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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I must thank my beloved friend Winter for getting this book for me. For days, it sat on my desk, waiting patiently. And today, with a heart that's a little heavy and eyes a little misty, I reached for it. Like my guardian angel herself guided my hand. It was raining outside and I had no lights on, so I crept towards my window, greedily letting what little available sunlight to spill on the pages. With no glasses on, I drank in Clarice's words as I pressed my face closer and closer to the book. Save me, Clarice Lispector.
How is she able to write such a profound book in so little words? Hour of the Star was less than a hundred pages and yet I felt like I've lived a whole lifetime with it. I ignored the grumblings in my stomach because I needed to hear her, be with her, sit by her.
Her words were a knife, slicing and probing into my insides. The amount of quotes I've taken notes of, it's a little funny. I highlighted nearly every page. It was just that good. I gasped, I chuckled, I swore, I nodded. She just gets me. And the timing of this book being placed in my hands was just: divinely constructed.
Macabéa, a simple, empty girl. Who was happy and hopeful, never miserable.
How is she able to write such a profound book in so little words? Hour of the Star was less than a hundred pages and yet I felt like I've lived a whole lifetime with it. I ignored the grumblings in my stomach because I needed to hear her, be with her, sit by her.
Her words were a knife, slicing and probing into my insides. The amount of quotes I've taken notes of, it's a little funny. I highlighted nearly every page. It was just that good. I gasped, I chuckled, I swore, I nodded. She just gets me. And the timing of this book being placed in my hands was just: divinely constructed.
Macabéa, a simple, empty girl. Who was happy and hopeful, never miserable.
"Sadness was a luxury."
She had no goal in life, she was just: is. She didn't really think much of what she wanted, but she'd keep all the sugar in her mouth just to make it last longer. She found love, that was so terrible, I felt like I got whipped every time he was unkind to her. She kept to herself because no one ever notices her. She was an empty, transparent, white butterfly. I liked her but I also didn't grieve for her. It was fascinating.
The other characters were interesting too. The brash, egoistic Olímpico who thought too much of himself and nothing much of anything else. Glória, who was brutally honest and lived as if she were a movie star. Even the doctor, who worked simply to make enough money just so he could do nothing, he who care not for medicine or helping people.
In just a short scene, Lispector wrote of these people so quickly, it's like you know their whole life story already.
The quick switch-up from the stream of consciousness to the narrator telling the story of Macabéa, it was Clarice Lispector in its purest form. It has her name all over it and I can't help but be in love all over again. She writes unlike anyone else and I am in awe every time. Five stars for this one.
The other characters were interesting too. The brash, egoistic Olímpico who thought too much of himself and nothing much of anything else. Glória, who was brutally honest and lived as if she were a movie star. Even the doctor, who worked simply to make enough money just so he could do nothing, he who care not for medicine or helping people.
In just a short scene, Lispector wrote of these people so quickly, it's like you know their whole life story already.
The quick switch-up from the stream of consciousness to the narrator telling the story of Macabéa, it was Clarice Lispector in its purest form. It has her name all over it and I can't help but be in love all over again. She writes unlike anyone else and I am in awe every time. Five stars for this one.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
There are times when a person needs a little bitty death and doesn't even know it, for example, when they are reading this book.
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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
dark
emotional
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"She felt inside her a hope more violent than any despair she had ever felt. If she was no longer herself that meant a loss that counted as a gain. Just as you can be sentenced to death, the fortune-teller had sentenced her to life."
this book is about macabéa, a typist who have such a limited awareness of what's around her, even she barely knows her own self. the story in this book is written through a narrator in such a unique way. the narrator sometimes was way fall too deep into their own thoughts, such as criticizing classism, identity crisis, and their own opinion of the main character herself, which i think was very amusing and one of the highlights that deserve to be known by those who haven't read this book.
this is my first impression of lispector and yes, i'm very much entertained and i'm really looking forward to read more of her works.
this book is about macabéa, a typist who have such a limited awareness of what's around her, even she barely knows her own self. the story in this book is written through a narrator in such a unique way. the narrator sometimes was way fall too deep into their own thoughts, such as criticizing classism, identity crisis, and their own opinion of the main character herself, which i think was very amusing and one of the highlights that deserve to be known by those who haven't read this book.
this is my first impression of lispector and yes, i'm very much entertained and i'm really looking forward to read more of her works.
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-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
usually i’m not compelled to write a written review, but this book has moved me in ways beyond comprehension. Lispector is truly talented for being able to write such a dense novel in less than a hundred pages. i was left feeling physically and mentally exhausted - just as how Rodrigo has felt towards the end of the novel
the way this novel is written is nonlinear - almost in a stream of conscious type of writing. i felt that i could hold a “conversation” with the text. i think you have to question the narrator and question Macabea in order to get the full experience of the novel. otherwise, you may feel lost. i had prior knowledge that Lispector was philosophical so getting into this book was not difficult for me.
this was my first Lispector novel, but definitely not my last. this book in particular is up there on my list of favorites
the way this novel is written is nonlinear - almost in a stream of conscious type of writing. i felt that i could hold a “conversation” with the text. i think you have to question the narrator and question Macabea in order to get the full experience of the novel. otherwise, you may feel lost. i had prior knowledge that Lispector was philosophical so getting into this book was not difficult for me.
this was my first Lispector novel, but definitely not my last. this book in particular is up there on my list of favorites
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny