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bill369's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The second of the three books finished. I guess I'll have to find peace within the situation soon.
Sasha is my favourite. She's got a great backstory and her character is just so pure. She's kind-hearted, lively and rather naive. She's trying to understand life, beauty, love as much as she can. To be honest I find her to be relatable. Also, her imagination is superb.
The idea of a character wanting to write a grand epos is amusing. I like the thought process and all. What I didn't like was how hard the writer tried to incorporate Artyom. I'd much rather if the story was more separate from the first book. The whole Sasha's storyline is a chef's kiss though.
Page 80, short memory.
That was the way a man was made: the content of his school textbooks survived in his memory until the final examinations and no longer. And forgetting everything he had learned off by rote gave him a feeling of genuine relief. ‘The memory of man is like sand in the desert,’ thought Nikolai Ivanovich. ‘Numbers, dates and the names of secondary political figures remain in it no longer than notes written on a sand dune with a stick. It all gets swept away and covered over, not a trace is left.’ In some miraculous fashion, the only things that were preserved were those capable of capturing the human imagination, setting the heart beating faster and engaging people’s minds and feelings. The gripping story of a great hero and his love could outlive the story of an entire civilisation, infecting the human brain like a virus that was transmitted from fathers to children over hundreds of generations.
Page 140, boring life.
‘Did you have a bad life?’ the girl asked sympathetically. ‘A boring one. You know, when one day’s like any other, they fly by so fast and it seems like the last one is really close already,’ Homer tried to explain. ‘You feel afraid of not getting anything finished. And every one of those days is full of a thousand little things to be done. Do one, take a break, and it’s time to start on the next one. You have no time or strength left for what’s really important. You think: never mind – I’ll start tomorrow. But tomorrow never comes, it’s always just one long, endless today.’
Page 190–191, green shoot of hope.
As Sasha gazed spellbound at that rescued building, everything acquired meaning for her again and the desire to fight returned. It was strange, after all, absolutely nothing had changed in her life. But suddenly, despite everything, a tiny shoot of that bindweed had broken through the grey crust of despair in her soul – a green shoot of hope. There might be some things that she could never put right, some deeds that were impossible to undo, that could never be retracted. But in this story there were still many things that she could change, even if she didn’t yet know how. The important thing was that her strength had come back to her.
Sasha is my favourite. She's got a great backstory and her character is just so pure. She's kind-hearted, lively and rather naive. She's trying to understand life, beauty, love as much as she can. To be honest I find her to be relatable. Also, her imagination is superb.
The idea of a character wanting to write a grand epos is amusing. I like the thought process and all. What I didn't like was how hard the writer tried to incorporate Artyom. I'd much rather if the story was more separate from the first book. The whole Sasha's storyline is a chef's kiss though.
Page 80, short memory.
Page 140, boring life.
Page 190–191, green shoot of hope.
As Sasha gazed spellbound at that rescued building, everything acquired meaning for her again and the desire to fight returned. It was strange, after all, absolutely nothing had changed in her life. But suddenly, despite everything, a tiny shoot of that bindweed had broken through the grey crust of despair in her soul – a green shoot of hope. There might be some things that she could never put right, some deeds that were impossible to undo, that could never be retracted. But in this story there were still many things that she could change, even if she didn’t yet know how. The important thing was that her strength had come back to her.
Page 297, the memory doesn't disappear.
The memory of the departed didn’t disappear, thought Homer. Our whole world was woven out of other people’s deeds and thoughts, just as each of us was made up of countless little pieces of mosaic, inherited from thousands of ancestors. They had left a trace behind them, they had left a little particle of their soul for their descendants. You just had to look for it.
The ending was more on a sad note. I wish things turned out better, however, it was a good ending.
Compared to the first book it lacked in some areas, but in others it outdid the first book. I didn't cry, nevertheless, it's a great book. I enjoyed reading it and, most likely, will revisit some parts.
The ending was more on a sad note. I wish things turned out better, however, it was a good ending.
Compared to the first book it lacked in some areas, but in others it outdid the first book. I didn't cry, nevertheless, it's a great book. I enjoyed reading it and, most likely, will revisit some parts.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness, Abandonment, Death, and Medical content
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, War, Genocide, Grief, and Violence
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