Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

3 reviews

goatsrsexy's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is a hard book to review, because I really enjoyed it. It was super introspective. A literary mystery. I was attracted by the title and it was also my pick for Storygraph Read The World Poland prompt. 

I loved our main character and the way she views the world in such a sad but honest way. I loved her nicknames for her neighbours and her compassion for animals.

It was interesting to read a book from the perspective of a kind of elderly (but she wasn't really that old) woman who lives on the outskirts of society and isn't really viewed as a real person worthy of respect because of her age and the way she acts. She was a very relatable character for me even though I am not an old crazy lady (yet).

My only issue with this book was it was a little slow for me, I couldn't really get into it as much as I wanted to but that may just be cus of the circumstances around when I read it (I've been feeling a little preoccupied lately).

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bedtimesnack's review against another edition

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

4.5


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catunbound's review against another edition

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

Fuck yeah animal rights. Fuck yeah crazy, old women. Loved the tone of the book. Gave me a feeling I haven’t had before, but probably will never be able to let go of again. Lots of snow! Someone just as passionate as me! Here’s to “crazy” women, may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them. 
On a more serious note, this book brings out the systemic flaws in the way we treat women, not only those who may have a standing in society, but especially those who are constantly marginalised. In a literal way, Janina lives on the fringes of society and is very well deemed to the local crazy old hag. She has acclimatised herself to her surroundings, fully living the woodland life. She studies cosmography (how she likes to say astrology), has prophetic and supernatural dreams, and is a protector of animals. I like her, sometimes. But the point is not to have me like her, its to realise that even though we may not understand her, she deserves to have her voice heard loud and clear. This book is a brilliant nod to the olden “knowledgeable” women who were persecuted, marginalised, and burnt at the stake as witches. It deals with authoritarian callousness, animal rights, oddball neighbours (the anthropological need to have a little community of people), and unheard, ignored women’s voices. I am probably too dumb to understand this book on a deeper level but i love it for what i have understood. 

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