Scan barcode
tinydumptruck's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
3.0
Felt like I was being caressed with the story. Wove unconventional love and the Argentinian war together nicely. The translation felt a little clunky, so the book was hard to follow at times, but overall very sweet.
ibebrie's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful character novel. The plot comes second to the characters. Extreme consideration was given and it is apparent.
bill_flanagan's review against another edition
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, translated from Italian by Michael F. Moore. I think what grabbed me was the writing style, which seems poetic and dreamy yet direct and concise. I savored the language, reading slowly to absorb nuances of meaning. The translator wrote a very nice afterword discussing the writing style, mentioning that this is Erri De Luca's most poetic and experimental book, and further explains some of the writing devices that made it so unique. I'm glad I wasn't aware of the devices while I was reading, since my sense while reading was simply that there was something "different and mysterious" about this writing. I now understand a bit more of the approaches the author used to create that sense, but rather I enjoyed the "not knowing."
persaefone's review against another edition
5.0
Ultimamente sento un forte legame con l'Argentina dovuto anche ad un gdl a cui sto partecipando.
Questo libro l'ho preso a scatola chiusa, senza nemmeno leggere la sinossi e in due mattinate l'ho finito di leggere.
Se volete leggere qualcosa di leggero ma al tempo stesso forte vi consiglio questo libro.
Questo libro l'ho preso a scatola chiusa, senza nemmeno leggere la sinossi e in due mattinate l'ho finito di leggere.
Se volete leggere qualcosa di leggero ma al tempo stesso forte vi consiglio questo libro.
emma_ireland's review against another edition
5.0
"I take the book stopped at a fold, deliver myself to its pace, to the breathing of the other storyteller. If I am someone else, it's also because books move men more than journeys and years."
This book is so beautifully written that I stopped every other page to note down lines and passages that I couldn't bear to never read again. It's a short book, but one that feels as though it carries the weight of the world between its pages.
The story is of a gardener who falls in love, bringing back memories of his past in Argentina's Dirty War and his first love who was murdered there. However, the joy of this book truly is the writing itself. At one point, De Luca writes: "This is what books should do: Carry a person and not be carried by him; take the day off his back, not add its own ounces of paper to his vertebrae." Three Horses definitely added its own ounces of paper to my vertebrae, and more besides, but it's a burden worth carrying.
The only thing I didn't love about Three Horses was the way the elegance of the prose in general slipped into the dialogue between the characters. As enjoyable as it is to read, it's not believable that people would speak to each other that way, and certainly not every person the main character came into contact with. But it's a small complaint for such a wonderful book.
This book is so beautifully written that I stopped every other page to note down lines and passages that I couldn't bear to never read again. It's a short book, but one that feels as though it carries the weight of the world between its pages.
The story is of a gardener who falls in love, bringing back memories of his past in Argentina's Dirty War and his first love who was murdered there. However, the joy of this book truly is the writing itself. At one point, De Luca writes: "This is what books should do: Carry a person and not be carried by him; take the day off his back, not add its own ounces of paper to his vertebrae." Three Horses definitely added its own ounces of paper to my vertebrae, and more besides, but it's a burden worth carrying.
The only thing I didn't love about Three Horses was the way the elegance of the prose in general slipped into the dialogue between the characters. As enjoyable as it is to read, it's not believable that people would speak to each other that way, and certainly not every person the main character came into contact with. But it's a small complaint for such a wonderful book.
neptune86's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
notrachel's review against another edition
4.0
It got squirrel-y in parts due to translation/style peculiarities and me...but I'd give it 3.75. It made me think and the ending flew by.
kassiani's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.5
More...