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textpublishing's review
5.0
The Interpreter is a book for linguaphiles everywhere. We love what reviewers are saying about it:
‘A marvellous novel that is bound to be enjoyed by readers who appreciate the importance of language, identity and existence. Interesting, funny and highly original.'
BookMooch
‘The energy and momentum of the book, translated into English by Judith Landry, makes The Interpreter an enjoyable read rich with insight into how languages shape our lives and in the first half of the book, a provocative and curious cast of side characters.’
Daily Review
'A mesmeric novel about communication.'
Saturday Paper
‘A great read…Playful and deliberately irreverent…[The Interpreter] is further evidence that Marani deserves to be better known than he is.’
Age/Sydney Morning Herald
‘A marvellous novel that is bound to be enjoyed by readers who appreciate the importance of language, identity and existence. Interesting, funny and highly original.'
BookMooch
‘The energy and momentum of the book, translated into English by Judith Landry, makes The Interpreter an enjoyable read rich with insight into how languages shape our lives and in the first half of the book, a provocative and curious cast of side characters.’
Daily Review
'A mesmeric novel about communication.'
Saturday Paper
‘A great read…Playful and deliberately irreverent…[The Interpreter] is further evidence that Marani deserves to be better known than he is.’
Age/Sydney Morning Herald
rachelccooke's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
psr's review against another edition
3.0
Daft. Ultimately, I can think of no other adjective to describe this novel. I really enjoyed 'New Finnish Grammar'. I was excited to find out this was just the first of a trilogy about language and identity that Marani would write. 'The Last of the Vostyachs' began superbly but descended into farce. 'The Interpreter' was based on an intriguing premise: characters find themselves beginning to speak in a hitherto unknown language. Unfortunately, this novel disappointed too.
It rattled along more consistently than 'The Last of the Vostyachs', at least for the first 130 or so pages. Then began an interlude in which the narrator becomes an armed robber in Romania and a down-and-out in Munich, none of which seemed to have much to do with what had gone before or any bearing on the outcome. Nor were these events related with any conviction. If this section had been edited out - admittedly, only leaving a novella behind - the melodrama would have had more credence. Up until that point, I was put in mind of sinister picaresque novels by the likes of Charles Williams and Rex Warner. The ending (spoiler alert) in which the former anti-hero ends up talking to dolphins was pretty weak too. I get the feeling, for whatever reason, there was no one saying to the author, 'Look, Diego, you need to cut this bit and improve that.' It's a shame because this had the makings of a good literary thriller.
It rattled along more consistently than 'The Last of the Vostyachs', at least for the first 130 or so pages. Then began an interlude in which the narrator becomes an armed robber in Romania and a down-and-out in Munich, none of which seemed to have much to do with what had gone before or any bearing on the outcome. Nor were these events related with any conviction. If this section had been edited out - admittedly, only leaving a novella behind - the melodrama would have had more credence. Up until that point, I was put in mind of sinister picaresque novels by the likes of Charles Williams and Rex Warner. The ending (spoiler alert) in which the former anti-hero ends up talking to dolphins was pretty weak too. I get the feeling, for whatever reason, there was no one saying to the author, 'Look, Diego, you need to cut this bit and improve that.' It's a shame because this had the makings of a good literary thriller.
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