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waregemma's review against another edition
2.0
I struggled with this book.
The story, the setting, the idea I loved. However, I could not get round the way it was written.
I live in Switzerland and I loved the local flavor; the postman on the yellow motorbike, the restaurant menus, the Swiss characters. I was also fascinated by the story of immigration and integration, as well as the fall out from the Yugoslav conflict, which I guess was the first conflict I remember growing up.
The text is written in a very stylised way. Long disjointed sentences. No separation between narrative and dialogue. There are big long sentences spanning several pages with an enormous amount of strange punctuation and lots of brackets.
As just an example chosen at random this is from page 152.
“Father gets up again, fills his glass, without ice this time, and I, still in my chair, have started to think Nomi won’t come back, that she’s moved out without telling anyone, I’d like to go to her room and see if she’s taken her clothing, her favourite books, but I sit there, glued to my chair under the living room lamp, my face frozen in the porch window, we must have done something wrong, Father says, speaking as loud as the television, why else would I be sitting here, waiting for my daughter? (and me, I’d suspected the hens were just a warm up, I hear Mother making more noise than usual as she washes up, the sharp stream from the faucet , the clatter of dishes), and what are you waiting for Miklos? Father continues,....” and it goes on and
I do, however, appreciate that this may be a personal preference and this may appeal to some.
I generous 2 stars for me.
The story, the setting, the idea I loved. However, I could not get round the way it was written.
I live in Switzerland and I loved the local flavor; the postman on the yellow motorbike, the restaurant menus, the Swiss characters. I was also fascinated by the story of immigration and integration, as well as the fall out from the Yugoslav conflict, which I guess was the first conflict I remember growing up.
The text is written in a very stylised way. Long disjointed sentences. No separation between narrative and dialogue. There are big long sentences spanning several pages with an enormous amount of strange punctuation and lots of brackets.
As just an example chosen at random this is from page 152.
“Father gets up again, fills his glass, without ice this time, and I, still in my chair, have started to think Nomi won’t come back, that she’s moved out without telling anyone, I’d like to go to her room and see if she’s taken her clothing, her favourite books, but I sit there, glued to my chair under the living room lamp, my face frozen in the porch window, we must have done something wrong, Father says, speaking as loud as the television, why else would I be sitting here, waiting for my daughter? (and me, I’d suspected the hens were just a warm up, I hear Mother making more noise than usual as she washes up, the sharp stream from the faucet , the clatter of dishes), and what are you waiting for Miklos? Father continues,....” and it goes on and
I do, however, appreciate that this may be a personal preference and this may appeal to some.
I generous 2 stars for me.
mariatramountani's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
la_lorac's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ameliasbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This book was already published in 2010. But it is still very relevant. The story shows a very interesting insight into the life of a family, who as refugees are looking for a better life in Switzerland. Also into the lives of the people they have left behind and what the outbreak of the Yugoslavian War has meant for them. The story is not told straight forward, it jumps back and forth in time and it is mainly about emotions. As a reader you have to draw conclusions for yourself and you must be more interested in characters than in plot to enjoy this book.
#ReadYo'Shelves
#OwnVoices
#ABCProject
#ReadYo'Shelves
#OwnVoices
#ABCProject
yona's review against another edition
5.0
I had to read this book for school, and unlike almost everybody else in class, I really really really enjoyed it (ok, I am 100% I am the only person in class who actually read it). It has a certain style of writing that just captivates what this book is about. Style and content really connect with this novel.
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