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a_violentfemme's review against another edition
5.0
I have been a massive fan of Nick Cave's music for at least 10 years now so maybe this review is a bit biased but I have to say I enjoyed every second of this novel. I read 'the death of bunny Munro' a couple of years ago but have only just got around to this one. I must say this by far my favourite of the 2 books. It's dark, depraved, gruesome and extremely poetic. There are definite cross overs between the imagery used here and some early bad seeds work and I felt immersed in the horrid landscape of some of my favourite songs. A must read for any Nick Cave fan!
fourtriplezed's review against another edition
3.0
If one likes Cave's music one will like Cave's biblically very dark novel.
jazzsequence's review against another edition
4.0
very dark. a book about levels of despair and the depths to which humanity will sink. with a little god thrown in because it's nick cave, which means that the god/religion is sort of twisted. not really a happy, fun-time read, but definitely very good.
t0nip's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
davereadsstuff's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A dark, old-testament, Southern Gothic story of family, religion, vengeance, and death.
naokamiya'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.
sbkeats's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
lilypasta_'s review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
thepunktheory's review against another edition
4.0
Full review on my blog: www.thepunktheory.wordpress.com
I plunged head first into this book without even reading the blurb.
What I found is a unique and intense novel that won't let you go. At first I had my troubles getting acquainted with Cave's writing style and language. But as soon as that barrier was down, I developed a love-hate-relationship with the book. On the one hand I wanted to know more but on the other hand I dreaded what was on the next page.
And the Ass Saw the Angel is a weird and irritating story. You will end up hating most of the characters as Cave manages to depict the cruelty of humankind extremely well. When it comes to the main character you can't help but feel for him despite a certain repulsion that he evokes. Euchrid Eucrow is by no means an angel but he is certain that he's doing Gods bidding. This tale is so dark and twisted, I have no idea how Cave came up with it. However, it's also the kind of book I'd expected Nick Cave to write.
I plunged head first into this book without even reading the blurb.
What I found is a unique and intense novel that won't let you go. At first I had my troubles getting acquainted with Cave's writing style and language. But as soon as that barrier was down, I developed a love-hate-relationship with the book. On the one hand I wanted to know more but on the other hand I dreaded what was on the next page.
And the Ass Saw the Angel is a weird and irritating story. You will end up hating most of the characters as Cave manages to depict the cruelty of humankind extremely well. When it comes to the main character you can't help but feel for him despite a certain repulsion that he evokes. Euchrid Eucrow is by no means an angel but he is certain that he's doing Gods bidding. This tale is so dark and twisted, I have no idea how Cave came up with it. However, it's also the kind of book I'd expected Nick Cave to write.