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voracious_g's review against another edition
2.0
A challenging read in that it was difficult to relate to the narrator / main protagonist.
aiviloolivia's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
joyousreads132's review against another edition
3.0
Short and sweet, this is the story of a couple of brothers who found themselves fleeing the Russian occupied Hungary. They trudged through minefields along with their family to get to the Austrian border. They planned to head to Paris, where a relative awaits them. Through equal parts humour, horror, and refreshing wonder, the brothers would discover the importance of home as they struggle to accept immeasurable losses brought on by the war.
Incongruous humour.
For some reason, I can’t seem to move away from books set at a time of great strife. There is something about it that draws me in, and if I have to look closely, I think it has to do with curiosity, mostly; and wonder about how anyone can find hope, or would dare to dream when the world around them is literally in pieces. Though in Attila and Robert’s case, that may be easier to imagine. The boys talk about the most random things: the punitive quality of sperm as opposed to the bright, angry colour of blood. Especially when you consider that both fluid are equally important in the creation and sustenance of life. They talk about evolution; why God created things with an alarming, concise function. All the while, they are being showered by blood and falling limbs due to the land mines they were on. They witnessed their cousin gave birth on the grass and lose her life. Through these horrors, they never did show fear that readers would wonder exactly if they even have hearts, or if they simply were too young to realize the nightmare of their situations.
Sweet as candy.
Robert, the youngest, is made out to be someone effeminate instead of a prepubescent boy who fantasizes about what a girl’s lips would taste like. They treat him like a precious doll, and refer to him in the weirdest, sweetest endearment meant for a precious, little girl. Endearments such as: my one true love, my ever precious love, and my alabaster darling. These are just from his older brother. And considering that this book opened up as Robert and his grandma witnessed the hanging of 8 soldiers, it is of questionable wonder why the author would make Robert so viscerally detached from the nightmares around him.
The ramblings of a lost child?
I often got lost in the haze of Atilla’s babbles. He has an unending curiosity about the world around him. His theories and hypothesis about God and Science made me think, but it was as if the war, the deaths, the minefield were of no consequence to him.
In finem.
Funny, heartbreaking, and refreshingly honest, The Afterlife of Stars managed to inspire when there’s very little of hope to speak of, and if you wouldn’t mind reading about that kind of optimism, this would be the kind of novel to savour with a little bit of tolerance.
Incongruous humour.
For some reason, I can’t seem to move away from books set at a time of great strife. There is something about it that draws me in, and if I have to look closely, I think it has to do with curiosity, mostly; and wonder about how anyone can find hope, or would dare to dream when the world around them is literally in pieces. Though in Attila and Robert’s case, that may be easier to imagine. The boys talk about the most random things: the punitive quality of sperm as opposed to the bright, angry colour of blood. Especially when you consider that both fluid are equally important in the creation and sustenance of life. They talk about evolution; why God created things with an alarming, concise function. All the while, they are being showered by blood and falling limbs due to the land mines they were on. They witnessed their cousin gave birth on the grass and lose her life. Through these horrors, they never did show fear that readers would wonder exactly if they even have hearts, or if they simply were too young to realize the nightmare of their situations.
Sweet as candy.
Robert, the youngest, is made out to be someone effeminate instead of a prepubescent boy who fantasizes about what a girl’s lips would taste like. They treat him like a precious doll, and refer to him in the weirdest, sweetest endearment meant for a precious, little girl. Endearments such as: my one true love, my ever precious love, and my alabaster darling. These are just from his older brother. And considering that this book opened up as Robert and his grandma witnessed the hanging of 8 soldiers, it is of questionable wonder why the author would make Robert so viscerally detached from the nightmares around him.
The ramblings of a lost child?
I often got lost in the haze of Atilla’s babbles. He has an unending curiosity about the world around him. His theories and hypothesis about God and Science made me think, but it was as if the war, the deaths, the minefield were of no consequence to him.
In finem.
Funny, heartbreaking, and refreshingly honest, The Afterlife of Stars managed to inspire when there’s very little of hope to speak of, and if you wouldn’t mind reading about that kind of optimism, this would be the kind of novel to savour with a little bit of tolerance.
bkish's review against another edition
2.0
The theme is interesting to me as a Jew however the writing is mediocre. Maybe the writer erred by his over focus on the brothers Atilla and Robert. I think this is story of Kertes' family jews who were forced out of Hungary by Russia in 1956. What was missing? Depth.
Robert's older brother has too much prominence in the book and to me he was off almost disturbed and his relationship with his younger brother Robert was strange.
the book was more about Atilla than anything else and yet he was to me a poor subject for that focus.
Judy
Robert's older brother has too much prominence in the book and to me he was off almost disturbed and his relationship with his younger brother Robert was strange.
the book was more about Atilla than anything else and yet he was to me a poor subject for that focus.
Judy
jenniefallis's review against another edition
2.0
Parts of this book were enjoyable, yet certainly not a must read. The title and the premise offer a lot of potential but I do not think this book fulfills the author's aims.
drstephm's review
2.0
The overly sexual parts of this book were very uncomfortable as we were reading from a 9 year olds point of view. I was hoping to learn a little about this time period and what it would have been like for refugees, but I unfortunately will mostly remember how obsessed with sex and breasts this 9 year old was.
quietrabbit's review against another edition
4.0
Uneven. At times the focus on poetic language retards the suspense. It is possible to have both in a novel, but often, in this book, the places the author chose to slow down don't feel real to the moment and impede the believability or even at times take away from the dramatic action.
linneahbt's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This was beautifully written but so so sad, hard to get through at times. Didn't love some of the rambles they went on but appreciate how they contributed to the rest of the story.
toryhallelujah's review against another edition
2.0
Disjointed, meandering, scattered, and to be honest, kind of pointless. Was Attila supposed to be bipolar or something? His incessant questions and philosophical confrontations became grating and signaled to me that it was time to start skimming the text. This is a book that didn't know where it was going and therefore didn't get there. I'm disappointed, especially after how beautifully it started.
smokeyshouse's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
While reading this book, there were times it got so boring, despite a fascinating setting and premise, that I considered dnf... but am glad I did not. The book increasingly got better after the arrival in Paris, as more of the family history was revealed, and as it headed toward its climax. Passages of brilliant writing interspersed with tedious prose.