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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
Strange, meta-fictive. A quick read that stuck in my mind long after finishing. It is a difficult narration that intentionally takes your mind from the story. I wasn't sure what to think when I finished it but I did like it, better now too, after a week.
dark
funny
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4 ᯓ★
i like that the author invites us into the act of composing the story through the narrator. statements are written as absolute truths which communicates the narrator trying to get a first draft down as soon as possible, hence the several tangents and meta criticisms of his own writing.
the contrast that she creates between the narrator and macabéa is explained not in the material sense like wealth and status (which do play a big factor in the story also) but in constitution.
macabéa is a girl who is waiting for life to happen to her.
what the poor girl doesn’t know is that she wont ever reach anything if she doesnt do anything. (a sentiment of the author, however, i was waiting to see if he ever goes back on his word. because i believe a life wasted is still a life lived, there is substance simply from the act of breathing. it is a dull life but it had its time in the sun.)(the hour of the star.)
she is young, naive, poor, destitute. yet…
…she is in her own sense “happy”. simply because she does not know of the world and coveting is not something she allows herself to do.
and in contrast — the narrator is an older more experienced writer riddled with ennui from his successful life in high cultured society. comparisons are made between the homebody consumerist lifestyle—if you can call it that, she is constantly hungry throughout the story—macabéa lives, and the creative and worldly life of the narrator’s. on several instances, the narrator states he has grown bored of his eventful life, his exclusive group of literati have bored him from continued exposure, whereas maca holds onto every word out of another’s mouth.
is lispector trying to expound the importance of a full life lived? basically - being too woke (the cultured, worldly, active alpha narrator) and being too broke (the homebody, shut- in, passive beta macabéa) are both detrimental and you have to invite deference, whimsy, and wonder to your interactions with the material world, all the while also maintaining a rich inner life and a constant hunger to grow.
most of this is due to the circumstances of macabéa’s birth, born into poverty—and in a capitalist society—is destined to die in it.
which is a big theme in the book with attention that is brought to macabéa’s inherent passivity through her consumerism. she does not have a taste for art, but she collects ads from the newspaper and stares at them when she needs a pick-me-up. which makes her what is essentially the ideal consumer/civillian in a monopolistic society—ever covetous of what she does not have but never deeming herself worthy of pursuing it, a hard worker who truly believes in the rags-to-riches story (although she’s not really concerned with the future), and someone who internalises her struggle and divinely ordains herself deserving of it. but she is never shamed for her philistinism because when has labour-fodder ever been encouraged enough to create something let alone dream of it. she is never shamed period.
a character similar to macabéa in circumstance is olimpico who she initially develops a crush on as he is the first boy to ever talk to her. olimpico is active in desiring and taking by any means necessary. he has understood that the deck is stacked against them and he’s willing to do anything to get his share. he lies and cheats and has a brimming fire for violence under his skin. this roguishness is desirable in men but dishonest to see in a woman. macabéa is not that woman, but just something i noticed.
this is a short book and unconventionally written, and ever other sentence it feels like lispector has communicated entire universes with just a few words. the sort of writing that i feel is best absorbed when read aloud and heard from another’s mouth.
i really related to macabéa living in a poor part of a big city that only treats you as labour fodder. i live across the world in a different metrpolitan but we all have the same lives more or less. most poor city-dwellers die without ever seeing a meadow or a mountain range. it was a grim moment in the story when in the last moments of her life she noticed a bit of weed growing in a gutter.
the narrator contemplates how to end her story and after admitting her death is a cop-out does it anyway. because…
its a beautiful observation that death’s inevitability doesn’t take from its grandiosity in a person’s mind. this is the final step in their consciousness. and they will burn out like a star.
i loved this book a lot and i regret not getting a physical copy for keepsake.
this book is written from the perspective of a narrator composing a story about a girl he vaguely knows - macabéa. and the central draw of the story is the contrast between the two characters.
i like that the author invites us into the act of composing the story through the narrator. statements are written as absolute truths which communicates the narrator trying to get a first draft down as soon as possible, hence the several tangents and meta criticisms of his own writing.
the contrast that she creates between the narrator and macabéa is explained not in the material sense like wealth and status (which do play a big factor in the story also) but in constitution.
macabéa is a girl who is waiting for life to happen to her.
what the poor girl doesn’t know is that she wont ever reach anything if she doesnt do anything. (a sentiment of the author, however, i was waiting to see if he ever goes back on his word. because i believe a life wasted is still a life lived, there is substance simply from the act of breathing. it is a dull life but it had its time in the sun.)(the hour of the star.)
she is young, naive, poor, destitute. yet…
That girl didn’t know she was what she was, just as a dog doesn’t know it’s a dog. So she didn’t feel unhappy. The only thing she wanted was to live. She didn’t know for what, she didn’t ask questions. Maybe she thought there was a little bitty glory in living. She thought people had to be happy. So she was.”
…she is in her own sense “happy”. simply because she does not know of the world and coveting is not something she allows herself to do.
and in contrast — the narrator is an older more experienced writer riddled with ennui from his successful life in high cultured society. comparisons are made between the homebody consumerist lifestyle—if you can call it that, she is constantly hungry throughout the story—macabéa lives, and the creative and worldly life of the narrator’s. on several instances, the narrator states he has grown bored of his eventful life, his exclusive group of literati have bored him from continued exposure, whereas maca holds onto every word out of another’s mouth.
is lispector trying to expound the importance of a full life lived? basically - being too woke (the cultured, worldly, active alpha narrator) and being too broke (the homebody, shut- in, passive beta macabéa) are both detrimental and you have to invite deference, whimsy, and wonder to your interactions with the material world, all the while also maintaining a rich inner life and a constant hunger to grow.
most of this is due to the circumstances of macabéa’s birth, born into poverty—and in a capitalist society—is destined to die in it.
which is a big theme in the book with attention that is brought to macabéa’s inherent passivity through her consumerism. she does not have a taste for art, but she collects ads from the newspaper and stares at them when she needs a pick-me-up. which makes her what is essentially the ideal consumer/civillian in a monopolistic society—ever covetous of what she does not have but never deeming herself worthy of pursuing it, a hard worker who truly believes in the rags-to-riches story (although she’s not really concerned with the future), and someone who internalises her struggle and divinely ordains herself deserving of it. but she is never shamed for her philistinism because when has labour-fodder ever been encouraged enough to create something let alone dream of it. she is never shamed period.
a character similar to macabéa in circumstance is olimpico who she initially develops a crush on as he is the first boy to ever talk to her. olimpico is active in desiring and taking by any means necessary. he has understood that the deck is stacked against them and he’s willing to do anything to get his share. he lies and cheats and has a brimming fire for violence under his skin. this roguishness is desirable in men but dishonest to see in a woman. macabéa is not that woman, but just something i noticed.
this is a short book and unconventionally written, and ever other sentence it feels like lispector has communicated entire universes with just a few words. the sort of writing that i feel is best absorbed when read aloud and heard from another’s mouth.
i really related to macabéa living in a poor part of a big city that only treats you as labour fodder. i live across the world in a different metrpolitan but we all have the same lives more or less. most poor city-dwellers die without ever seeing a meadow or a mountain range. it was a grim moment in the story when in the last moments of her life she noticed a bit of weed growing in a gutter.
the narrator contemplates how to end her story and after admitting her death is a cop-out does it anyway. because…
”For at the hour of death a person becomes a shining movie star, it’s everyone’s moment of glory and it’s when as in choral chanting you hear the whooshing shrieks.”
its a beautiful observation that death’s inevitability doesn’t take from its grandiosity in a person’s mind. this is the final step in their consciousness. and they will burn out like a star.
i loved this book a lot and i regret not getting a physical copy for keepsake.
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
مناقشة الكتاب باللغة العربية قريبا
Around the World challenge: Brazil
First line: "All the world began with a yes."
This is a story within a story about a miserable writer trying to put into words the story of a miserable girl he saw or imagined and his attempts in showcasing his prose abilities and highlighting the suffering of this girl and her miserable life. The details of this girl's life seems to be derived a lot from Clarcice Lispector's own life, so it could be semi-biographical in a way. It's worthy to mention that this is her last novel before her death and my first read for her.
It's a novella, so it's short, however it was a chore to read. The writer goes on tangents explaining his choice of words and his philosophical ideas and dissecting the character of Macabea more than writing about her. I wished I saw more about her on the pages, with her bad luck and her innocence that destroyed her in the end.
It wasn't the best thing I've read, but it put Clarice Lispector on the map for me, and I think I'll try something else by her. This novel wasn't mind-blowing because I was more interested in the story within the bigger story, so it's promising that I might like something else by her. Also, this edition had an introduction by Colm Toibin, and I won't deny it, it helped me immensely in understanding some themes and aspects of this story.
Around the World challenge: Brazil
First line: "All the world began with a yes."
This is a story within a story about a miserable writer trying to put into words the story of a miserable girl he saw or imagined and his attempts in showcasing his prose abilities and highlighting the suffering of this girl and her miserable life. The details of this girl's life seems to be derived a lot from Clarcice Lispector's own life, so it could be semi-biographical in a way. It's worthy to mention that this is her last novel before her death and my first read for her.
It's a novella, so it's short, however it was a chore to read. The writer goes on tangents explaining his choice of words and his philosophical ideas and dissecting the character of Macabea more than writing about her. I wished I saw more about her on the pages, with her bad luck and her innocence that destroyed her in the end.
It wasn't the best thing I've read, but it put Clarice Lispector on the map for me, and I think I'll try something else by her. This novel wasn't mind-blowing because I was more interested in the story within the bigger story, so it's promising that I might like something else by her. Also, this edition had an introduction by Colm Toibin, and I won't deny it, it helped me immensely in understanding some themes and aspects of this story.
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I genuinely don't know how to feel, maybe i need to reread this book one more time in one go to really absorb everything without breaks in between to refresh my emotions.
What i'm feeling now while writing this review minutes after staring into space right after i finished the book–i feel weird. I wanted to feel bad for Macabéa and her godawful life, but i can't help but think of her as just an unfinished character by this manic author with questionable writing processes and attachment to his characters. During reading i kept jokingly comparing it to modern tween authors and their whumpified OCs. But it's a 4 star nonetheless because Clarice Lispector's seemingly detached writing really intrigued me. It's unexpectedly fun and funny, had some real deep think pieces in between a single character's constant suffering and the causes of said suffering. The unstructured stream-of-consciousness type of writing that's so confusing at first but becomes straighter the more i get in tune with the writer's state of mind.. until at the very end where the author did the most edgy tween fanfic writing trope ever and slapped me in the face with my own joke becoming too real. Anyway, it's a good short book if you want to read something so surreal at times, i will certainly try to read it again and give a final rating.
What i'm feeling now while writing this review minutes after staring into space right after i finished the book–i feel weird. I wanted to feel bad for Macabéa and her godawful life, but i can't help but think of her as just an unfinished character by this manic author with questionable writing processes and attachment to his characters. During reading i kept jokingly comparing it to modern tween authors and their whumpified OCs. But it's a 4 star nonetheless because Clarice Lispector's seemingly detached writing really intrigued me. It's unexpectedly fun and funny, had some real deep think pieces in between a single character's constant suffering and the causes of said suffering. The unstructured stream-of-consciousness type of writing that's so confusing at first but becomes straighter the more i get in tune with the writer's state of mind.. until at the very end where the author did the most edgy tween fanfic writing trope ever and slapped me in the face with my own joke becoming too real. Anyway, it's a good short book if you want to read something so surreal at times, i will certainly try to read it again and give a final rating.
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
uh right okay cool! Not sure if I’m intelligent enough to understand the mastery of this novella but it was rly cool to read something linguistically experimental and challenging. As my first insight to Lispector, I was captivated by her philosophical musings and unconventional style, her writing is enigmatic and I’d def try another one when my brain is more with it
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a strange reading experience - unlike anything I can remember reading and yet I think that’s part of the point? Parts of this absolutely went over my head (thanks to the mental exhaustion of a dissertation) but it was both sad and funny, charming and thought-provoking. There are some really wonderful lines, and so many that made me inherently reflect without really realising it. I can’t say that I loved it necessarily, but I was so intrigued and enjoyed the departure from my usual reading tastes that I’ll likely go looking for more - and would absolutely do a re-read.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes