Reviews - Der Gesang der Fledermäuse

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10.8k reviews for:

Der Gesang der Fledermäuse

Olga Tokarczuk, Doreen Daume

3.97 AVERAGE

avacampbell's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I started this book in the summer of 2024 and then it got lost to my bookshelf last school year, but I’ve finally returned and finished it!

This is translated from Polish (as I said, a lot of translations) and it’s very good and incredibly bizarre. It is philosophical and almost fable-like, with lots of mysteriously symbolic capitalization and quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

It follows a reclusive, eccentric old woman who’s an astrologer and lover of animals (as well as a general hater of humans). She is a marvelously unreliable narrator as people in her community start dying in increasingly weird circumstances — acts of violence seemly committed by wild animals.

This book is a wonderfully abnormal fusion of fairy tale and murder mystery, and I would love to reread it in one sitting, not spread apart over months.

leahschroeder's review against another edition

3.25

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jaspersandwich's review against another edition

5.0

Best read so far this year. Immensely satisfying on every front. I found myself trying to slow my reading down (which is slow anyway) because I wanted it to last. I thought it would be a lot darker from the title, but was surprised at how humerous and entertaining it turned out to be. The dialogue sparkles, the narrator is flawed and eccentric and eminently likeable, the plot and pacing superb, the characters vibrant, the control of language a delight. This edition is luxurious, too. Lovely thick pages and cover, a classy understated design- I wanted to keep it in my hand even when I wasn't reading it.
I will definitely look out for more of Tokarczuk's writing.