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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
emotional
fast-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
what a deeply weird but enthralling little book
it’s meta, with alien, pseudo-modernist prose that beats its narrator’s existential crisis into the reader’s mind, but it’s also a very entertaining read. i’m honestly surprised that it took me this long to get around to reading lispector, and after this i’ll definitely be looking for more of her work.
it’s meta, with alien, pseudo-modernist prose that beats its narrator’s existential crisis into the reader’s mind, but it’s also a very entertaining read. i’m honestly surprised that it took me this long to get around to reading lispector, and after this i’ll definitely be looking for more of her work.
4.5 stars really.
A male author (who is Lispector) is as insubstantial in the world as his protagonist Macabea, an orphan, with no means and no stake in the world. The only thing the male author has is writing, though he struggles with the facts of his (Lispector's) life and storytelling - so much so he can barely start the story.
Macabea is a portrait of abjection, too poor to have time for boredom, sadness or vomiting, since that would be to waste precious food. And yet the author struggles because she is relatively free and unencumbered and though she has no looks nor belief in god, she approaches love and grace.
It is only when she goes to a fortune teller that she is finally provided with a destiny and asks about her future and receives and answer that makes the author stop and and contemplate it himself.
Another splendid work from Lispector. It dropped half a star for me, because I really couldn't buy into any positives from abjection (people living in true abject poverty don't read books). But the existentialist crisis of being for the author is brilliantly played on on Macabea's fictional body: "When she woke up, she no longer knew who she was. Only later did she think with satisfaction: I am a typist, a virgin and I like coca-cola. Only then did she dress herself in herself, she spent the rest of her day obediently playing the role of being".
A male author (who is Lispector) is as insubstantial in the world as his protagonist Macabea, an orphan, with no means and no stake in the world. The only thing the male author has is writing, though he struggles with the facts of his (Lispector's) life and storytelling - so much so he can barely start the story.
Macabea is a portrait of abjection, too poor to have time for boredom, sadness or vomiting, since that would be to waste precious food. And yet the author struggles because she is relatively free and unencumbered and though she has no looks nor belief in god, she approaches love and grace.
It is only when she goes to a fortune teller that she is finally provided with a destiny and asks about her future and receives and answer that makes the author stop and and contemplate it himself.
Another splendid work from Lispector. It dropped half a star for me, because I really couldn't buy into any positives from abjection (people living in true abject poverty don't read books). But the existentialist crisis of being for the author is brilliantly played on on Macabea's fictional body: "When she woke up, she no longer knew who she was. Only later did she think with satisfaction: I am a typist, a virgin and I like coca-cola. Only then did she dress herself in herself, she spent the rest of her day obediently playing the role of being".
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Clarice Lispector shows the reader, through a compelling stream-of-consciousness style of writing, that people who do not "fit in" are capable of creating extraordinary inner lives, despite the hardships they face in reality.
This book is both simple and profound, knowing and mysterious, honest and wry.
It is an exploration of the human soul - both that of the young woman from northeast Brazil and the narrator.
This book is both simple and profound, knowing and mysterious, honest and wry.
It is an exploration of the human soul - both that of the young woman from northeast Brazil and the narrator.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
One moment I wanted to quit reading the book and the other I couldn’t put it down. This duality, challenging as it was, was exciting, keeping me on my toes as a reader, pushing me away and pulling me in.
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
This is a unique read. It's a story of a girl, but actually a story of the male author that writes her story. It's about being a woman, being poor, living in the society of Brazil. It's about living in the moment (not in a cliche woolly way) and the avail of having aspirations or expectations for the future? What is happiness?
Well done and it is all very meta. Left me thinking, left me smiling.
Well done and it is all very meta. Left me thinking, left me smiling.
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Car accident