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viniciusmacedo's review against another edition
5.0
O casamento perfeito entre um romance e um thriller
Num primeiro plano que se destaque a linguagem extremamente fluida e acessível, assim como as ambientações espetaculares. Mas o que torna esse livro 5 estrelas é a maneira como ele usa da metalinguagem pra criar vários cenários. O livro é um filme mental digno dos maiores roteiristas de Hollywood. Se algum dia adaptarem, basta que os atores leiam o livro de tão imagético que ele se mostra. Outro ponto: a construção psicológica dos personagens é ABSURDA. Sem igual.
Num primeiro plano que se destaque a linguagem extremamente fluida e acessível, assim como as ambientações espetaculares. Mas o que torna esse livro 5 estrelas é a maneira como ele usa da metalinguagem pra criar vários cenários. O livro é um filme mental digno dos maiores roteiristas de Hollywood. Se algum dia adaptarem, basta que os atores leiam o livro de tão imagético que ele se mostra. Outro ponto: a construção psicológica dos personagens é ABSURDA. Sem igual.
dizzymisslizzy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Death of parent and Murder
justinkhchen's review against another edition
1.0
1.5 stars
A pompous effort hindered further by a soulless translation, it is rare to encounter a novel where everything is working against itself, and I genuinely don't know who could find enjoyment out of Joël Dicker's The Enigma of Room 622 (the US edition).
I'm still at a loss on the novel's tone, and this is mainly due to the mismatched translation by Robert Bononno; there's a constant disconnect between the basic, rudimentary phrasing, and the larger-than-life comedic scenarios; every jokey exchange is delivered flat, and emotion never resonates because I can't determine whether the original intent is going for bombastic melodrama, or subtle authenticity. As a result, I'm not at all engaged in its tangled web of deceit, infidelity, and corporate power struggle, which while admirably complex, feels cartoonish and definitely overstays its welcome at nearing 600 pages.
The novel also goes meta-fiction with a parallel narrative featuring Joël Dicker (the author himself) researches the titular (fictional) mystery, experiences writer's block, and reminisces about his (real life) mentor/editor Bernard de Fallois. This semi-autobiographical material could be too foreign for the US audience to fully 'get' and appreciate, as neither the author nor the editor has the same name recognition here comparing to their home country. It doesn't stop there, The Enigma of Room 622 goes even further with a 'meta-squared' maneuver near the end; while I enjoy it for how obnoxious it is, it has absolutely no relevance or stylistic correlation to the plot before it.
The Enigma of Room 622 might be the most bloated, messy novel I've read this year. In large part I truly believe is due to the horrendous translation, which misses out on all the nuances of the French language and European attitude. I'll be curious to seek out reviews of this novel in its original form, because reading the US edition alone, this is beyond a slight career misfire from an established, award-winning author, this is embarrassingly bad.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
A pompous effort hindered further by a soulless translation, it is rare to encounter a novel where everything is working against itself, and I genuinely don't know who could find enjoyment out of Joël Dicker's The Enigma of Room 622 (the US edition).
I'm still at a loss on the novel's tone, and this is mainly due to the mismatched translation by Robert Bononno; there's a constant disconnect between the basic, rudimentary phrasing, and the larger-than-life comedic scenarios; every jokey exchange is delivered flat, and emotion never resonates because I can't determine whether the original intent is going for bombastic melodrama, or subtle authenticity. As a result, I'm not at all engaged in its tangled web of deceit, infidelity, and corporate power struggle, which while admirably complex, feels cartoonish and definitely overstays its welcome at nearing 600 pages.
The novel also goes meta-fiction with a parallel narrative featuring Joël Dicker (the author himself) researches the titular (fictional) mystery, experiences writer's block, and reminisces about his (real life) mentor/editor Bernard de Fallois. This semi-autobiographical material could be too foreign for the US audience to fully 'get' and appreciate, as neither the author nor the editor has the same name recognition here comparing to their home country. It doesn't stop there, The Enigma of Room 622 goes even further with a 'meta-squared' maneuver near the end; while I enjoy it for how obnoxious it is, it has absolutely no relevance or stylistic correlation to the plot before it.
The Enigma of Room 622 might be the most bloated, messy novel I've read this year. In large part I truly believe is due to the horrendous translation, which misses out on all the nuances of the French language and European attitude. I'll be curious to seek out reviews of this novel in its original form, because reading the US edition alone, this is beyond a slight career misfire from an established, award-winning author, this is embarrassingly bad.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
tcameron'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? It's complicated
3.75
cagell's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.25
mollyhee's review against another edition
5.0
Not just another writer writing about a writer writing about a murder mystery.
Are the twists 100% realistic? Perhaps not, but so satisfying to find out nonetheless.
Are the twists 100% realistic? Perhaps not, but so satisfying to find out nonetheless.
Spoiler
In the last chapters I was honestly fully prepared to find out everyone who ever showed up in this book was just Lev and Lev only.jowest12's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
evelynd186's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
anastasia_kar's review against another edition
3.0
It read like a movie script and should have been edited for length. I liked the ending remarks on life but didn't love the endings for the characters.