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floatwiththesticks's review against another edition
4.0
Easily the most inventive, challenging and satisfying book I have read. Calvino is a beautiful narrator in that he is able to narrate the parts left un-narrated (and that, to me, is the nature of this novel). Several lines I have had to highlight and read multiple times over... I wasn't entirely intrigued by the concept initially and definitely left the book on my desk for long periods of time BUT after turning that final page, I wanted to read it all over again.
loes_'s review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
nakednames's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
kylaoren's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
ciarakenny's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
ahglaser's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
avesmaria's review against another edition
3.0
This book is, in summation, about a reader who keeps trying to read a story but is continuously interrupted. The style is difficult to describe so I might limit myself to a short, descriptive list: self-referential, post-modern, intellectual, breaking the 4th wall.
The character of the reader within the book - and at the same time you, the reader - begin but do not finish several different stories throughout the course of the novel as the reader seeks to uncover an uncorrupted text of the first story. The titles of the stories (spoiler), when read in sequence, form a sort of prose-poem that I felt could have been a commentary on some of the grander themes addressed in the book. I got pretty bored with the recurring semi-pornographic love scenes, which are centered on male pleasure and the male gaze (not that fun to read as a woman in the 21st century. The whole book felt like it was written for a man's consumption). I felt that the strong identification of the reader (both the character and the real-life reader) as a male pursuing a female was alienating and interrupted the most elegant aspect of the book's "meta" nature.
That being said, the self-referential structure and the book's deliberately laborious plot pacing frame an interesting meditation on the nature of reading and books.
The character of the reader within the book - and at the same time you, the reader - begin but do not finish several different stories throughout the course of the novel as the reader seeks to uncover an uncorrupted text of the first story. The titles of the stories (spoiler), when read in sequence, form a sort of prose-poem that I felt could have been a commentary on some of the grander themes addressed in the book. I got pretty bored with the recurring semi-pornographic love scenes, which are centered on male pleasure and the male gaze (not that fun to read as a woman in the 21st century. The whole book felt like it was written for a man's consumption). I felt that the strong identification of the reader (both the character and the real-life reader) as a male pursuing a female was alienating and interrupted the most elegant aspect of the book's "meta" nature.
That being said, the self-referential structure and the book's deliberately laborious plot pacing frame an interesting meditation on the nature of reading and books.
runaroo's review against another edition
challenging
slow-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
1.75
I just didn't enjoy this. It was too roundabout for me. I think if I was more into complicated tellings I would have enjoyed this. It just didn't have a flow for me and I constantly felt confused.