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palmerlm's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tennilles's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
gum1311by's review against another edition
2.0
Well written however the story contained too much unnecessary fill. To much time spent on describing the main character’s sail boat, winds on the Italian lake and town names.
catdad77a45's review
2.0
2.5, rounded down.
Even at a brief and quickly read 151 pages, this novella seems extremely padded, with page after page just detailing winds and storms, sailing minutiae and various ports of call. Not only that, but the 'shocking' finale is rather ho hum and pro forma, and any comparisons to Patricia Highsmith are merely superficial. The best thing about it is probably the provocative cover photo on this edition. A disappointment.
Even at a brief and quickly read 151 pages, this novella seems extremely padded, with page after page just detailing winds and storms, sailing minutiae and various ports of call. Not only that, but the 'shocking' finale is rather ho hum and pro forma, and any comparisons to Patricia Highsmith are merely superficial. The best thing about it is probably the provocative cover photo on this edition. A disappointment.
srm's review
3.0
The genuinely excellent prose is all that pulled me through this not terribly interesting story about a couple of ugly men who, nonetheless, nail numerous women while sailing around a lake one summer in Italy until there's suddenly a murder, which even manages to be kind of yawn inducing.
talyaphelps's review
1.0
Thank goodness this book was only 150 pages. I would not have been able to handle much more sexism, racism, homophobia, and general regressiveness and douchebaggery. It was originally published in the '70s and just translated into English last year, but I think English-speakers everywhere would've been better off if it had never been made available to us in the first place.
blairbookproject's review
1.0
This book so far is two men sailing around sleeping with women. One man is old, married, and is a horndog.
The main character makes racist comments about Asian people:
- "Eyes look like they are always squinting"
- "They can tell each other apart, but they all look the same to him"
Both characters make sexist comments about women
- "Her breasts were large and elevated, but if she would not be wearing a bra surely, they would fall and be shaped like pears"
- Refers to women as prey and leftovers
- “just like all fat ladies”
- – reference how the boat shook like hit by the wind when the large woman boarded
- Can this dude stop describing boobs???
The old man tells a story where his brother-in-law’s penis was cut off in war and refers to him as “no longer a man”
The old man says “women belong to everyone” …. Nah they belong to themselves
The old man is in love with his sister-in-law. Coerces her into a relationship and tells his wife he’s leaving her. His wife appears to have killed herself. Shortly after the old man marries his sister in law.
Shortly after the dead wife’s brother comes home (the husband of the sister-in-law wife) and is enraged that his sister is dead and that his brother-in-law married so quickly after she died.
Old man admits to MC that his wife hates him.
The brother in law figures out how the old man killed his first wife and in order to not be arrested the old man kills himself.
The old man’s second wife tries to get the MC to stay with her but he leaves. He has a plan to sell his boat and never go on the lake again.
This whole book was pointless.
The main character makes racist comments about Asian people:
- "Eyes look like they are always squinting"
- "They can tell each other apart, but they all look the same to him"
Both characters make sexist comments about women
- "Her breasts were large and elevated, but if she would not be wearing a bra surely, they would fall and be shaped like pears"
- Refers to women as prey and leftovers
- “just like all fat ladies”
- – reference how the boat shook like hit by the wind when the large woman boarded
- Can this dude stop describing boobs???
The old man tells a story where his brother-in-law’s penis was cut off in war and refers to him as “no longer a man”
The old man says “women belong to everyone” …. Nah they belong to themselves
The old man is in love with his sister-in-law. Coerces her into a relationship and tells his wife he’s leaving her. His wife appears to have killed herself. Shortly after the old man marries his sister in law.
Shortly after the dead wife’s brother comes home (the husband of the sister-in-law wife) and is enraged that his sister is dead and that his brother-in-law married so quickly after she died.
Old man admits to MC that his wife hates him.
The brother in law figures out how the old man killed his first wife and in order to not be arrested the old man kills himself.
The old man’s second wife tries to get the MC to stay with her but he leaves. He has a plan to sell his boat and never go on the lake again.
This whole book was pointless.
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