Reviews

The Memory Theater by Karin Tidbeck

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nattyyllie's review against another edition

1.0

I really wanted to love this book—the issue is this: it’s a wonderful idea, but incomplete.

Dora and Thistle/Albin have great potential and the worlds that are described here have magnificent blueprints but are mere wood and nails being hammered together; It’s nowhere near that final coat of paint. There are some nice depictions of imagery, and the characters are quite intriguing, but nothing feels complete. I have so many questions about every single character:
Where is Augusta from/how did she become such a monster? There’s no backstory. What is Ghorbi’s purpose in this? She is too much of an enigma. What is Pinax’s purpose? They are static. How does the memory theater exist? Who are these people composing it and does it live on? Nestor, the Director, Journeyman, Apprentice: there’s something there, but it’s just a sprout. The worlds are vague in the extreme as well. I wanted to know more—anything about what they were. And on and on…
The ending of the story was just flat disappointing.

Throughout the novella I thought multiple times of how a scene needed to be fleshed out. There are gaps in time that could have been utilized to demonstrate important aspects of the characters’ relationships. The only piece of this story that felt satisfying is when Augusta returned to Nils’ corpse after we understand why it is there now. The story idea itself has potential but it is simply too brief.

cmdufresne's review against another edition

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4.0

Dark fairy tale with elements of fair folk lore, alternate world travel, and warping of time. Short book, but not necessarily a fast read with the poetic prose. Reminded me a lot of classic fairy tales. More like a long short-story. Really enjoyed it!

nonesensed's review against another edition

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4.25

Thistle and Dora are captives of a sort; Thistle as the unwilling servant of Lady Augusta and Dora as the disinherited daughter of Lord Walpurgis, both nobles of the Gardens. The Gardens is a place caught in one endless, repeating day of revelry and torture. To say it's an unpleasant place to live is beyond an understatement. Hopefully Thistle will find a way to reclaim his name before he grows too old to be a servant.

As a story, this brought up a lot of nostalgia for all manner of local folklore and stories I've grown up with. It brought me into a "fairy tale" mood. Loved everything about the memory theater itself, especially the montage. The ending didn't surprise me, which was a bit of a let down, but not in a way that ruined the book for me or anything like that. Worth a read, definitely!

zivan's review

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Something's rotten in paradise.

Karin Tidbeck weaves a complicated web stretching across multiple worlds, histories, folk tales and broken utopian dreams that ultimately deals with evil and the power of stories to fight it.

It's interesting to read a sci-fi author from a different culture that also has her own way of interpreting the multiverse and the power of story and imagination.

corkykat's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

goblinhearted's review against another edition

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3.5

While I really enjoyed the surreal fairy-tale vibe of this book, I didn't look forward to continue reading it as much as I expected to. I liked the characters but would have liked to get to know them a little better. It's a short read, but the plot/conclusion left me wanting more. Overall, I enjoyed it but it fell a little flat for me.