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marc129's review against another edition
Swiss/Italian writer Fleur Jaeggy (° 1940) has a idiosyncratic reputation, as the author of short novels in which the stories and the literary style are reduced to their naked essence. I appreciated her [b:Sweet Days of Discipline|1440460|Sweet Days of Discipline|Fleur Jaeggy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491354430l/1440460._SY75_.jpg|1431074] and [b:S. S. Proleterka|433431|S. S. Proleterka|Fleur Jaeggy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348357960l/433431._SX50_.jpg|422374]. But this one, apparently a very early work (1980), I don't know, I really couldn't make much sense of it. At first this book presents itself as a play, but then becomes a prose text, in which relatives and servants of the main character Beeklam constantly have their say. Apparently Beeklam is a collector of statues, housed in the flooded basement of his house along the Amsterdam canals. It evokes the atmosphere of desolate loneliness, but for me it was so hermetic that it didn't resonate.
cobraforhire's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Some great sentences. Some cool, drunk snails. It’s a bit like reading a dream. What does it mean? Something, probably.
oak_55's review against another edition
5.0
“have you ever visited that kind of place? doesn’t it make you feel weary even before you begin? to walk around places you have no wish to see, looking at objects and people of no interest, only to be dismayed when other rooms are thrown open?”
jake_'s review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
4.25
The Water Statues is a small and ornate, crystalline thing, closer to a poem than a novella or play. Recommended if you like Anna Kavan, Bae Suah, Sadegh Hedayat or Michael Cisco.
loud_purrbox's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Very funny and unusual book. I really enjoyed it. Very mysterious too. I liked her unusual combinations of words, her use of imagery, how she combined practical with mysterious things, and the way she mixed play and novel. Wonderful read.
asililydying's review against another edition
3.0
A bit too austere for my tastes. Delicate like glass, but often more translucent than transparent.
LAMPE: One says goodbye to everything here; in places likes these its as if all that is yet to happen were already in the past.
bilbooradley's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mouhy's review against another edition
3.0
Meandering, indulgent and all over the place. Though short enough that you wouldn't leave it unfinished.
3wilcotroad's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
eakuntze's review against another edition
3.0
Contained beautiful and deeply evocative imagery but also a slog to get through (and it's less than 100 pages). There is something here about the loneliness and hollow, brittle, constrictive self-obsession of privilege. One of the characters seems to literally want to drown in a cemetery of his own superego and memories. Another disengages into tradition and triteness so far that he ceases to experience anything at all. The hired help are so mangled by their proximity to the wealthy that they cannot exist on their own. Perhaps too much subtle beauty is lost in translation but it felt like too much work to be poetic.