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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
medium-paced
reflective
slow-paced
Taking it to soccer: probably not the smartest option (it rained), but an awesome read!
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
I thought, as an artist, that I would relate to and enjoy this book. And while I certainly *related* to the protagonist I have to admit that the enjoyment factor was almost nonexistent for me. There were passages here and there, but overwhelmingly this was a chore to read.
The story itself is an uneventful coming of age tale of a young intellectual - his considerations of self, faith, and his place in society. Standard stuff. But the prose, Christ. The prose is so head bashingly florid that I couldn't stand it. It works sometimes - a vivid description of hell from a preacher comes to mind - but overwhelmingly it just felt indulgent to me. The language and cultural barrier between 100 years ago and now was already tough, but his style on top of it was a struggle for me to get through.
His ideas, his thoughts, I understood and related to them. But the way they were expressed? Not for me.
The story itself is an uneventful coming of age tale of a young intellectual - his considerations of self, faith, and his place in society. Standard stuff. But the prose, Christ. The prose is so head bashingly florid that I couldn't stand it. It works sometimes - a vivid description of hell from a preacher comes to mind - but overwhelmingly it just felt indulgent to me. The language and cultural barrier between 100 years ago and now was already tough, but his style on top of it was a struggle for me to get through.
His ideas, his thoughts, I understood and related to them. But the way they were expressed? Not for me.
Well thank God that's over. I have such mixed feelings about this book I'm not sure how articulate this review is going to be but I'm willing to give it a go.
The first third of this book is amazing. I truly enjoyed getting to know Stephen as a child and being able to see through his eyes as he tries to come to terms with the world around him. The description of hell presented in the book may be one of the most vivid things I have ever read and then this book got bad, so very very bad. Once Stephen got to university I just didn't care, like at all. The stream of conscious writing is very confusing making it a very difficult book to set down and pick back up again.
All in all, I would recommend this to people if you enjoy Catcher in the Rye kind of angsty rambling (Stephen is so Holden Caulfield without actually being as interesting as Holden Caulfield) or are at all interested in modernism or if you're a fan of Joyce. Other than that I'd maybe give this one a miss.
The first third of this book is amazing. I truly enjoyed getting to know Stephen as a child and being able to see through his eyes as he tries to come to terms with the world around him. The description of hell presented in the book may be one of the most vivid things I have ever read and then this book got bad, so very very bad. Once Stephen got to university I just didn't care, like at all. The stream of conscious writing is very confusing making it a very difficult book to set down and pick back up again.
All in all, I would recommend this to people if you enjoy Catcher in the Rye kind of angsty rambling (Stephen is so Holden Caulfield without actually being as interesting as Holden Caulfield) or are at all interested in modernism or if you're a fan of Joyce. Other than that I'd maybe give this one a miss.
"I have read little and understood less."
I reread this novel and have to admit that I understood a lot more of what was going on and actually found myself enjoying it, which I'm pretty sure I didn't really do the first time around.
I reread this novel and have to admit that I understood a lot more of what was going on and actually found myself enjoying it, which I'm pretty sure I didn't really do the first time around.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
How is this the most relatable book ever?
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes