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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love stories about individuals set against the backdrop of historical events. The fall of the Soviet system and German Unification were probably my lifetime's most consequential historical moments. I never lived in the eastern block, but growing up in India, I was surrounded by Marxist and socialist ideology. The worldview of our generation was deeply influenced by the leftist movements throughout the world. Therefore, the changes that took place in the late eighties profoundly affected many of us. We could not avoid questioning whether all the sacrifices and loss of life were in vain. My father, a filmmaker in India, also made a film that portrayed a middle-class family in Calcutta in the backdrop of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The novel is built around a disturbing relationship between a married intellectual in his late fifties and a young woman in her early twenties. Throughout their turbulent relationship, there was tremendous political turmoil in German politics. The author remains ambivalent about the two systems, which is reflected in the contradictions within the main characters. This non-partisan perspective is what makes it such a great read. However, the only thing that bothered me throughout was the incredulity of the relationship from a psychological perspective. I constantly felt that the behavior of the two characters was a bit contrived to fit the author's thesis.
The book received the Booker Prize, but I am unsure if this is the best novel written in 2023. It is certainly a remarkable book, written with great intellect and amazing style, but is it worthy of the prize?
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I dont even know what to say. it took me a good 70 or so pages to even understand how this is supposed to be read. it made me feel horrible things and it made me shake my head so many times. I can't really recommend this but I'm glad I read it.
Annoyingly old theme from the same perspective.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
De historische achtergrond wordt perfect beschreven, het verhaal van de hoofdpersonen is echter tenenkrommend .
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed the first half of the book very much and the romping through berlin, now my home city, very pleasing. But when Hans turns into a monster after Katherina's betrayal (though he has always betrayed his wife ingrid) i couldn't really stay with it. It was hard to know why she would put up with this cantankerous, old unforgiving, hypocritical bastard. But the passages on collapse of the gdr are interesting though could do with some punctuation.