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cyndakeel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
3.0
floralfox's review against another edition
3.0
Blake Butler's writing is certainly poetic—it's very beautiful, even though it's describing really horrible and disgusting things. I love the style, but for a 400 page novel? It's a bit tough to get through. I'd find I'd go through several pages and only half-remember what I'd read. It was easy to get distracted, to not feel I had to pay attention to details. I was at the last page and didn't even realize it. In some ways, this is a cool effect, because that's also kind of what's going on in the novel. It gives a distorted sense of time while you read, which is also happening to the characters, but it also takes away a bit of the enjoyment. It felt like some of those chapters could've been eliminated even though all of the writing was strong. I found myself paying attention to things like how often the word "nodule" was used. Butler has a genius mind, the way he can continue creating the most bizarre scenarios, and I'll continue reading all of his work, but I just wish this one had been a tiny bit shorter. It's the kind of book that I think a second reading would really benefit for understanding or tying together some ends, but I don't think I could pay attention any better the second time simply because it's so long.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
Such beautiful, poetic writing. I was having trouble following the narrative thread if I veiwed this book as a novel, but if I considered it as a set of connected prose poems I liked it much better. Very evocative.
shyfroglet's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
pbobrit's review against another edition
1.0
I am beginning to doubt my taste in books this year. This is the second book so far this year that I wish I could get a refund on. I really don't know how to start describing this one, on the plus side it did have a vague semblance of a plot, but once again the author seems to have vomited a thesaurus over the 400 pages of this book. I'd love tell you what it was about but it was lost on me...
storyowl's review
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Weird, very weird. I finished it and had no idea what I had just read.
jasperreads's review against another edition
3.0
march 2018: dnf, will come back to later
august 2020: finished. uncanny valley and rooms of hair.
august 2020: finished. uncanny valley and rooms of hair.
wildpaleyonder's review against another edition
dark
medium-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
3.5
getradified's review
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
4.5
daynpitseleh's review against another edition
4.0
The writing is beautiful, but I prefer Scorch Atlas to this. There is No Year had too many similarities to House of Leaves that I just couldn't quite get past. I feel that the constraints of Scorch Atlas made for a more enjoyable novel. Perhaps this is just because Scorch Atlas was more linear and easier to understand. Perhaps a second reading of There is No Year would change my mind.