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pegasusjones's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
thetexaspickle's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
rileymatkovich's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
sonnetson's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
4.5
What a fantastic, ambitious book. This novel, written in five distinct parts, grows in tension up until the great release of its final part. Brutality and the attempts to understand brutality, making peace with that which is impossible to be at peace with: Bolaño plums these depths with precision and mastery. The final two parts in particular are spectacular, horrific (this is one of the hardest, most gruesome books I have yet read). The payoff of the ending is sublime. When I first started this book, I didn't understand its neo-classic distinction; having finished it, I have been converted.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Homophobia, Trafficking, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
luzenital's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
5.0
cirrusmammatus's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
gabby_alexis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
patrick_n's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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? Yes
5.0
cuddlygryphon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? Yes
5.0
marjoriehuang's review against another edition
3.0
This book has five parts. The five parts are somewhat connected, but they are really five separate novels centered around a different cast of characters each time. The writing style of each part is also really different.
I loved the first two parts. Bolano's breadth and depth of knowledge about the world is impressive. It's like he's lived 20 different lives. And yet, he still writes with such imagination. There are also a lot of coincidences, flashbacks, dreams, and allegories that are pulled off really well in this book. And I think he depicted a certain character descending into madness really effectively in part two. And some parts of this book are genuinely very fun to read. I went into it thinking that it would be kind of a slog, but the first three parts went by quite fast for me.
What prevented me from loving this book as a whole was just that 1) it's such a mess. Bolano basically died immediately after he sent his manuscript to his editor. and though everyone involved in the creation of this book swore up and down that the book was published very close to the way Bolano it to, I really have to disagree! some parts literally read like a manuscript. Sometimes when I'm writing essays for school i will sit down and stream-of-consciousness word vomit onto the word doc just to have something there, and then slowly I will take the time to refine it into something coherent that truly captures what i'm really trying to say. and some parts of this novel read just like Bolano's word document word vomit, it felt super unrefined and like he was just dumping ideas onto a page to have it be there. this is especially true of part 5, where the most random characters will be introduced and then they will just start going off about the most random shit. and then they will disappear and never come back.
Another reason 2) that i am giving this book 3 stars instead of the 5 i had genuinely considered giving this book is part 5!! what the fuck! the whole reason I liked this book was for its subtlety, for its ability to leave things open and to depict the world as it is: messy, unresolved, and yet bizarre and filled with small miracles. And yet, not only did book five pull out the most eyerolling hallmark movie style "everyone is related, holy shit" cheap tricks that had me wondering if a secret ghostwriter was hired to write part 5 because bolano had actually died before he could finish the book, the section was also weirdly homophobic, and the female characters in it were all vapid, annoying, and were introduced only to serve as love interests or sex objects for the male characters. I literally felt like I'd gotten transported into a marquez novel, with the amount of gross sex scenes I had to sit through. There's this scene where a character jerked off while secretly watching his female friend having sex with another guy, and then he later tells this woman and the woman just laughs and goes "this is so romantic"?? what the fucK? and apparently female characters in this book believe that drinking semen will provide you with vital nutrients. truly an eye bleach moment.
I always suck at ending reviews. I guess I just wish this book was either refined more or just left unfinished like Amerika the missing person. I really could have done without part 5, without which this book would have been a 4.5. Since I truly thought part 5 was a 2 star read (minus the beginning couple of pages about reiter's childhood, which i enjoyed), the book as a whole is getting 3 stars.
I loved the first two parts. Bolano's breadth and depth of knowledge about the world is impressive. It's like he's lived 20 different lives. And yet, he still writes with such imagination. There are also a lot of coincidences, flashbacks, dreams, and allegories that are pulled off really well in this book. And I think he depicted a certain character descending into madness really effectively in part two. And some parts of this book are genuinely very fun to read. I went into it thinking that it would be kind of a slog, but the first three parts went by quite fast for me.
What prevented me from loving this book as a whole was just that 1) it's such a mess. Bolano basically died immediately after he sent his manuscript to his editor. and though everyone involved in the creation of this book swore up and down that the book was published very close to the way Bolano it to, I really have to disagree! some parts literally read like a manuscript. Sometimes when I'm writing essays for school i will sit down and stream-of-consciousness word vomit onto the word doc just to have something there, and then slowly I will take the time to refine it into something coherent that truly captures what i'm really trying to say. and some parts of this novel read just like Bolano's word document word vomit, it felt super unrefined and like he was just dumping ideas onto a page to have it be there. this is especially true of part 5, where the most random characters will be introduced and then they will just start going off about the most random shit. and then they will disappear and never come back.
Another reason 2) that i am giving this book 3 stars instead of the 5 i had genuinely considered giving this book is part 5!! what the fuck! the whole reason I liked this book was for its subtlety, for its ability to leave things open and to depict the world as it is: messy, unresolved, and yet bizarre and filled with small miracles. And yet, not only did book five pull out the most eyerolling hallmark movie style "everyone is related, holy shit" cheap tricks that had me wondering if a secret ghostwriter was hired to write part 5 because bolano had actually died before he could finish the book, the section was also weirdly homophobic, and the female characters in it were all vapid, annoying, and were introduced only to serve as love interests or sex objects for the male characters. I literally felt like I'd gotten transported into a marquez novel, with the amount of gross sex scenes I had to sit through. There's this scene where a character jerked off while secretly watching his female friend having sex with another guy, and then he later tells this woman and the woman just laughs and goes "this is so romantic"?? what the fucK? and apparently female characters in this book believe that drinking semen will provide you with vital nutrients. truly an eye bleach moment.
I always suck at ending reviews. I guess I just wish this book was either refined more or just left unfinished like Amerika the missing person. I really could have done without part 5, without which this book would have been a 4.5. Since I truly thought part 5 was a 2 star read (minus the beginning couple of pages about reiter's childhood, which i enjoyed), the book as a whole is getting 3 stars.