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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes
This is brilliant but jarring. The use of a love affair as a poorly fit analogy for the experience of living in the context of changing ideology is spectacular. And then additionally storying the moral dilemmas of both the personal and the political is awe-inspiring. This should be a 5 star rating but I felt too little connection to the characters to get the emotional journey I want from fiction, and I found some of the cerebral connections too complex to appreciate while still staying within the story.
'You know, Hans says to her the next day under the pines, last night I dreamed I was in Frankfurt with you. Your lover was there, and so were you, and so unfortunately was I. All three of us in the theater canteen, it was horrible. What is Katharina to say? What can anyone say? Why does a human being speak to other human beings anyway? Couldn't we just live in silence?'
'You know, Hans says to her the next day under the pines, last night I dreamed I was in Frankfurt with you. Your lover was there, and so were you, and so unfortunately was I. All three of us in the theater canteen, it was horrible. What is Katharina to say? What can anyone say? Why does a human being speak to other human beings anyway? Couldn't we just live in silence?'
The personal is political and the romance is very unromantic.
slow-paced
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
On Tuesday afternoon, I discovered thanks to SRS that book club was not a whole week away as I had thought but was in fact on this Wednesday. As such, I read Kairos in an extremely rushed manner in only three sittings. Don’t be like me! This book needs time and space, and my rush has left me feeling that I don’t have much of an opinion and missed a lot of the finer points. It was, I think, a good read and the book club discussion has convinced me that there was a lot more to get out of it than I did. Basically - my personal opinion is non-existent and invalid due to my own disorganisation. However - my instinct is that it was good. Moral of the story: Don’t ignore your Facebook messenger for an entire fortnight.
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
The writing / translation is exceptional, the glimpse of life in East Germany / East Berlin in the mid-late 1980's is fascinating, but the characters are wretched and tedious and their toxic affair drags on throughout the entire book. The ending is not a surprise.
It shocked me, it tickled me, it gave me lots to think about.
I would not recommend reading this fast, but nevertheless, I re lly likedthe ride of this book!
I would not recommend reading this fast, but nevertheless, I re lly likedthe ride of this book!
Finished at my desk (whoops).
Enjoyed lots of moments and if I think about it regularly it will be bumped up!
Enjoyed lots of moments and if I think about it regularly it will be bumped up!
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes