Scan barcode
tombennett72's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating - my first exposure to Teju Cole’s writing. Which is clear, articulate, interesting and well informed. And therefore very enjoyable.
But I’m not sure that this is really a collection of essays in the true sense.
There are many thoughts within this book, and several extremely interesting pieces. But very often they are an expression of experiences or ideas. I’m used to essays being illuminating and explanatory and this isn’t always the case: always interesting, sometimes nothing more.
I read this book in two quite fast splurges. I bogged down about halfway through and read a couple of other books before coming back to the second half.
Overall, very good, very interesting. Worth reading.
But I’m not sure that this is really a collection of essays in the true sense.
There are many thoughts within this book, and several extremely interesting pieces. But very often they are an expression of experiences or ideas. I’m used to essays being illuminating and explanatory and this isn’t always the case: always interesting, sometimes nothing more.
I read this book in two quite fast splurges. I bogged down about halfway through and read a couple of other books before coming back to the second half.
Overall, very good, very interesting. Worth reading.
hazelnutperson's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
lowercasepoet's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
spark_879's review against another edition
had to return to the library but i really enjoyed the essays i read from the book and also found the included photos interesting!
the section i read was mostly the author analyzing various works of literature and exploring their themes. i hadn't heard of any of the authors or books mentioned but i found it interesting nonetheless and it broadened my understanding of what forms of literature exist.
one of the main things that stood out to me was the author's writing style, which was different from others i've read (/pos).
the section i read was mostly the author analyzing various works of literature and exploring their themes. i hadn't heard of any of the authors or books mentioned but i found it interesting nonetheless and it broadened my understanding of what forms of literature exist.
one of the main things that stood out to me was the author's writing style, which was different from others i've read (/pos).
dreamgalaxies's review against another edition
3.0
I have a booktube channel now! Subscribe here.
Very well written, but so many short essays eventually began to feel tedious. So much of it was about images, so it took me a long time to get through--I felt like I needed the internet handy at all times to fully comprehend the text, because I needed to search for different photos the author was referring to. I also assumed there'd be more of a theme, but this reads more like the collected articles of the author. It wasn't bad but it wasn't what I was expecting.
Very well written, but so many short essays eventually began to feel tedious. So much of it was about images, so it took me a long time to get through--I felt like I needed the internet handy at all times to fully comprehend the text, because I needed to search for different photos the author was referring to. I also assumed there'd be more of a theme, but this reads more like the collected articles of the author. It wasn't bad but it wasn't what I was expecting.
mikelchartier's review against another edition
5.0
The blurb on the cover states that Known and Strange Things is a "blazingly intelligent" first book of essays. That begins to cover it. I was discussing these essays with a friend recently and couldn't quite articulate how impressive Teju Cole's observations of the world around him are. He has a way of stating things that are at once profound and deceptively simple. I expect that my experience is not unique in that it took me ~six months to read because his language is something in which to luxuriate. Spectacular read, highly recommended.