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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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
Meh. Listened to this on tape. This contributed to the fragmented feeling of the book, but only a little. I didn't know why certain characters were being fleshed out when they were, or how they were related to the story at all sometimes. Maybe if I'd known more about Sri Lankan politics it would have been more clear. There was some suspense, but it never climaxed. Some of the writing was beautiful and vivid, but not enough to keep my attention if I'd been reading this myself.
Read The English Patient instead.
Read The English Patient instead.
I wasn't a huge fan, but at least it was a fast read...
The description of the novel did not jive with the tale itself. I kept waiting for the truth to be revealed and yet it never happened. I felt no closure at the end.
The description of the novel did not jive with the tale itself. I kept waiting for the truth to be revealed and yet it never happened. I felt no closure at the end.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Violence, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism
Ondaatje’s circular and fragmented writing is both frustrating and beautiful. Like the English Patient, I only truly loved reading the book during the last few sections.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved his prose but I got really lost because I was busy and had to pick it up and put it down so much. This book is written in scenes and doesn't really solidify until more than half way through so it didn't work well for me as a casual read. It's more of a package of cookies and thermos of coffee because you are in for the long haul kind of book.