced