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brom's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
I’m not usually a fan of stream of consciousness, but here it really worked, especially in the scenes when Vladimir and Estragon are alone.
Honestly I have nothing profound to say about this, except that these bitches are gay. Good for them.
Honestly I have nothing profound to say about this, except that these bitches are gay. Good for them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery and Suicidal thoughts
tree_branch's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Violence
mbomersheim's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I literally could not wait for this work to be over.
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett is a play where not much happens, and it is infuriating. I hated this work, and the time it took me to read it is time I will never get back. The entire dialogue is very stream of consciousness, making the conversations disjointed and hard to follow. It gives Gertrude Stein vibes, which I’m not a fan of. I’m not going to even bother with writing a spoiler-free review because I just have a lot to say, and I don’t want to take the mental energy to decide what is a spoiler.
Spoilers ahead, tread with caution:
This play has a total of 5 characters: Estragon (a man who’s been suicidal for the past 50 years — casually mentioned), Lucky (a slave?), Pozzo (his owner?), an unnamed boy who works for Godot, and Vladimir (the seemingly only sane man in this show). The entire plot takes place in an unnamed location with a tree as Estragon and Vladimir wait for Godot to arrive for two days. In the play's opening, it is unclear how many days they have been waiting for him to arrive. They discuss hanging themselves at the tree but ultimately decide that they don’t have adequate rope and the branches might not be thick enough to hold their weight. That’s kind of just glanced over in the story, but like what the heck. Things just get funkier when Pozzo comes onstage with Lucky carrying all of Pozzi’s things while having a rope wrapped around his neck, and nobody really discusses how messed up that is. The language directed towards Lucky is extremely dehumanizing and problematic and the largest reaction we get from the characters is them acting curious and stating that it is a “scandal”.
Act 2 is almost a repeat of Act 1 taking place the next day with minor variations on the theme. Vladimir is the only one who seems to remember the previous day. If it was a different medium, I would just say that Vladimir is an unreliable narrator, but since it is a play and there is an audience witnessing this whole thing, so theoretically you’d know if it was really all real. Things just get a bit convoluted. Anyway, this time Pozzo is blind, Lucky is dumb and on the verge of death, and once again, Godot does not show at the end (shocker I know).
Also, there are a good number of biblical references throughout this play. From my reading, I think the unseen Godot is supposed to be a representation of God because nobody knows what he looks like and he never shows up. The characters talk about how Godot has the ability to punish them if they leave. Essentially their waiting is futile, but Vladimir, Estragon, and to some degree, Pozzo feel drawn to the spot and have difficulty leaving. This whole thing made me think, "What is the point?" I think it’s ironic that I read this during Lent.
TLDR: I never want to experience this again, and I would not recommend picking this up unless you enjoy causing yourself pain.
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett is a play where not much happens, and it is infuriating. I hated this work, and the time it took me to read it is time I will never get back. The entire dialogue is very stream of consciousness, making the conversations disjointed and hard to follow. It gives Gertrude Stein vibes, which I’m not a fan of. I’m not going to even bother with writing a spoiler-free review because I just have a lot to say, and I don’t want to take the mental energy to decide what is a spoiler.
Spoilers ahead, tread with caution:
Act 2 is almost a repeat of Act 1 taking place the next day with minor variations on the theme. Vladimir is the only one who seems to remember the previous day. If it was a different medium, I would just say that Vladimir is an unreliable narrator, but since it is a play and there is an audience witnessing this whole thing, so theoretically you’d know if it was really all real. Things just get a bit convoluted. Anyway, this time Pozzo is blind, Lucky is dumb and on the verge of death, and once again, Godot does not show at the end (shocker I know).
Also, there are a good number of biblical references throughout this play. From my reading, I think the unseen Godot is supposed to be a representation of God because nobody knows what he looks like and he never shows up. The characters talk about how Godot has the ability to punish them if they leave. Essentially their waiting is futile, but Vladimir, Estragon, and to some degree, Pozzo feel drawn to the spot and have difficulty leaving. This whole thing made me think, "What is the point?" I think it’s ironic that I read this during Lent.
TLDR: I never want to experience this again, and I would not recommend picking this up unless you enjoy causing yourself pain.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing
chan_137's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Okay.. i questioned my existence after reading this🙂
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Emotional abuse
jeslis's review against another edition
challenging
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
3.0
Notes:
- Knew this was going to be absurd but it's SO absurd that it's practically impossible for me to engage with the themes in this because I can barely figure out what and where they are in the text lmao.
- I think this would be really good to see as a play — I imagine more of the absurdism and humour can be felt that way, and I think much of the boundaries that were pushed with this format would be felt with greater impact played out on a stage.
- Mostly rating this for overall enjoyment of it, I appreciate the significance this play had on absurdist pieces but reading it as a book didn't really hit on anything special for me.
- Knew this was going to be absurd but it's SO absurd that it's practically impossible for me to engage with the themes in this because I can barely figure out what and where they are in the text lmao.
- I think this would be really good to see as a play — I imagine more of the absurdism and humour can be felt that way, and I think much of the boundaries that were pushed with this format would be felt with greater impact played out on a stage.
- Mostly rating this for overall enjoyment of it, I appreciate the significance this play had on absurdist pieces but reading it as a book didn't really hit on anything special for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Suicidal thoughts
clownfrills's review against another edition
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
misspeabody's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
ishouldbereading's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Cursing
surdiablo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Honestly, this one is hard to rate.. It's a wonderfully written existentialist play that was deep and enjoyable, but hard to grasp the meaning of it. It revolves mainly around two characters waiting for the arrival of Godot aaand nope, he never comes , while engaging in philosophical conversations or doing nothing at all. It's pretty ambiguous while also being absurdist, so it can be interpreted in various ways and I am uncertain about my own take, but here it goes. The characters have the choice to leave instead of waiting aimlessly, but they choose to stay all the same while going back and forth between being hopeful and disconsolate. It gives me the impression that while we have the will to make our own choices and shape our destiny, they proceed to wait anyway because they don't know what to do otherwise. The waiting gives them a purpose, some meaning to their life. Since it's a repetitive cycle, their days start blending together and they have no recollection of what happened earlier. The bare willow also mirrors this cycle, with the occasional minute changes like the extra leaves, which represent hope or the passage of time perhaps. Lucky comes off as someone who became a slave to external forces affecting life, signified by the absurd speech and his inability to leave his master Pozzo. Pozzo represents power and also reminds us that power dynamics can change at any time since he becomes blind and more reliant on Lucky later. At the end of the play, the main duo decides to leave but they do not move anyway, showcasing how deep-rooted their habits are. Overall, the play is about the ambiguity and stagnation of human life in general. It's a reflective yet interesting take on existentialism, and while I didn't find it humorous when I was reading it, watching the play afterward was certainly more entertaining, as you were meant to 'watch' it anyway. I might revisit this one day as I was sick and not in the best headspace to read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Suicidal thoughts
hanoibikingtours's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
(sadly) You see, you piss better when I'm not there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Vomit