You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
dark
tense
medium-paced
the book describes constant suffering from beginning to end, not very pleasant to read but interesting nonetheless. was expecting it to have more lesbians :/
I found Diderot’s confessional style a bit tiring. And yes, I have to admit I expected all throughout the novel for Suzana to run with some of her confessors, somewhere in the country living happily ever after and having a bunch of kids.
***
putin cam obositor stilul asta confesional abordat de diderot. deci da, admit cu semi-perversitate ca am asteptat ca suzana sa fuga de la manastire cu vreun duhovnic, ascunzindu-se in vreun capat de tara, traind o dragoste patimasa. not the case.
"iata unde duce sihastria. omul e nascut sa traiasca in lume; desparte-l de ea, izoleaza-l si i se vor imprastia gindurile, i se va strica firea, ii vor rasari in inima o mie de patimi ridicole; in minte ii vor incolti ginduri smintite, asa cum incoltesc maracinii in pustiu. lasa-l pe om in padure si-o sa devina fiara; iar daca-l duci in manastire, unde pe linga saracie mai are de indurat si robia, va fi si mai rau inca. dintr-o padure tot mai iesi, dar din manastire niciodata; in padure esti liber, iar in manastire esti rob. poate ca ai nevoie de mai multa putere sufleteasca pentru a indura singuratatea decit pentru a indura saracia cea mai crunta; saracia injoseste, sihastria te corupe. cum oare e mai bine sa traiesti: ca un mirsav sau ca un nebun? asta n-as indrazni s-o hotarasc. dar e bine sa te feresti si de una, si de alta."
***
putin cam obositor stilul asta confesional abordat de diderot. deci da, admit cu semi-perversitate ca am asteptat ca suzana sa fuga de la manastire cu vreun duhovnic, ascunzindu-se in vreun capat de tara, traind o dragoste patimasa. not the case.
"iata unde duce sihastria. omul e nascut sa traiasca in lume; desparte-l de ea, izoleaza-l si i se vor imprastia gindurile, i se va strica firea, ii vor rasari in inima o mie de patimi ridicole; in minte ii vor incolti ginduri smintite, asa cum incoltesc maracinii in pustiu. lasa-l pe om in padure si-o sa devina fiara; iar daca-l duci in manastire, unde pe linga saracie mai are de indurat si robia, va fi si mai rau inca. dintr-o padure tot mai iesi, dar din manastire niciodata; in padure esti liber, iar in manastire esti rob. poate ca ai nevoie de mai multa putere sufleteasca pentru a indura singuratatea decit pentru a indura saracia cea mai crunta; saracia injoseste, sihastria te corupe. cum oare e mai bine sa traiesti: ca un mirsav sau ca un nebun? asta n-as indrazni s-o hotarasc. dar e bine sa te feresti si de una, si de alta."
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm pretty sure the long section where our heroine is unknowingly the object of her mother superior's lust is not meant to be laugh-out-loud funny, but it is. While Diderot might not have understood female orgasm too well - Mother Superior sure comes hard from a dry-hump, and there's ever implication our heroine does, and doesn't know it? "I was strangely tired all day" she says, but there's no mention of PLEASURE. Well, if 18th Century French men didn't understand female orgasm, at least they knew it existed, which I can't say for their counterparts in the soon-to-be-independent American colonies.
The introduction admonished the author for making out that the mother superior was "mad all along" but I have a different reading from the text - it's the classic "unrequited love drives people mad" trope. Once our heroine withdraws her affections, Mother Superior is doomed, doomed I say, because love.
I did enjoy it. The (unintentional?) humor softened Sister Suzanne's Mary-Sue nature. (She's perfectly beautiful, talented at singing and playing music, innocent and pious to a fault, sinless, aside from one moment of eavesdropping.) What a bore, right? Still, the author's intent is to show that even the most perfect girl in the world can be entrapped by the system of convents of his day, forced to be a nun against her will.
The book is flawed, alas, by the most absurdly rushed ending. I feel the kinship of author-slacking across the centuries!
The introduction admonished the author for making out that the mother superior was "mad all along" but I have a different reading from the text - it's the classic "unrequited love drives people mad" trope. Once our heroine withdraws her affections, Mother Superior is doomed, doomed I say, because love.
I did enjoy it. The (unintentional?) humor softened Sister Suzanne's Mary-Sue nature. (She's perfectly beautiful, talented at singing and playing music, innocent and pious to a fault, sinless, aside from one moment of eavesdropping.) What a bore, right? Still, the author's intent is to show that even the most perfect girl in the world can be entrapped by the system of convents of his day, forced to be a nun against her will.
The book is flawed, alas, by the most absurdly rushed ending. I feel the kinship of author-slacking across the centuries!
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes