Scan barcode
timedothwasteme's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Infidelity
thomasgoddard's review against another edition
4.0
Cutting It Short by Bohumil Hrabal
This is such a splendid short novel. A lovely little dip into a world that feels quite real. Brutal and hilarious.
When the world takes up a notion, it begins to bleed into every aspect of culture. Electricity sparks a demand for all things to be electrified. A new dance move stirs people to make steps towards new places. New food fads. Music tastes. Hair styles... They don't exist in and of themselves without bleeding, like a cut throat, into everything else. Staining everything.
And change provokes in people the strangest reactions. It unsettles the tempo of the world.
The characters are like the cast of people you'll bump into in your local. We've lost that sense of community these days, but I always keep a finger on the pulse of the local area. I gather up nearby souls and try to touch base with them.
Infighting, dramas of all sorts, charity, acts of kindness, companionship, insults, jokes... A free drink. All of it is on offer to those who engage. And that engagement. The desire not to see things cut short... nights, friendships or tales (of all kinds)...
That's life lived right!!
Not quite as good as Too Loud A Solitude, but damn fine in its own right. This would make an excellent film.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is such a splendid short novel. A lovely little dip into a world that feels quite real. Brutal and hilarious.
When the world takes up a notion, it begins to bleed into every aspect of culture. Electricity sparks a demand for all things to be electrified. A new dance move stirs people to make steps towards new places. New food fads. Music tastes. Hair styles... They don't exist in and of themselves without bleeding, like a cut throat, into everything else. Staining everything.
And change provokes in people the strangest reactions. It unsettles the tempo of the world.
The characters are like the cast of people you'll bump into in your local. We've lost that sense of community these days, but I always keep a finger on the pulse of the local area. I gather up nearby souls and try to touch base with them.
Infighting, dramas of all sorts, charity, acts of kindness, companionship, insults, jokes... A free drink. All of it is on offer to those who engage. And that engagement. The desire not to see things cut short... nights, friendships or tales (of all kinds)...
That's life lived right!!
Not quite as good as Too Loud A Solitude, but damn fine in its own right. This would make an excellent film.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
sophiaxlm's review
4.0
“我躺在鸭绒被上。入睡之前，伸出一只手，摸摸前臀肉，接着又摸要烧烤的肉。睡着了，手还放在嫩嫩的里脊肉上。我做了个梦：吃了一头小猪。”
“年轻的时候，伊鲁特先生是耍杂技的。……有一回，伊鲁特先生被塞进炮筒，射出来达到曲线的顶端，他张开双手，头慢慢下落。他看到，早已偏离弹跳床了。炮架上的响声，比平时强烈多了。但伊鲁特先生照样面带微笑，对着大家，挥洒纸玫瑰花，抛去飞吻。结果他跌到篱笆后面的一堆柴火上。一年以后，伊鲁特先生才康复，可他再也不愿意抛洒飞吻和玫瑰了，像一张不再流通的纸币，退出了杂技生涯。”
一本有点难以形容的书。走马灯一样的场景转换，就像“大伯”随时随地可以从口袋中掏出的陈年逸事。“我”那头标志性的、沉甸甸的、被交口称赞的铜金长发像童话插图本里莴苣公主那头不符合物理常识的发丝，从一个窗口飘到另一个窗口，把啤酒厂居民们道听途说来的故事都编进辫子里。
“年轻的时候，伊鲁特先生是耍杂技的。……有一回，伊鲁特先生被塞进炮筒，射出来达到曲线的顶端，他张开双手，头慢慢下落。他看到，早已偏离弹跳床了。炮架上的响声，比平时强烈多了。但伊鲁特先生照样面带微笑，对着大家，挥洒纸玫瑰花，抛去飞吻。结果他跌到篱笆后面的一堆柴火上。一年以后，伊鲁特先生才康复，可他再也不愿意抛洒飞吻和玫瑰了，像一张不再流通的纸币，退出了杂技生涯。”
一本有点难以形容的书。走马灯一样的场景转换，就像“大伯”随时随地可以从口袋中掏出的陈年逸事。“我”那头标志性的、沉甸甸的、被交口称赞的铜金长发像童话插图本里莴苣公主那头不符合物理常识的发丝，从一个窗口飘到另一个窗口，把啤酒厂居民们道听途说来的故事都编进辫子里。
mlfarrell's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
whogivesabook's review against another edition
4.0
Cutting It Short by Bohumil Hrabal
This is such a splendid short novel. A lovely little dip into a world that feels quite real. Brutal and hilarious.
When the world takes up a notion, it begins to bleed into every aspect of culture. Electricity sparks a demand for all things to be electrified. A new dance move stirs people to make steps towards new places. New food fads. Music tastes. Hair styles... They don't exist in and of themselves without bleeding, like a cut throat, into everything else. Staining everything.
And change provokes in people the strangest reactions. It unsettles the tempo of the world.
The characters are like the cast of people you'll bump into in your local. We've lost that sense of community these days, but I always keep a finger on the pulse of the local area. I gather up nearby souls and try to touch base with them.
Infighting, dramas of all sorts, charity, acts of kindness, companionship, insults, jokes... A free drink. All of it is on offer to those who engage. And that engagement. The desire not to see things cut short... nights, friendships or tales (of all kinds)...
That's life lived right!!
Not quite as good as Too Loud A Solitude, but damn fine in its own right. This would make an excellent film.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is such a splendid short novel. A lovely little dip into a world that feels quite real. Brutal and hilarious.
When the world takes up a notion, it begins to bleed into every aspect of culture. Electricity sparks a demand for all things to be electrified. A new dance move stirs people to make steps towards new places. New food fads. Music tastes. Hair styles... They don't exist in and of themselves without bleeding, like a cut throat, into everything else. Staining everything.
And change provokes in people the strangest reactions. It unsettles the tempo of the world.
The characters are like the cast of people you'll bump into in your local. We've lost that sense of community these days, but I always keep a finger on the pulse of the local area. I gather up nearby souls and try to touch base with them.
Infighting, dramas of all sorts, charity, acts of kindness, companionship, insults, jokes... A free drink. All of it is on offer to those who engage. And that engagement. The desire not to see things cut short... nights, friendships or tales (of all kinds)...
That's life lived right!!
Not quite as good as Too Loud A Solitude, but damn fine in its own right. This would make an excellent film.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
blazenaat's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
pallaviaggarwal's review
4.0
3.5
Hrabal's prose, ah, pages of run-on sentences that feel like travelling through a dream with a cloud as your mode of transport.
There is no linear narrative, it's a collection of short instances in the life of the most coffee person I have ever encountered, so I would read a chapter every time I needed a little Maryska in my life, which is also how I recommend reading it.
The last chapter is so interesting because it confirms something you will begin to wonder while reading the book, the main character is her hair, and it becomes a narrative about identity which I did not see coming. There are also slightly concerning serious bitter cynical themes just peppered in between the book that directly contrast and thus highlight Mariska it's very weird but very fun.
Also, Penguin does such a great job with covers because when you look back at it, it fits, it tells the book in images.
But also almost nothing happens in this book, which I didn't mind but putting it out there.
Hrabal's prose, ah, pages of run-on sentences that feel like travelling through a dream with a cloud as your mode of transport.
There is no linear narrative, it's a collection of short instances in the life of the most coffee person I have ever encountered, so I would read a chapter every time I needed a little Maryska in my life, which is also how I recommend reading it.
The last chapter is so interesting because it confirms something you will begin to wonder while reading the book, the main character is her hair, and it becomes a narrative about identity which I did not see coming. There are also slightly concerning serious bitter cynical themes just peppered in between the book that directly contrast and thus highlight Mariska it's very weird but very fun.
Also, Penguin does such a great job with covers because when you look back at it, it fits, it tells the book in images.
But also almost nothing happens in this book, which I didn't mind but putting it out there.
trencsenyilili's review against another edition
4.0
This was an exciting reading experience, still find myself wondering about it.
I can understand the meaning of the story and it's truly powerful, partly surprising and sad, but the narrator perspective isn't really credible, and I don't mean it that it's unreliable, it's just not how I think a women thinks, works, acts. I mean that's my opinion.
I can understand the meaning of the story and it's truly powerful, partly surprising and sad, but the narrator perspective isn't really credible, and I don't mean it that it's unreliable, it's just not how I think a women thinks, works, acts. I mean that's my opinion.
patersonjazz's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5