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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
Una novela monumental, compleja, a ratos demasiado pesada para su bien y a ratos genial, humorística y conmovedora. Exige atención, pero vale la pena. Los últimos dos capítulos los leí a la orilla de la carretera, llorando un par de lágrimas por el destino del buen Mohun Biswas: un ser mezquino, soñador, envidioso, lleno de rencor y de esperanzas nunca concretadas.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i can't help but feel deeply amused by this book. mr.biswas (referred to like that since birth, lol) is the type to say "it is what it is" to everything in life. it's how he finds himself accidentally falling into a marriage, into having kids, into anything really. the only aspiration he has, is to have his own home and even that he somehow messes up.
this isn't my preferred genre but i enjoyed myself nonetheless.
recommended to me by hassan
this isn't my preferred genre but i enjoyed myself nonetheless.
recommended to me by hassan
challenging
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Found this arch but surprisingly enjoyable-- it's a bleak picaresque set in the Caribbean, like an Invisible Man from the opposite side of the political spectrum. Like that book, though, it suffers somewhat from its biographical source material-- once the protagonist stops being a penniless mendicant screwed over by the people around him and attains some measure of success, the book loses its satirical edge and thematic unity. The reemergence of the Tulsis as villains in the last fifty pages feels like an attempt to get things back on track and regain focus, but a bit too late.
There're definitely snatches of Naipaul's interpersonal unpleasantness in some of the book's domestic scenes, but the overall effect is overall more purely misanthropic than specifically misogynist. The bleakest parts of the novel-- Mr Biswas's breakdown as plantation overseer, the short (and brutal) satire of communal farming in Part II-- are the most secure and also where his political views seem most evident. It's no surprise that would be the emphasis of most of his subsequent fiction.
There're definitely snatches of Naipaul's interpersonal unpleasantness in some of the book's domestic scenes, but the overall effect is overall more purely misanthropic than specifically misogynist. The bleakest parts of the novel-- Mr Biswas's breakdown as plantation overseer, the short (and brutal) satire of communal farming in Part II-- are the most secure and also where his political views seem most evident. It's no surprise that would be the emphasis of most of his subsequent fiction.
Hmm, well, it is not a page turner. At times, I found it so lethargic, I could barely move. But then with some persistence, I was able to finish it.
Had mixed feelings about it. For a human life, as mundane as this, as slow as this, what could be so inspirational, after all? But then again, aren't most of the lives like this? Aren't we following the same suit, in most cases?
Rather, think of how you break free from this lethargic chain, how to make your life more lively.
Had mixed feelings about it. For a human life, as mundane as this, as slow as this, what could be so inspirational, after all? But then again, aren't most of the lives like this? Aren't we following the same suit, in most cases?
Rather, think of how you break free from this lethargic chain, how to make your life more lively.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The picture of an unremarkable life in its entirety, made remarkable by the beauty with which Naipaul renders it into prose. This is a stunning novel, teeming with humor and so honest in its portrayal of contradictory, frustrating characters.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes