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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
Dieu s’occupe de nous en réalité, il pense à nous a chaque instant, et il nous donne des directives parfois très précises.
Et je comprends, aujourd’hui, le point de vue du Christ, son agacement répété devant l’endurcissement des cœurs: ils ont tous les signes, et ils n’en tiennent pas compte.
*
Както си мислех, най-добрите от авторите по същество пишат за едно и също. Няма да се изненадам, ако “Серотонин” е последна книга на Уелбек. Депресия, почти живот, почти приятелство, любов. Всичко има. Има и агония.
Et je comprends, aujourd’hui, le point de vue du Christ, son agacement répété devant l’endurcissement des cœurs: ils ont tous les signes, et ils n’en tiennent pas compte.
*
Както си мислех, най-добрите от авторите по същество пишат за едно и също. Няма да се изненадам, ако “Серотонин” е последна книга на Уелбек. Депресия, почти живот, почти приятелство, любов. Всичко има. Има и агония.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Das Abendland geht jetzt also in die orale Phase über. Ein Abriss über das Leben, erzählt aus der Perspektive eines privilegierten Mannes im 21. Jahrhundert, der nur noch vage Erinnerungen an die Zeit vor Antidepressiva hat.
Unterhaltsame Zukunftsmusik über das Älterwerden in einer maximal individualisierten und sexualisierten Gesellschaft.
Unterhaltsame Zukunftsmusik über das Älterwerden in einer maximal individualisierten und sexualisierten Gesellschaft.
dark
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
1.75
Zatrważająco przeciętna. Banalna historia opowiadająca o absolutnie niczym istotnym.
Zatrważająco przeciętna. Banalna historia opowiadająca o absolutnie niczym istotnym.
This is my first book by Houellebecq, and it made me want to read more. I was sceptical at first, as I often thought he wrote for glorified intellegensia, but that's not the case. The book is not only beautiful and poetic, but it also describes the real agony of Normand farmers in such a painful way, and somewhat almost predicts the 'yellow vests' movement.
The pain of the protagonist is deafening and numbing, you live through all these emotions along with him. But then, it's almost as if he feels nothing, but you feel everything for him.
Yes there are a few passages in the book that make you question sanity of the writer and your own as well. But then again, this is literature.
I almost felt like I read this book too quickly, and I would most probably read it again.
The pain of the protagonist is deafening and numbing, you live through all these emotions along with him. But then, it's almost as if he feels nothing, but you feel everything for him.
Yes there are a few passages in the book that make you question sanity of the writer and your own as well. But then again, this is literature.
I almost felt like I read this book too quickly, and I would most probably read it again.
With skill Houellebecq chronicles a life of despair undoubtedly lived by many in modern France, but he's run out of a bit of steam in "Serotonin". His narrator, Florent-Claude Labrouste, is a wealthy forty something who escapes his Japanese girlfriend and job to isolate himself from the world. He makes attempts to relive old love affairs: one lover he does meet up with but she has become a hopeless alcoholic. The real love of his life he obsesses about in an "if only" mental rumination which comes and goes throughout the book. No spiritual awakening comes to the rescue.
Houellebecq goes on about the furnishings of various apartments and hotel rooms that make up much of Labrouste's world. He does so in long sentences with excellent punctuation. Are these literate renderings of streams of consciousness all Houellebecq's doing? Is he the master of the semicolon and dash —or has his editor worked hard here and then the translator, Shaun Whiteside, improved things further? In any case I think Whiteside has done a great job and translators rarely get credit.
Labrouste is taking an antidepressant that makes him calm yet impotent. He finds a doctor who is sympathetic, friendly and a fellow cigarette smoker to boot. The doctor is obviously doing his best to help the Labrouste and with another author the two would have become friends and gone drinking together, but Houellebecq keeps things bleak. In his novel "Platform" the narrator could escape France to Thailand and find some happiness, in "Submission" there was an intellectual interest in the writer Huysmans and a monastery stay —but here there is no relief; I didn't even find any humour like I did in "The Map and the Territory" where Houellebecq does a magnificent send up of himself when he appears as a character.
There is an episode about farmers' protest that actually involves the world outside the narrator's head, and it would be fair to say that Houellebecq predicted the Yellow Vest movement to some extent.
In "Serotonin" Houellebecq does a good job of wallowing in the decline of the West largely through monotony and unpleasant sex scenes, but he doesn't do much to help readers cope with it. Three stars, probably because of previously being a fan of the author and the quality of the prose.
Houellebecq goes on about the furnishings of various apartments and hotel rooms that make up much of Labrouste's world. He does so in long sentences with excellent punctuation. Are these literate renderings of streams of consciousness all Houellebecq's doing? Is he the master of the semicolon and dash —or has his editor worked hard here and then the translator, Shaun Whiteside, improved things further? In any case I think Whiteside has done a great job and translators rarely get credit.
Labrouste is taking an antidepressant that makes him calm yet impotent. He finds a doctor who is sympathetic, friendly and a fellow cigarette smoker to boot. The doctor is obviously doing his best to help the Labrouste and with another author the two would have become friends and gone drinking together, but Houellebecq keeps things bleak. In his novel "Platform" the narrator could escape France to Thailand and find some happiness, in "Submission" there was an intellectual interest in the writer Huysmans and a monastery stay —but here there is no relief; I didn't even find any humour like I did in "The Map and the Territory" where Houellebecq does a magnificent send up of himself when he appears as a character.
There is an episode about farmers' protest that actually involves the world outside the narrator's head, and it would be fair to say that Houellebecq predicted the Yellow Vest movement to some extent.
In "Serotonin" Houellebecq does a good job of wallowing in the decline of the West largely through monotony and unpleasant sex scenes, but he doesn't do much to help readers cope with it. Three stars, probably because of previously being a fan of the author and the quality of the prose.
“Was I capable of being happy in solitude? I didn’t think so. Was I capable of being happy in general? That’s the kind of question, I think, that is best not asked.”
This book was devastatingly sharp. Houllebecq puts his finger on the tender unease and dread of modern life and leaves it there. This book is relentlessly uncomfortable and the situation of our narrator becomes increasingly dire. The reader is at least given ample comic relief and reassuringly dark humor. While I can’t say I particularly *liked* this book, it sat with me.
This book was devastatingly sharp. Houllebecq puts his finger on the tender unease and dread of modern life and leaves it there. This book is relentlessly uncomfortable and the situation of our narrator becomes increasingly dire. The reader is at least given ample comic relief and reassuringly dark humor. While I can’t say I particularly *liked* this book, it sat with me.