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melfurious's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
I struggled hard with this one. The small parts of the story I could follow were filled with things that were highly unpleasant to read, and I didn't enjoy it at all. The ending.... vague for no reason. Maybe it was too poetic for me?
lycanjamie's review against another edition
5.0
Not so much a novel with narrative strength but definitely an engrossing and capitulating account of the life of Euchrid Eucrow, a deeply troubled young man (with a certain amount of inbreeding) turned messiah whom we as the audience are encouraged to feel varying strengths of grief, pity, and disgust for.
Cave has a firm grip on his descriptive ability, enticing us into a world of juxtaposition - septic grime versus crisp white cotton, omniscience versus ignorance, above versus below. The richness of the text is almost overwhelming.
If you know anything about the conception of this book it is understandable that there are weaknesses in the writing, most notably to me the chronology. I was never sure at which point in Euchrid's life I was reading about, because there are often unmarked flashbacks and flashforwards scattered into the tale.
Despite its unclear nature, 'And the Ass Saw the Angel' is to me a beautiful book, and I mean that in a viciously subjective manner.
Cave has a firm grip on his descriptive ability, enticing us into a world of juxtaposition - septic grime versus crisp white cotton, omniscience versus ignorance, above versus below. The richness of the text is almost overwhelming.
If you know anything about the conception of this book it is understandable that there are weaknesses in the writing, most notably to me the chronology. I was never sure at which point in Euchrid's life I was reading about, because there are often unmarked flashbacks and flashforwards scattered into the tale.
Despite its unclear nature, 'And the Ass Saw the Angel' is to me a beautiful book, and I mean that in a viciously subjective manner.
mamimitanaka's review against another edition
5.0
This is like if every single one of Nick Cave's thematic and lyrical interests and general aesthetic obsessions from the Birthday Party/early Bad Seeds era got mixed up and vomited back up into the bile spewing fever dream nightmare of tortured mute protagonist Euchrid Ecrowe. Biblical levels of demonic description? Check. Flowery obscenity and southern gothic horror violence? Check. The world feeling like some ultra twisted Midwest Rob Zombie movie? Check. Nick Cave just being Nick Cave? Checkmate. And somehow Euchrid, despite how demented he is, is such a long suffered protagonist and such a unique and loveable narrative voice that it's almost impossible not to root for him. Is it a perfect book? Far from it - it's got Cave's typical sexism, tortured bloated syntax, and reads as very clearly minimally edited. But without that last thing, this also wouldn't be as memorable and explosive an unfiltered nightmare it is, and this thing just felt tailor made for me especially as I've loved Cave for a long time. I'm so glad this exists.
tvweird's review against another edition
4.5
Nick Cave thinks he wrote a book about a prophet fed obscenities by God, Jesus struck dumb, the Chosen One without the capacity to actualise; he actually wrote a book about the ability of humankind to create myth and God from nothing more than stories and coincidence, centred around the warped life of a poor mute boy with schizophrenia, raised by abusive alcoholics in a town where difference means death.
9/10
9/10
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
4.0
After seeing raving reviews of this from an booktuber I find great I've been wanting to read this badly. Luckily when I gave a try in my local library system, it was there! Definitely an unique, intriguing and very interesting reading experience. I don't know about Nick Cave before reading this book but he is a talented writer!
siriuschico's review against another edition
3.0
Posloucháno jako rozhlasová hra od Českého rozhlasu, čteno Honzou Hájkem.
Jako Nick Cave je docela dobrej muzikant, ale ještě pořád nejsem přesvědčenej o jeho spisovatelských nadáních. Jako rozhlasová hra to docela funguje, ale je to spíše nesourodý soubor scén. Úplně si umím představit ten hudební podkres k té špíně a špatnosti. Ale fakt mi přijde že ta útržkovitost a skoky v čase je spíš jenom takový pokus zamaskovat docela chabý příběh o dvou generacích zlomených lidí. Je tam každá nechutná lidská zvrácenost, kterou si umíte představit a většinou jím trpí jenom hlavní antihrdina. Kromě slabýho příběhu mi to občas přijde až zbytečně krutý - miluju horrory, ale císařskej řez střepem z lahve bylo na mě docela dost. Taky některý hnusárny se tam dějou jenom proto aby se stali a nemajímoc vliv na příběh - třeba takový znásilnění v polích nikam nevede. “Vizuálně” je to docela dobrý a jako rozhlasovou hru jsem si to docela užil, ale jsem si jistej že bych se u knihy docela nudil.
Jako Nick Cave je docela dobrej muzikant, ale ještě pořád nejsem přesvědčenej o jeho spisovatelských nadáních. Jako rozhlasová hra to docela funguje, ale je to spíše nesourodý soubor scén. Úplně si umím představit ten hudební podkres k té špíně a špatnosti. Ale fakt mi přijde že ta útržkovitost a skoky v čase je spíš jenom takový pokus zamaskovat docela chabý příběh o dvou generacích zlomených lidí. Je tam každá nechutná lidská zvrácenost, kterou si umíte představit a většinou jím trpí jenom hlavní antihrdina. Kromě slabýho příběhu mi to občas přijde až zbytečně krutý - miluju horrory, ale císařskej řez střepem z lahve bylo na mě docela dost. Taky některý hnusárny se tam dějou jenom proto aby se stali a nemajímoc vliv na příběh - třeba takový znásilnění v polích nikam nevede. “Vizuálně” je to docela dobrý a jako rozhlasovou hru jsem si to docela užil, ale jsem si jistej že bych se u knihy docela nudil.
an_ja's review against another edition
4.0
Ein ziemlich düsteres Buch, welches bewegt. Bedrückend, zerstörend und heftig zugleich und ruft Emotionen von Ekel bis Empathie hervor. Kein leichtes Buch, sowohl inhaltlich als auch sprachlich.
spookyllamas's review against another edition
The language was difficult to follow, so I didn't really understand the story much. It was quite stomach-churning at times with the vivid, crude descriptions. I will likely try this book again at another time.
sarah_dietrich's review against another edition
2.0
Oh dear, I thought that I would love this but I didn't, not at all. Cave can write but I'm not a fan of this book. It feels overwrought, overcooked, like its beating me over the head with its message.
misty_kb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Suicide, Body horror, Murder, and Stalking
Minor: Incest, Cannibalism, Rape, and Infertility