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ilman's review against another edition
5.0
Whoa! Let me catch my breath. This book hit me like an onrushing locomotive. It exceeded all of my expectations and then some. This book consists of three novels but they are definitely meant to be read together. This is a story about twin brothers, Claus and Lucas, who are struggling to survive World War II. They recollect their experiences in a notebook but what is real and what is a figment of their imagination? That's for the reader to decide. I won't mention anything else about the plot because it's best to go into this one completely blind.
Agota Kristof was born in Hungary but she was forced to leave her homeland during the revolution of 1956. She settled in Switzerland where she resided until her death in 2011. She chose to write fiction in her 2nd language, which is French. This entire trilogy was written in French and then translated to English by three different translators. You can feel that the language used in this book wasn't Kristof's first language. The vocabulary is simple but it's simple in a deceptive way. Kristof presents deep, philosophical ideas in an easy and accessible way and this book was a pleasure to read.
If you decide to pick up this book, which I highly recommend you do, get ready to be disturbed and maybe even shocked. There is a lot weird, morally ambiguous shit packed in this trilogy. This is not just a tale about two twin brothers and their survival. Kristof brings up a lot of debauched and depraved topics and themes in this story and it will question your own morality. In other words, this book is not afraid to touch on taboo topics. Overall, I loved loved LOVED this trilogy. Its structure is so unique that my first thought after finishing these novels was "Damn, that's crazy. I should reread this again soon." Indeed, this work of fiction almost demands a second reading because knowing how this story ends will definitely change the reader's approach to reading and understanding this story. Without a doubt this book is going on my special 6-star shelf. This book is a masterpiece.
Agota Kristof was born in Hungary but she was forced to leave her homeland during the revolution of 1956. She settled in Switzerland where she resided until her death in 2011. She chose to write fiction in her 2nd language, which is French. This entire trilogy was written in French and then translated to English by three different translators. You can feel that the language used in this book wasn't Kristof's first language. The vocabulary is simple but it's simple in a deceptive way. Kristof presents deep, philosophical ideas in an easy and accessible way and this book was a pleasure to read.
If you decide to pick up this book, which I highly recommend you do, get ready to be disturbed and maybe even shocked. There is a lot weird, morally ambiguous shit packed in this trilogy. This is not just a tale about two twin brothers and their survival. Kristof brings up a lot of debauched and depraved topics and themes in this story and it will question your own morality. In other words, this book is not afraid to touch on taboo topics. Overall, I loved loved LOVED this trilogy. Its structure is so unique that my first thought after finishing these novels was "Damn, that's crazy. I should reread this again soon." Indeed, this work of fiction almost demands a second reading because knowing how this story ends will definitely change the reader's approach to reading and understanding this story. Without a doubt this book is going on my special 6-star shelf. This book is a masterpiece.
crimilde13's review against another edition
5.0
Un libro geniale scritto in maniera magistrale ed essenziale. Immagini crude e spietate, in un conturbante intreccio tra verità e menzogna.
Bellissimo.
Bellissimo.
cosipergioco's review against another edition
3.0
Per me sono 3 stelle, non riesco a darne di più e mi dispiace perché mi aspettavo tantissimo ma non mi sono mai sentita trasportata dall'emozione. Se la narrazione fredda e asettica del primo libro mi è piaciuta molto, l'ho trovata allo stesso modo fuori luogo nel terzo libro dove invece ci dovrebbe raccontare la storia per quello che è. Anche la "rivelazione" non mi ha colpito come forse avrebbe dovuto e ho riscontrato (sempre nel terzo libro) una confusione che, se pur voluta, ho trovato fosse eccessiva.
hux's review against another edition
5.0
The Notebook (1986)
Two small twin boys are dropped off at their grandmother's house by their mother during the start of the war. They live on the edge of town, near the guarded border of a foreign land. The grandmother is mean spirited and refers to them as sons of bitches. The two boys agree to become self-sufficient, to reject pain, to learn how the world works. They are little psychopaths, emotionless, willing to kill and get their way no matter what. They are slightly terrifying but compelling. The whole book is narrated with the word 'we' throughout. 'We did this, we did that. We walked here, we ate our meal.' As they grow older, they become ruthless young men, powerful, intelligent, ambitious and brilliant. At the end of the book, one of the boys escapes to the foreign land beyond the border, while the other agrees to stay behind. The book is written in a stark, to-the-point style that involves short chapters which draw you in and are utterly engrossing. I read it very quickly, zipped through it with joy.
The Proof (1989)
This is where things get complicated (and challenging). This book switches from 'we' narration to a standard third person narration. And we finally discover the names of the boys (Lucas and Claus). Lucas is the one who stayed behind in the town. What follows is his story of making money, having affairs, and shacking up with a young pregnant woman (Yasmine) who was impregnated (willingly) by her own father. She gives birth to a boy named Mathias who Lucas becomes very attached to. One day Yasmine leaves and Lucas raises Mathias alone. He later buys a shop where he can sell the writing equipment he has always loved. He befriends a Party member called Peter and lives out his life and waits for his brother's return. Towards the end of the book, we jump ahead in time when Lucas has left the town and we discover that Yasmine was probably murdered by him. Then Claus comes to the town and tells Peter that he is looking for his brother Lucas. Peter laughs at this and knows that it is simply Lucas returning. That Lucas never really had a brother. He was always a fiction.
The Third Lie (1991)
Now comes the real head-fuck (in first person narration). What if none of the above is true? What if it was all lies? What if a completely different life was lived by this man, these men, Lucas, Claus, both, neither, none... arghh! Now we have a new story, one about a woman shooting her cheating husband and going into an asylum while her twin boys are separated, one in the other country where he has been disabled by one his mother's stray bullets, the other raised by the husband's mistress. Lucas (or is it Claus) wants to return to his mother, wants to find and reunite with his brother. We see things from both their perspectives, both lives being lived, yet never knowing if there truly are two boys or just one. Maybe there are none at all!! They are old men, they are young boys, back and forth, they are forever connected. I honestly don't know anymore. But I was mesmerised.
All I can say is that this is one of the greatest pieces of work I've ever come across. It deals with memory, truth, fiction, identity in such a profoundly brilliant way. I felt lost. I felt stunned. It's just an exquisite piece of literature that mind-fucked me into a catatonic daze. I was bewildered by it. Yes, part one is by far the most compelling and wonderful to read and yes, part two and three (slightly less fun to read), massively undermine it, make it all lies, untrustworthy, even pointless (part of me even resents that). But part two and three also make part one suddenly something new and extraordinary, something terrifying -- something I probably need to read again. Because let's face it, life is nothing more than what we remember, what we recollect. And the truth is, we remember so little of it. And what we do remember, we remember so very incorrectly. Who is to say what really happened? Maybe that's why we're so obsessed with documenting our lives in various ways, because what other method is there for proving that any of it happened? Memory cannot be trusted. It's a shimmering wave of vague colours and feelings, white sunlight on the ocean.
This book horrified me. Amazing.
Two small twin boys are dropped off at their grandmother's house by their mother during the start of the war. They live on the edge of town, near the guarded border of a foreign land. The grandmother is mean spirited and refers to them as sons of bitches. The two boys agree to become self-sufficient, to reject pain, to learn how the world works. They are little psychopaths, emotionless, willing to kill and get their way no matter what. They are slightly terrifying but compelling. The whole book is narrated with the word 'we' throughout. 'We did this, we did that. We walked here, we ate our meal.' As they grow older, they become ruthless young men, powerful, intelligent, ambitious and brilliant. At the end of the book, one of the boys escapes to the foreign land beyond the border, while the other agrees to stay behind. The book is written in a stark, to-the-point style that involves short chapters which draw you in and are utterly engrossing. I read it very quickly, zipped through it with joy.
The Proof (1989)
This is where things get complicated (and challenging). This book switches from 'we' narration to a standard third person narration. And we finally discover the names of the boys (Lucas and Claus). Lucas is the one who stayed behind in the town. What follows is his story of making money, having affairs, and shacking up with a young pregnant woman (Yasmine) who was impregnated (willingly) by her own father. She gives birth to a boy named Mathias who Lucas becomes very attached to. One day Yasmine leaves and Lucas raises Mathias alone. He later buys a shop where he can sell the writing equipment he has always loved. He befriends a Party member called Peter and lives out his life and waits for his brother's return. Towards the end of the book, we jump ahead in time when Lucas has left the town and we discover that Yasmine was probably murdered by him. Then Claus comes to the town and tells Peter that he is looking for his brother Lucas. Peter laughs at this and knows that it is simply Lucas returning. That Lucas never really had a brother. He was always a fiction.
The Third Lie (1991)
Now comes the real head-fuck (in first person narration). What if none of the above is true? What if it was all lies? What if a completely different life was lived by this man, these men, Lucas, Claus, both, neither, none... arghh! Now we have a new story, one about a woman shooting her cheating husband and going into an asylum while her twin boys are separated, one in the other country where he has been disabled by one his mother's stray bullets, the other raised by the husband's mistress. Lucas (or is it Claus) wants to return to his mother, wants to find and reunite with his brother. We see things from both their perspectives, both lives being lived, yet never knowing if there truly are two boys or just one. Maybe there are none at all!! They are old men, they are young boys, back and forth, they are forever connected. I honestly don't know anymore. But I was mesmerised.
All I can say is that this is one of the greatest pieces of work I've ever come across. It deals with memory, truth, fiction, identity in such a profoundly brilliant way. I felt lost. I felt stunned. It's just an exquisite piece of literature that mind-fucked me into a catatonic daze. I was bewildered by it. Yes, part one is by far the most compelling and wonderful to read and yes, part two and three (slightly less fun to read), massively undermine it, make it all lies, untrustworthy, even pointless (part of me even resents that). But part two and three also make part one suddenly something new and extraordinary, something terrifying -- something I probably need to read again. Because let's face it, life is nothing more than what we remember, what we recollect. And the truth is, we remember so little of it. And what we do remember, we remember so very incorrectly. Who is to say what really happened? Maybe that's why we're so obsessed with documenting our lives in various ways, because what other method is there for proving that any of it happened? Memory cannot be trusted. It's a shimmering wave of vague colours and feelings, white sunlight on the ocean.
This book horrified me. Amazing.
acul's review against another edition
5.0
Si può leggere altro dopo questo libro? Questo è un incontro di pugilato. Ogni frase è un cazzotto, ogni parola ti arriva dritta allo stomaco.
wilhelmsson's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
juanjosejc's review against another edition
5.0
Es una trilogía donde el tema central es la guerra, las heridas, las cicatrices y las secuelas que deja tanto en el cuerpo, en la mente como en el alma.
Nos cuestiona y juega con los lectores, pero nos da sólo una certeza: el dolor permanente que viven sus protagonistas.
En un lenguaje claro, simple y crudo la primera parte nos muestra la vida de dos niños que hacen de una tragedia su día a día, que conviven con la violencia y el abuso, mientras que el segundo libro baila entre la duda y la búsqueda de la bondad. Finaliza con una tercera entrega que intenta dar un sentido lógico y redondo al relato, aunque aún plantea más preguntas que cada quien encontrará sus respuestas o no.
La única certeza es el sufrimiento y el dolor que deja la guerra, tanto así que es lógico que después de estás experiencias puedas empezar a dudar de tu historia, de quién eres y qué te mueve a seguir adelante.
Nos cuestiona y juega con los lectores, pero nos da sólo una certeza: el dolor permanente que viven sus protagonistas.
En un lenguaje claro, simple y crudo la primera parte nos muestra la vida de dos niños que hacen de una tragedia su día a día, que conviven con la violencia y el abuso, mientras que el segundo libro baila entre la duda y la búsqueda de la bondad. Finaliza con una tercera entrega que intenta dar un sentido lógico y redondo al relato, aunque aún plantea más preguntas que cada quien encontrará sus respuestas o no.
La única certeza es el sufrimiento y el dolor que deja la guerra, tanto así que es lógico que después de estás experiencias puedas empezar a dudar de tu historia, de quién eres y qué te mueve a seguir adelante.
camibianchi02's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
dsdmona's review against another edition
5.0
http://dsdmona1.blogspot.com.es/2016/07/claus-y-lucas.html
bokankan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0