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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Amazing prose and could't have asked for a more mind-blowing assortment of characters and stories. Really one of the best books I have read in my life, and something I would recommend to anyone!
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
An entertaining but imperfect read. The six stories in this novel are impressively different in style, while retaining themes through the whole book. Some parts work better (Letters from Zedelghem was definitely my favorite of the six) and some parts did not work as well (the pidgin English in the last story was a pain to get through). The threads that tie all the stories together were carefully placed and a joy to unravel even if some of them were contrived (making fun of the birthmark gimmick in the story does not make it less of a gimmick). The philosophy of the book is not especially original, mostly a Guns Germs and Steel approach to history combined with a halfhearted new-agey approach to spirituality (perhaps the premise of reincarnations requires it).
challenging
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Things I liked:
I love the way each of his characters (so far at least) seem to be addressing a particular person (a personal journal in the first part and a correspondent in the second case).
He's clever in using language appropriate to the setting of each of the first three stories.
The premise: I guess there's meant to be something to connect each of the stories so far I'm intrigued by the premise and drawn along by the characters and writing so I figure that's a pretty good combo.
The ending
Things I think could be improved:
I found the start was a bit dense and I actually went back and re-read the first two pages to re-establish who the characters were.
Overall: I really enjoyed the book that was a bit out of my traditional genre. The best feature of the book I think was that I wasn't able to detect the structure/direction of it till well past the half way mark, I very much enjoyed the refreshing choice of form.
I love the way each of his characters (so far at least) seem to be addressing a particular person (a personal journal in the first part and a correspondent in the second case).
He's clever in using language appropriate to the setting of each of the first three stories.
The premise: I guess there's meant to be something to connect each of the stories so far I'm intrigued by the premise and drawn along by the characters and writing so I figure that's a pretty good combo.
The ending
Spoiler
I remember at the end of 'War and Peace' the Author has a little philosophical rant, and the same happens at the end of this book, albeit in the form of the final character soliuquay. I like this feature in some books as it gives me something to immediately consider with regards to understanding and appreciating the bookThings I think could be improved:
I found the start was a bit dense and I actually went back and re-read the first two pages to re-establish who the characters were.
Overall: I really enjoyed the book that was a bit out of my traditional genre. The best feature of the book I think was that I wasn't able to detect the structure/direction of it till well past the half way mark, I very much enjoyed the refreshing choice of form.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, Classism
Minor: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Murder
Not for me. It was too much to keep track of.