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torjus's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mcglassa's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
colinlusk's review against another edition
3.0
Religious mania is a fascinating thing. Looking back at the great ranters and ravers of the past - George Fox, William Blake, Ann Lee, John Wycliffe and all the rest- I sort of envy them the certainty that fires them up to stand up for (their opinion of) God's will.
Of course, this is fine in history, and I'd almost say everyone should have a little sense of that zeal in their lives, but of course when you meet one of these guys in the present tense, for all they might talk about wanting justice, the route to get there seems to lead through a wasteland of stabbed authors, murdered women, blown-up abortion clinics, demolished towers. This guy seems better but maybe that's just because he never got to put his ideas into practice. Would he have made things better if he'd won? Maybe, but he was too much of a chaos monkey to get his plan together and got most of his followers slaughtered, so I suspect that his new regime would have been shit in its own way too.
Of course, this is fine in history, and I'd almost say everyone should have a little sense of that zeal in their lives, but of course when you meet one of these guys in the present tense, for all they might talk about wanting justice, the route to get there seems to lead through a wasteland of stabbed authors, murdered women, blown-up abortion clinics, demolished towers. This guy seems better but maybe that's just because he never got to put his ideas into practice. Would he have made things better if he'd won? Maybe, but he was too much of a chaos monkey to get his plan together and got most of his followers slaughtered, so I suspect that his new regime would have been shit in its own way too.
barel93's review against another edition
2.0
Is there a clause somewhere hidden deep in the deed that established the Booker International back in 2016 that stated that every longlist for here unto eternity must feature at least one slim, unassuming French book that can only be described as the epitome of mediocrity?
I think this is meant to be an essay (or a mini-biography?) recounting the life of a “forgotten” figure of the Reformation who was for "equality" and inspired a War of the Poor, and through the lens of this singular life then making an argument about the cyclical, unending nature of class revolt? I can feel that Vuillard has a soft spot for Müntzer, but maybe that should have been reason to work harder on making this a better book!
I would have been fine with the facile, half-assed, poorly-argued and structured argument of this “book” if the writing hadn’t been so lackluster. Since it was rather short, I read the original French and then skimmed the English translation. Kudos to Polizzotti who, on several occasions, managed to elevate Vuillard’s straight-out cheesy prose.
“Martyrdom is a trap for the oppressed. Only victory is desirable. I shall tell of it.”
Yeah, maybe don’t.
I am not really mad. Like this wasn’t actively bad, more just “meh”. I am absolutely baffled as to why this book was longlisted as it had absolutely nothing going for it. Okay fine, no idea who this guy was before reading the book and while I am not one to scorn new knowledge, it wasn’t like Müntzer is the type of person we have never heard about, nor is his story particularly interesting. At least not in Vuillard’s hands. The framing is not original, the language is not daring, there is nothing here that hints at even an usual blending across genres that might have excused its other faults. I don’t get it! What is it doing in this longlist?
I think this is meant to be an essay (or a mini-biography?) recounting the life of a “forgotten” figure of the Reformation who was for "equality" and inspired a War of the Poor, and through the lens of this singular life then making an argument about the cyclical, unending nature of class revolt? I can feel that Vuillard has a soft spot for Müntzer, but maybe that should have been reason to work harder on making this a better book!
I would have been fine with the facile, half-assed, poorly-argued and structured argument of this “book” if the writing hadn’t been so lackluster. Since it was rather short, I read the original French and then skimmed the English translation. Kudos to Polizzotti who, on several occasions, managed to elevate Vuillard’s straight-out cheesy prose.
“Martyrdom is a trap for the oppressed. Only victory is desirable. I shall tell of it.”
Yeah, maybe don’t.
I am not really mad. Like this wasn’t actively bad, more just “meh”. I am absolutely baffled as to why this book was longlisted as it had absolutely nothing going for it. Okay fine, no idea who this guy was before reading the book and while I am not one to scorn new knowledge, it wasn’t like Müntzer is the type of person we have never heard about, nor is his story particularly interesting. At least not in Vuillard’s hands. The framing is not original, the language is not daring, there is nothing here that hints at even an usual blending across genres that might have excused its other faults. I don’t get it! What is it doing in this longlist?
ekxv's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
gailhamner's review against another edition
5.0
part history, part fiction...termed a parable, this is fabulous