Reviews tagging 'Cannibalism'

Ocean Sea by Alessandro Baricco

3 reviews

barbarachessa's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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zebrasanguine's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Ocean Sea, frankly, is like no other book I have ever read. The writing style is so unique that it left my mind in shambles by the time I finished reading, in the best possible way.

I loved how clear the divide between Book I, Book II, and Book III. The writing style changes ever so slightly, but yet noticeably when you look at it as a whole picture comprised of its little pieces, each of the equally important. 

Book 1 was the most complex in terms of style, I’d say; it took me a little while to get into it, but it was definitely worth it. The sentence structures, the words used were especially intricate, and that’s when I started thinking that the writing style of each book was supposed to express the overall ‘mood’ of that part of the story. 

While Book 1 was confusing and complex, Book 2 felt like an attack. It adopted what I like to call a “stream of consciousness” style — giant, never-ending sentences, lots of commas, and constant repetitions. The writing style felt (especially the beginning of that part) felt like it was told from the point of view of a madman, and, considering the events that transpired in there, I’d say my assumption wasn’t that far-fetched.

Book 3 is where everything came together, and I think the writing style for that part portrayed it beautifully. Suddenly, the sentences became shorter, more comprehensible, and the overly complex words and metaphors, stream-of-consciousness sentences, and dialogues where you can’t figure out who is speaking — all of these disappeared. We got to enjoy a separate chapter for every character (my personal favorite was the letter from Ann to her lover) while still watching the way the characters’ lives got intertwined after their stay at the inn. I think this distinctive division led up to the ending in a brilliant way. I have to admit I could have never expected the kind of plot twist that’s awaited us in
the second to last chapter of Book 3
.

I feel like my heart will forever belong to Italian authors — there is something unique about their writing style that makes me wish I could read their work in Italian.  
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iokanaan's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Remarkable characters converge at a seaside inn, and we get to know about major transformative moments in their lives. The sea is the mute and immobile protagonist
- a divine entity, even -
which profoundly affects the cast.

As with other books by Baricco I've read, this one is masterfully written: lyrical, poetic to a fault, undulating like the sea, with breaks in character that sucked me in and pushed me back out. At times absurd and light-hearted, at others dark and gritty, it offers insight into quite a broad spectrum of human nature. Definitely recommended.
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