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ailsahatton's review against another edition
3.0
Well that was a thing I read.
I think the point where I started to just tell myself to stop trying to figure out what the fuck was going on and enjoy it was the point where the vibrator came to life. From there on I sort of found it good in a totally THIS IS SERIOUSLY FUCKED sort of way.
Way too postmodern for my sensibilities, I think!
I think the point where I started to just tell myself to stop trying to figure out what the fuck was going on and enjoy it was the point where the vibrator came to life. From there on I sort of found it good in a totally THIS IS SERIOUSLY FUCKED sort of way.
Way too postmodern for my sensibilities, I think!
bibliotequeish's review against another edition
1.0
Nope.
Not for me at all.
If I had it in me to abandon a book I would have definitely abandoned this one.
Not for me at all.
If I had it in me to abandon a book I would have definitely abandoned this one.
wendydt's review against another edition
3.0
An unusual read. It had a dreamlike quality that was easy to read but often difficult to understand. By the end Catherine and the life of her tribe had become a powerful and informative image floating on top of the modern day stream of consciousness. She felt so real that I now going to check if the historical text had any factual basis.
scytale's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jcschildbach's review against another edition
4.0
A review from the 'Boston Sunday Herald' that is excerpted on the book jacket references James Joyce and Henry Miller. And that is probably as apt a description of this book as you will get, what with its combination of religion, politics, and sex. Overall, the book is remarkable in being able to carry off the complicated, sort-of-intertwined stories that shift back and forth in time as well as tone (serious to humorous, academic to free-flowing). It is incredibly ambitious--doing anything that could be compared to Joyce is necessarily ambitious--and few could reach so close as Cohen does here. That said, there are passages that come across as dated--a little too mid-60s to maintain those Joycean heights, and others that become a tad too perversely humorous, perhaps even for Miller (although I must admit to being rather remiss in my lack of familiarity with Miller--something for my "to read" lists, I suppose).
"Beautiful Losers" is not for everybody--it is not a straightforward story told in any kind of direct manner. But it is rewarding in the beauty of the language, and Cohen's ability to relay the story more through emotional impressions and scenes than in a direct narrative.
"Beautiful Losers" is not for everybody--it is not a straightforward story told in any kind of direct manner. But it is rewarding in the beauty of the language, and Cohen's ability to relay the story more through emotional impressions and scenes than in a direct narrative.
whatulysses's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure how I feel about the weirdness of this reading experience.
craigh's review against another edition
2.0
I'm unusually a big fan of Leonard Cohen. I enjoy his music, writing and his poetry. However, this book was difficult to read as I'm still unsure what the plot was truly all about and the writing was poor and made no sense at times.
916's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0