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mimosaeyes's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
At the start of this book, Elliott begins by asking for your patience. It takes a while to get used to the lack of commas and dashes to indicate traditional pauses, but as you slowly do, you shift into a different frame of mind and get an idea of Elliott's sense of time on the ward, unable to move or speak and occupying himself with his own, rich internal world.
Then it takes pages and pages, days and days, for him to finally encounter Jim and figure out how to communicate with him and befriend him. The slow pace of this book is rewarding, though - the final payoff so earned, and transcendent.
Then it takes pages and pages, days and days, for him to finally encounter Jim and figure out how to communicate with him and befriend him. The slow pace of this book is rewarding, though - the final payoff so earned, and transcendent.
pearloz's review against another edition
4.0
Challenging book to read being in the mind of this kid, the story is fairly slight but given the constraints of our narrator, they take on epic proportions. Painting a cane, taking an elevator are the great ambitions of our narrator and the challenges accomplishing them were surprisingly riveting. Learning to communicate via humming Beatles lyrics was an inspired touch.
megan_kiwi's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
sarahkomas's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.25
Interesting style and topic, not gripping but worth a read
kiannello's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
_dunno_'s review against another edition
4.0
I did need some patience to get through this book. It's heartbreaking, delightful, and funny. And Beatles.
jasmijn02's review against another edition
2.0
Mixed feelings bij dit boek. Hele mixed feelings. Het onderwerp sprak me direct aan (en deed me wat denken aan One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest), maar ik had me niet verder verdiept in het boek. En ik was dus best onaangenaam verrast toen ik erachter kwam dat het boek geschreven was als een soort stream of consciousness. Met alleen punten als leestekens, en geen enkele hoofdstuk- of alinea-indeling. Dat is vermoeiend lezen, moet ik bekennen, en leidde voor mij ook echt af van het verhaal. Hoewel deze vorm wel goed gekozen is als je bedenkt dat het de gedachten zijn van een jongen die niet kan praten. En gedachten schieten nu eenmaal alle kanten op. Bovendien vond ik hoofdpersoon Elliott ook te wijs geportretteerd, zijn algemene ontwikkeling was veel te groot, zeker voor een kind dat zelf helemaal niets kan (een boek pakken, een televisie aanzetten, een krant lezen). Hoe komt hij aan die kennis?
Wat wel goed gevonden was, vond ik de manier waarop hij uiteindelijk, zonder te kunnen praten, toch communiceert met Jim, een jongen op zijn afdeling. Een van de zusters van de afdeling luistert dagelijks naar het rode en blauwe album van de Beatles, en de kinderen kennen dus ook alle liedjes daarvan uit hun hoofd. Ook Elliott en Jim. Jim is blind, maar kan wel praten en horen, Elliott kan zien maar niet praten, en bedenkt dan dat hij door een van de liedjes van de Beatles te neuriën, hij Jim duidelijk kan maken wat hij wil (I Want To Hold Your Hand, bijvoorbeeld). En zo krijgt hij hem ook zover dat hij hem zijn rolstoel kan laten besturen waarheen hij maar wil, met als doel om uiteindelijk te ontsnappen en wat van de wereld te zien. Mooie vondst!
De vorm bleek uiteindelijk wel een te grote belemmering voor mij om echt van het boek te genieten, vandaar die twee sterren.
Wat wel goed gevonden was, vond ik de manier waarop hij uiteindelijk, zonder te kunnen praten, toch communiceert met Jim, een jongen op zijn afdeling. Een van de zusters van de afdeling luistert dagelijks naar het rode en blauwe album van de Beatles, en de kinderen kennen dus ook alle liedjes daarvan uit hun hoofd. Ook Elliott en Jim. Jim is blind, maar kan wel praten en horen, Elliott kan zien maar niet praten, en bedenkt dan dat hij door een van de liedjes van de Beatles te neuriën, hij Jim duidelijk kan maken wat hij wil (I Want To Hold Your Hand, bijvoorbeeld). En zo krijgt hij hem ook zover dat hij hem zijn rolstoel kan laten besturen waarheen hij maar wil, met als doel om uiteindelijk te ontsnappen en wat van de wereld te zien. Mooie vondst!
De vorm bleek uiteindelijk wel een te grote belemmering voor mij om echt van het boek te genieten, vandaar die twee sterren.
adrianasturalvarez's review against another edition
5.0
It took me a longer than usual to finish this extraordinary novel because I kept resisting its end. I stretched out the last 50 or so pages as much as I could - even the last 3. I found every page gorgeous, suspenseful, tender, and often surprising.
The story is told from the perspective of a severely disabled boy, Elliot. He can't speak. He can't move unassisted. He spends most of the day in his head working to comprehend the world around him in profound ways and working to carry out a secret plan.
Getting to know Elliot and his relationships with other wards of a Catholic orphanage in 1979 is a special experience. The love he has for the people around him is overwhelming, particularly for the blind and mute boy, Jim, for whom he has a particular fondness.
Toby Litt's prose style ranges from highly poetic to invisible depending on how it needs to serve the narrative. His story construction, however, is exceptionally brilliant. Alluding to the Christian Bible, Mark Twain, German opera, and Ken Kesey is no small thing. Weaving these allusions into the service of his own story, making each greater, demonstrates Litt's mastery. Despite its heady, intellectual project the novel never veers away from the emotional center of its protagonist. It is astounding.
I highly recommend this to anyone who can get their hands on a copy. This is an exceptional novel.
The story is told from the perspective of a severely disabled boy, Elliot. He can't speak. He can't move unassisted. He spends most of the day in his head working to comprehend the world around him in profound ways and working to carry out a secret plan.
Getting to know Elliot and his relationships with other wards of a Catholic orphanage in 1979 is a special experience. The love he has for the people around him is overwhelming, particularly for the blind and mute boy, Jim, for whom he has a particular fondness.
Toby Litt's prose style ranges from highly poetic to invisible depending on how it needs to serve the narrative. His story construction, however, is exceptionally brilliant. Alluding to the Christian Bible, Mark Twain, German opera, and Ken Kesey is no small thing. Weaving these allusions into the service of his own story, making each greater, demonstrates Litt's mastery. Despite its heady, intellectual project the novel never veers away from the emotional center of its protagonist. It is astounding.
I highly recommend this to anyone who can get their hands on a copy. This is an exceptional novel.
agidley's review against another edition
4.0
Patience by Toby Litt: 3.5/5
This book proved difficult, if not nearly impossible to review. In an ideal world, I would write two pieces on it: one covering this book as a piece of Literature (with a capital L), and another covering it as an unassigned just-for-fun book.
Let’s get into it. This book is fascinating.
The story is told through the eyes of Elliott, a wheelchair-bound man with limited physical and verbal abilities, living in the second story of a catholic orphanage in 1979. He spends his days parked in front of either a white wall or a window, depending on where the Sisters decide to put him. Though he can’t easily communicate, Elliott’s stream-of-consciousness quickly reveals him to be an astute observer, deep thinker, and hugely intelligent individual. When Jim, a blind and mute man, arrives at the orphanage, he begins to resist the many rules and unspoken codes, piquing Elliott’s interest. Slowly, a friendship builds between the two, promising connection and freedom, however brief it may last.
As a piece of literature, this novel is exquisite and receives a near perfect score. Written in the form of Ellliott’s inner monologue, it takes the reader to the very edges of its narrator’s psyche in a way reminiscent of The Bell Jar. The writing is often repetitive, wandering, and void of punctuation, giving the sense that the reader is privy to Elliott’s thoughts in real time, rather than an edited re-telling of the events he witnesses. It would not surprise me at all to see this novel listed as required reading for a literature or creative writing class. Litt excels at creating a vivid, dynamic principal character whose voice easily carries the narrative. He deftly creates a small world, an ecosystem of sorts, within the walls of the orphanage, populated with characters who range from absurd to tragic. I wish I had an entire class period, or else a highly specific book club, to discuss and analyze this book in the way it deserves.
However, as a book to read for pleasure, for the pure enjoyment of reading and witnessing a story unravel, Patience fell short for me. The format and narration -- the very traits which make it so fascinating on a technical level -- often made it a tedious story to read. It often felt overwhelming, particularly at the beginning. Elliott’s stream-of-consciousness comes with few pauses, few breaks. Sentences often cover two or three topics without so much as a comma, and paragraphs sometimes repeat the same idea multiple times. While these tactics add to the development of Elliott and his voice, they do not make for easy reading. Moreover, the paragraphs themselves are long, and there are few spaces to break up paragraphs and sections of the story. It’s easy to get lost within a paragraph or a page, and the lack of punctuation or spacing makes it difficult to get into the book initially.
Overall, I’m glad I read this book, even if the reading experience wasn’t as enjoyable as I had hoped. The story itself, the character of Elliott, and Litt’s innovative writing style lend themselves to discussion and analysis. That very innovation, though, often came at the expense of the reading experience, and made this a slow, somewhat frustrating book to get through.
This book proved difficult, if not nearly impossible to review. In an ideal world, I would write two pieces on it: one covering this book as a piece of Literature (with a capital L), and another covering it as an unassigned just-for-fun book.
Let’s get into it. This book is fascinating.
The story is told through the eyes of Elliott, a wheelchair-bound man with limited physical and verbal abilities, living in the second story of a catholic orphanage in 1979. He spends his days parked in front of either a white wall or a window, depending on where the Sisters decide to put him. Though he can’t easily communicate, Elliott’s stream-of-consciousness quickly reveals him to be an astute observer, deep thinker, and hugely intelligent individual. When Jim, a blind and mute man, arrives at the orphanage, he begins to resist the many rules and unspoken codes, piquing Elliott’s interest. Slowly, a friendship builds between the two, promising connection and freedom, however brief it may last.
As a piece of literature, this novel is exquisite and receives a near perfect score. Written in the form of Ellliott’s inner monologue, it takes the reader to the very edges of its narrator’s psyche in a way reminiscent of The Bell Jar. The writing is often repetitive, wandering, and void of punctuation, giving the sense that the reader is privy to Elliott’s thoughts in real time, rather than an edited re-telling of the events he witnesses. It would not surprise me at all to see this novel listed as required reading for a literature or creative writing class. Litt excels at creating a vivid, dynamic principal character whose voice easily carries the narrative. He deftly creates a small world, an ecosystem of sorts, within the walls of the orphanage, populated with characters who range from absurd to tragic. I wish I had an entire class period, or else a highly specific book club, to discuss and analyze this book in the way it deserves.
However, as a book to read for pleasure, for the pure enjoyment of reading and witnessing a story unravel, Patience fell short for me. The format and narration -- the very traits which make it so fascinating on a technical level -- often made it a tedious story to read. It often felt overwhelming, particularly at the beginning. Elliott’s stream-of-consciousness comes with few pauses, few breaks. Sentences often cover two or three topics without so much as a comma, and paragraphs sometimes repeat the same idea multiple times. While these tactics add to the development of Elliott and his voice, they do not make for easy reading. Moreover, the paragraphs themselves are long, and there are few spaces to break up paragraphs and sections of the story. It’s easy to get lost within a paragraph or a page, and the lack of punctuation or spacing makes it difficult to get into the book initially.
Overall, I’m glad I read this book, even if the reading experience wasn’t as enjoyable as I had hoped. The story itself, the character of Elliott, and Litt’s innovative writing style lend themselves to discussion and analysis. That very innovation, though, often came at the expense of the reading experience, and made this a slow, somewhat frustrating book to get through.
carie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5