Reviews

Street of Thieves by Mathias Énard, Charlotte Mandell

marie_blanc's review

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challenging dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

becksusername's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

What the fuck. I was not expecting that ending at all.
What did Bassam even do? Besides beat up that bookseller? We don't know! Lakhdar didn't know! He was just a weird guy! You can't just kill someone for being a weird guy!  And Lakhdar basically ends up fine. Yeah he's in prison but all he's ever really wanted to do was read books and he gets to do that. And Judit visits him? What does she like about him so much anyway? Besides being well-read he's kind of a flop. And a coward. He wasn't passionate about anything except reading thrillers and fucking his cousin. What did he mean by more than a murderer? More than a Muslim? He's a murderer without a real cause, and kind of a wishy-washy muslim? And this whole time he's comparing himself to this legendary traveller, but he's just been running in fear from one situation to the next, miserable almost the whole time, accumulating trauma but not really wisdom. But then again he's just a little baby 20-year-old man. Guess he'll still be young when he gets out of prison.
This book made me realize I know almost nothing about the Arab Spring and should probably read up
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paynes_gray's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective medium-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? It's complicated

3.5

kez's review against another edition

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dark
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? No
Really did not enjoy this. Could not like the characters, felt at a distance to the whole story. 

tonythep's review against another edition

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4.0

Dark, beautiful story of young Moroccan who gets thrown out of his house when he is discovered in an improper relationship with his cousin. He lives on the street for a while, and then gets a job at an Islamic bookstore. He eventually makes his way across the strait of Gibraltar to Spain. In Barcelona he is reunited with a childhood friend who he suspects is involved with an Islamic terrorist group. Haunting, poetic story from Open Letter at University of Rochester.

fouanth's review against another edition

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dark 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? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

cdelorenzo's review against another edition

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5.0

"...en aquel preciso instante en que la gente se mira con cariño a medida que avanza hacia la ausencia y la memoria, cuando el deseo aguijonea con tal agudeza que adivina su vanidad frente a la partida de su objeto, nosotros estábamos el uno frente al otro en silencio, y yo era incapaz de hacer nada aparte de largarme (...) solo la esperanza o la desesperanza cambian el mundo, a partes iguales".


"A fin de cuentas, veinte años es la edad más hermosa de la vida".

angryglitterwitch's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Heartbreaking and wonderful. The most vividly written story I've read in a long time. People use the word 'searing' to describe books way too easily, but in this case there's no better adjective. Wow.
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"I was on my way to my prison, already locked up in the ivory tower of books, which is the only place on earth where life is good."

kingkong's review against another edition

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3.0

its too literary, it didnt feel right

charlotte_molloy_'s review against another edition

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  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0