Reviews

De wand by Marlen Haushofer

goodyeargoodbooks's review against another edition

2.0

Flipped so much between 2 and 3 stars. Nicely written but fundamentally so dull and repetitive (which yes, is part of the point but is tedious to listen to!)

shieldat's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

I loved this book. The whole concept is so strange and the main character honestly felt relatable (for better or worse) with the way she dealt with everything. And I never would've have guessed this was written in the 60s. I guess most of the book was just her doing tasks but it was so immersive for me and I was rooting for her and the animals. The story kind of activated some existential dread about like...how we exist in society and what actually determines our identities. I'll stop there because I'm not smart enough to write a review that does this book justice. I thought the translation was really good and I loved reading this book. 5 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

pisswizard420's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

prairiedog's review against another edition

5.0

Written by a German author about 40 years ago, The Wall describes a very unique apocalyptic world in which only one woman survives. Haushofer's insights on what it is to be a woman in any type of world are as true now as they were in the 60s, maybe even moreso. I was especially moved by the narrator's relationships with the various animals who enter (and leave) her life. Highly recommended for serious readers who aren't afraid of disturbing subjects.

clegath3's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

askingcrowd708's review against another edition

5.0

Cudowna książka, miała w sobie coś magicznego, niby to tylko historia o tym jak z powodu pojawienia się ściany pewna kobieta musi sobie poradzić. I radzi sobie naprawę nieźle. Niby dość nudna ale nie da się jej odłożyć.
Dla mnie kobiecy mix Waldena i Stardew Valley (ale wszyscy mieszkańcy zniknęli i nie masz nawadniaczy do pola) plus pełzający mrok i strach bo coś w tym świecie jest grubo nie tak.
(na goodreads jest fajny komentarz na temat feminizmu i feministycznej interpretacji książki)

Bardzo polecam

ami__reads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

bhuyanr's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

To be brutally honest, 97% of the book was a boring story of survival. Like, really, really boring. Then the bery end was a shocking heartbreaker that makes you ask why you slogged theough torpor to get to an annoying ending.

emma_henriques's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

suzanna_m's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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

4.0