Reviews

Prayer for the Living by Ben Okri

fjette's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

The stories were intriguing, if vague. Very post-constructionist. 

adaeze's review

could not get fully engaged and i honestly struggled with quite a few of the stories. i think it’s less a testament to the authors skills and more personal preference and lack of understanding. still do want to read his other works

ridgewaygirl's review

4.0

This book of short stories feels like a series of dreams, some full of wonder and discovery, unexpected twists of fate, and some read like nightmares, sharper and more terrifying than life. The stories travel through the world, set in London and Istanbul, Africa and the Americas.

There's a story about Don Quixote in an African printer's shop, a story about a father and his two sons trying to get their broken-down car home in Lagos, several brief, horrifying stories involving the Boko Haram, and a fairy tale involving an enchanted doll house. A London detective uses his intuition to find the culprit, a lonely man dreams of Istanbul, a curious man witnesses the power of a magical mirror held by a cabal of Rosicrucians and, in the titular story, the living envy the dead.

I enjoyed my first encounter with this Booker Prize-winning author.

zellm's review

4.0

Surrealist, varied, and deeply haunting. Really well written, although I didn't get some of them. I loved the atmosphere and vibes though.

elephunkle's review

challenging emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

nadiawesome's review against another edition

So incredible, a magician with words. “Don Quixote and the ambiguity of reading” simply blew me away 

alannafowler's review

dark 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? No

3.75

alissamargaret's review against another edition

2.0

This took me a while to get through. Aside from the scary ones I read as a child, I haven’t really read many short story collections. There were a couple stories in this book that I thought were interesting but the rest I struggled with. I think it’s more a “me” thing than an issue with the author’s writing skills. He seems to have a good imagination!

anthireads's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

myke's review

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0