You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Amazing!
Amazing just like any book by Camus.
Ce bouquin est un des meilleurs bouquins que j'ai jamais lu.
Chapeau bas à Camus.
Amazing just like any book by Camus.
Ce bouquin est un des meilleurs bouquins que j'ai jamais lu.
Chapeau bas à Camus.
I read this book in high school over thirty years ago, and none of it stayed with me. Now, after the pandemic, I decided to read it again. As it happens, I am an infectious disease epidemiologist, which doubtless gave me a very particular view of the events. One part of me approached it as a scientist of bubonic plague, another as a person who lived through a plague, and another as someone fighting a plague. Very little of the book resonated from these perspectives, even if I was willing to give Camus a lot of passes for not understanding epidemiology or the natural history of Yersinia pestis.
I kept thinking, "This book is set in the 1940's. What were the characters doing during the war?" Then I realized this book is an allegory of what it felt like to be trapped in France during WWII. With this new perspective, I liked the book considerably more. But I still don't love it. Frankly, the writing is brilliant in some parts, but maddeningly repetitive and long-winded in others. The death scenes seemed cliched, as if swiped from a toolbox of 19th century tropes.
The four or five archetypal main characters, grappling with existence, were not drawn clearly enough for me to understand exactly what Camus wanted to communicate in this (obviously) philosophical novel, and I had the inescapable sense that this was do to the limitations of Camus as a novelist rather than as a philosopher.
Another odd impression I had was that I was watching a badly-edited movie from the 1940's in which action is communicated by jumping between scenes without explanation.
This book could have been cut by one-third and have been more effective.
I kept thinking, "This book is set in the 1940's. What were the characters doing during the war?" Then I realized this book is an allegory of what it felt like to be trapped in France during WWII. With this new perspective, I liked the book considerably more. But I still don't love it. Frankly, the writing is brilliant in some parts, but maddeningly repetitive and long-winded in others. The death scenes seemed cliched, as if swiped from a toolbox of 19th century tropes.
The four or five archetypal main characters, grappling with existence, were not drawn clearly enough for me to understand exactly what Camus wanted to communicate in this (obviously) philosophical novel, and I had the inescapable sense that this was do to the limitations of Camus as a novelist rather than as a philosopher.
Another odd impression I had was that I was watching a badly-edited movie from the 1940's in which action is communicated by jumping between scenes without explanation.
This book could have been cut by one-third and have been more effective.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Also book club.
Not the most entertaining book. Very mid century and French. Audiobook and two of the translations. The recent translation was better / more enjoyable that the original translation.
Good but not great and not super entertaining. Or maybe great but I didn’t super enjoy it?
Not the most entertaining book. Very mid century and French. Audiobook and two of the translations. The recent translation was better / more enjoyable that the original translation.
Good but not great and not super entertaining. Or maybe great but I didn’t super enjoy it?
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No