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sebmoya16's review against another edition
5.0
Increíble experimento de existencialismo recién explorado. Me intereso demasiado como juegue con los personajes y como cada hilo refleja algo del desprecio humano.
100reads's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The writing style is quite unique, like it very much. The story is told in a series of vignettes and the city of Madrid is the main character (1940s) Madrid. I mostly love how the story is told.
manolitagafotas's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
zeliux's review against another edition
4.0
It is a deep dive into the daily life of post-war Spain, set in a café in Madrid. Through rich prose and varied characters, it creates a mosaic of poignant human stories. The lack of a central plot may make it difficult reading for some, but it offers a fascinating exploration of the society of the time.
miri_dbr's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
thealbapoems's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
La Colmena. What to say about it? Maybe I should have done some research before deciding to read it, because it wasn’t what I expected. I don’t think I have ever read a book like this. It’s is a tapestry of characters that serve as an exploration of what it was like to live in Madrid after the Spanish civil war. The central space of the novel is Doña Rosa’s cafe, where the characters meet, or just co-exist, unaware of each other’s presence. But that is about it. Most of the times the characters mentioned don’t appear again, and their lives don’t really intersect. It is not a dense book, but it is hard to wrap your mind around it. Martin Marco is the closest thing to a main character and at the end it is implied that he meets the tragic end that comes with this role . The two most notable passages for me Elvirita’s nightmare, Martin’s night walk and encounter with the policeman, and the description of Filo crying. It was an interesting read, and I appreciate what was achieved, but I can’t say that I enjoyed it.
bwdonovan's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0