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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
dark
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i really liked this!! definitely one that had to be read slowly and i had to reread many sentences but ultimately i thought it was a really fascinating reflection on motherhood, psychosis, marriage, and the lens through which the main character sees the world. very à la “the bell jar” and “play it as it lays”
i am on a lifelong quest to find the coolest looking book at the bookstore. and not only did i do it, but...
i have NEVER READ A BOOK LIKE THIS!
literally every sentence contains a simile that is so jarring and specific it encapsulates a feeling you, without being aware of it, were pretty sure only you had.
the writing was spectacular, and on top of it, this was so thematically rich and consuming. its thesis — that going insane, even if it means institutionalization, constitutes more freedom than being a woman who adheres to societal expectations — was as dissonant and rich as the language.
i had a goddamn blast.
bottom line: first tove ditlevsen, best tove ditlevsen.
4.5
i have NEVER READ A BOOK LIKE THIS!
literally every sentence contains a simile that is so jarring and specific it encapsulates a feeling you, without being aware of it, were pretty sure only you had.
the writing was spectacular, and on top of it, this was so thematically rich and consuming. its thesis — that going insane, even if it means institutionalization, constitutes more freedom than being a woman who adheres to societal expectations — was as dissonant and rich as the language.
i had a goddamn blast.
bottom line: first tove ditlevsen, best tove ditlevsen.
4.5
had nightmares all night :) this book is a well written story about a woman who descends into madness. The kind of well written that makes you feel a little crazy too
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ein Buch, dass mir erst durch das Lesen des Nachwortes in seiner Komplexität klar geworden ist. Davor war der Schreibstil das fesselnde und da ich eine Schwäche für unzuverlässige Narration und am Patriarchat zu Grunde gehende Frauen habe, war dieses Buch geradezu ein Genuss, der alle meine Bedürfnisse erfüllt hat.
Die Reflexion, die Ditlevsen betreibt, blieb aus Unwissen über ihre Umstände verborgen und die Referenzen auf andere Bücher (außer Lolita und der vermutete Bezug auf Eine gebrochene Frau) blieben mir -auf Grund fehlenden Wissens - verborgen, darüber im Nachwort zu lesen, gefiel mir trotzdem und motiviert, tiefer in ihr Werk einzusteigen.
Die Reflexion, die Ditlevsen betreibt, blieb aus Unwissen über ihre Umstände verborgen und die Referenzen auf andere Bücher (außer Lolita und der vermutete Bezug auf Eine gebrochene Frau) blieben mir -auf Grund fehlenden Wissens - verborgen, darüber im Nachwort zu lesen, gefiel mir trotzdem und motiviert, tiefer in ihr Werk einzusteigen.
ditlevsen is so good at similes, each page has at least one incredible comparison that blew me away. this is obviously devastating in many ways, but also has occasional jolts of hilarious comments that take you completely by surprise. can't wait to read the copenhagen trilogy (it's on order!)
“Reality disappeared behind her like someone on a railway platform as the train pulls away”—wow! A surreal whirlwind dip into a marvelously unstable mind. This was my first Ditlevsen and while I occasionally found her writing a little overwrought, I think some of the clunkiness can be attributed to translation. Either way, this was a fascinating short read full of incredible similes and jarring imagery. My fav sentence: “Hope moved like gentle, melodic sentences through her body where the terror had lain down to rest like a dog in its basket.” Like COME ON wow
Purchased this book as a “surprise” book at the Book Club in NYC. It was not a book I would have ever picked up otherwise. It’s a little weird, but I liked it.