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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Historia bastante intensa, con un final feliz sin embargo oscila constantemente entre la realidad en la fantasía y no soy fan de eso. Sin embargo, está escrito de una manera fácil de leer y entretenida, te atrapa desde la primera página.
I was just a strange boy wandering around somewhere in between. So I decided to give it a try. To become ordinary.
Yunjae is a young boy born with alexithymia, a brain condition that makes it nearly impossible for him to feel emotions or to sense them on others without memorizing typical social cues. This makes it hard for him to make friends, which he isn't sad about because he can't feel sadness the way most people would. His mother and grandmother give him daily training on emotions in an attempt to make him appear "ordinary" in social environments such as school.
When a tragedy affecting Yunjae's home life occurs, Yunjae's life takes an unexpected turn. A believable one? Well, no. It's a bit unbelievable that. But this is a sweet book, so... it's fine.
The detached narration in Almond is perfect for a character that has great difficulty feeling emotions. The author (and translator) succeeded in making Yunjae's voice sound authentic rather than generic, a hurdle that many authors can't seem to get over when there are characters with disorders that affect them having "normal" reactions/emotions.
Despite the detached narration style, this is not a detached story and is instead a rather emotional one about family, youth, friendship, and self-discovery. While I didn't fall apart at the end and instead found it to be rushed and a bit "everything falls into place," I couldn't avoid shedding tears earlier in the book when. There are moments in this that are truly beautiful, but I was not as impacted as I thought I would be. I think I just needed a little more story to get there.
I would feel guilty for my feelings and rating except that Yunjae wouldn't believe I need to.
At the time, I told my mom that the story contradicted her lesson, in which there was only one right answer for each situation, but I thought this kind of ending wasn't too bad. It seemed to mean that there was more than one answer to everything. Maybe I didn't need to stick to hard-and-fast rules of dialogue or behavior. Since everyone was different, my "odd reactions" could be normal to some people.
3.5 Stars
Yunjae is a young boy born with alexithymia, a brain condition that makes it nearly impossible for him to feel emotions or to sense them on others without memorizing typical social cues. This makes it hard for him to make friends, which he isn't sad about because he can't feel sadness the way most people would. His mother and grandmother give him daily training on emotions in an attempt to make him appear "ordinary" in social environments such as school.
When a tragedy affecting Yunjae's home life occurs, Yunjae's life takes an unexpected turn. A believable one? Well, no. It's a bit unbelievable that
Spoiler
this young boy could just choose to live alone and to run a bookstore without an adult/guardianThe detached narration in Almond is perfect for a character that has great difficulty feeling emotions. The author (and translator) succeeded in making Yunjae's voice sound authentic rather than generic, a hurdle that many authors can't seem to get over when there are characters with disorders that affect them having "normal" reactions/emotions.
Despite the detached narration style, this is not a detached story and is instead a rather emotional one about family, youth, friendship, and self-discovery. While I didn't fall apart at the end and instead found it to be rushed and a bit "everything falls into place," I couldn't avoid shedding tears earlier in the book when
Spoiler
Gon asks Yunjae what his mother was likeI would feel guilty for my feelings and rating except that Yunjae wouldn't believe I need to.
At the time, I told my mom that the story contradicted her lesson, in which there was only one right answer for each situation, but I thought this kind of ending wasn't too bad. It seemed to mean that there was more than one answer to everything. Maybe I didn't need to stick to hard-and-fast rules of dialogue or behavior. Since everyone was different, my "odd reactions" could be normal to some people.
3.5 Stars
Leí este libro porque mucha gente lo recomendaba, no me arrepiento, lo leí en un par de días, el hecho de que esté escrito de forma liviana ayudó a su fácil lectura, pero es el tipo de historia que te atrapa y te hace necesitar el seguir leyendo. Me hizo pensar en cosas que no pensaba hace tiempo y cuestionarme otras.
Me gusta que el final no haya concluido con que yunjae se volvía "normal", aunque hubiese deseado que el doctor no cuestionara esto mismo.
Me gusta que el final no haya concluido con que yunjae se volvía "normal", aunque hubiese deseado que el doctor no cuestionara esto mismo.
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
It's an easy read actually and I loved it
Un livre très fluide, qui se lit relativement vite. Le héros ne ressent rien, mais je n’en dirais pas autant du/de la lecteur/lectrice. Les émotions nous assaillent à l’aide de réflexions sur notre statut d’humain, sur des questions qui demeurent sans réponses. Ce roman a été une très belle découverte que je relirais avec plaisir !
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes