978 reviews for:

Sandmannen

E.T.A. Hoffmann

3.47 AVERAGE

juli161's review against another edition

3.75

dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

natama's review against another edition

2.5

challenging dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

cute_monkey_girl's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

zams's review against another edition

2.25

challenging dark fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

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I didn't read this to analyze it, just to see if I would enjoy it, and the writing style was definitly not for me, and the plot wasn't especially for me either.

phistasha's review against another edition

2.75

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

sonnencremeflecken's review against another edition

3.75

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Sköne Oke! Sköne Oke!

ames444's review against another edition

3.0

dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

milli_kiri's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

fia06's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

wuthrinheights's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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He's a wicked man who comes to children when they won't go to bed and throws handfuls of sand in their eyes, so that they pop right out of their heads all covered in blood, and then he throws them in a sack and carries them off to the half-moon to feed to his little children; they sit there in the nest, and have hooked beaks like owls, which they use to peck the eyes out of the heads of naughty children.

Reading this again and it was still as exciting as the first time. The lunacy, the desperation, the fits and struggles, the spookiness, it was captivating and I was enraptured. Hoffman wrote so beautifully and I'll always prefer this story over The Nutcracker. It held more depth and darkness.

I also appreciated the translation and annotations by Christopher Mongrieff who included so many in-depth explanations about the story. 

This edition also included Sigmund Freud's essay of the "Uncanny" as he analysed The Sandman. He brought up the theme of eyes/eyesight in the story and linked it to Oedipus and psychoanalysis, of childhood fears and parental ties. It was an interesting take.