Reviews

Il libro della forma e del vuoto by Ruth Ozeki, Ruth Ozeki

wietse111's review against another edition

5.0

Fascinerend boek. Benji is 12 jaar als hij zn vader verliest in een tragisch ongeluk, en je volgt zijn leven de jaren daarna. Hij hoort stemmen van de objecten om hem heen, en praat met het boek. Dat laatste is het interessantste gedeelte van het boek. Het boek zelf is ook een karakter.

Mooi geschreven boek, met vooral echt hele goede karakters. De moeder, die zelf ook worstelt met depressie en verzamelzucht was een highlight, maar ook Benji en Alice zijn erg goed.

discoball_z's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bronski's review against another edition

4.0

This is a beautiful story about grief, loss, and mental illness narrated by a book. I’m not sure it needed to be as long as it was, but the character development is wonderful and the writing is poetic and layered. Well deserving of the Women’s Prize.

lutecio's review against another edition

2.0

I tried really hard to connect with this book, but after 550 pages, it never really happened. Maybe it was just not my time to read it, but sadly I can't say I have enjoyed it.

kjsears's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

heron_m's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Self harm, Addiction, and Drug use

Minor: Violence and Sexual assault

afterttherain's review against another edition

3.0

“Inside? Outside? What is the difference and how can you tell? When a sound enters your body through your ears and merges with your mind, what happens to it? Is it still a sound then, or has it become something else? When you eat a wing or an egg or a drumstick, at what point is it no longer a chicken? When you read these words on a page, what happens to them, when they become you?”

dua008's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

3.0

oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition

Starts strong, with a bit of a sag 3/4 of the way to the end before ending in a whirlwind. So much I loved; the idea of things speaking, their own desires affecting their personalities and what they speak of. The structure of the book is memorable and unique. The book acknowledges that you are reading, it becomes its own narrator, conversing with Benny, our protagnonist, and holding court about the bookish world.
I think you could read the ending more ambiguously; does it end as neatly as suggested? Or is it delusion? Perhaps there is something darker under the surface.

anniebru's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5