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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I always knew the overall main premise of this story as a child, but had never sat down to read the book (or watch the movie) until now. I'll start with the obvious fact that there's a lot of outdated stereotypes in this one - I don't know much about Romani culture or gypsies, but this one felt like it was taking a lot of shots at them just for stories sake. I couldn't tell if he was trying to make them neutral or if he was trying to make them scary villains - regardless of that fact, its harmful all the way around.
Story plot wise, it was gripping. Maybe its an oversimplification on my part, but its a revenge story. Revenge from a father that turns in revenge from a friend that turns into revenge from a husband. It all goes wrong in ever turn, in some way or another, but it still stands as a revenge story for me. I can kind of feel bad for Bill in the sense that he didn't intentionally try to hit Susanna Lemke(only kind of, because there were times that his inner monologue - no matter how much I can understand it - was just so backhanded and lacking all accountability). But, in the same vein, it all boils down to lack of justice. I think there were times that Billy was thinking about his own daughter, Linda, and wondering if he would do the same in Taduz Lemke's spot, but it never lasted long. The anger he had for his wife and for Taduz seemed to just throw him back into the spiral of not taking full accountability. Yes, in theory, Susanna should've been using the crosswalk, but you should have still been paying attention, whether your wife was... trying something new... or not. It's a big round of pointing fingers and the blame game. It's hard for me to really like him honestly. I think the only person I do like, even though he's not perfect either, is Richie Ginelli and that's mostly because he's such a ride or die for this man he considers a friend. Is he a tad problematic in his ways? Sure. But he stood ten toes down for a friend, even though he also gets what's coming to him.
I don't particularly care for the ending much. We already know what he planned on feeding his wife the pie, but the double-whammy of knowing his daughter also ate it just felt a little too cop-outish for me. Because now he feels he has nothing to live for, which is why he himself ate some too. It made the whole 300ish pages before that feel like it was all for nothing. Maybe that's the whole point, but that doesn't make a whole lot of sense for me. You brought your whole family down with you, just for you to (in the end) bring forth what was happening to you from the start all over again.
Not the worst by any means, but I don't see myself having the urge to reread this one - at least not anytime soon.
Story plot wise, it was gripping. Maybe its an oversimplification on my part, but its a revenge story. Revenge from a father that turns in revenge from a friend that turns into revenge from a husband. It all goes wrong in ever turn, in some way or another, but it still stands as a revenge story for me. I can kind of feel bad for Bill in the sense that he didn't intentionally try to hit Susanna Lemke(only kind of, because there were times that his inner monologue - no matter how much I can understand it - was just so backhanded and lacking all accountability). But, in the same vein, it all boils down to lack of justice. I think there were times that Billy was thinking about his own daughter, Linda, and wondering if he would do the same in Taduz Lemke's spot, but it never lasted long. The anger he had for his wife and for Taduz seemed to just throw him back into the spiral of not taking full accountability. Yes, in theory, Susanna should've been using the crosswalk, but you should have still been paying attention, whether your wife was... trying something new... or not. It's a big round of pointing fingers and the blame game. It's hard for me to really like him honestly. I think the only person I do like, even though he's not perfect either, is Richie Ginelli and that's mostly because he's such a ride or die for this man he considers a friend. Is he a tad problematic in his ways? Sure. But he stood ten toes down for a friend, even though he also gets what's coming to him.
I don't particularly care for the ending much. We already know what he planned on feeding his wife the pie, but the double-whammy of knowing his daughter also ate it just felt a little too cop-outish for me. Because now he feels he has nothing to live for, which is why he himself ate some too. It made the whole 300ish pages before that feel like it was all for nothing. Maybe that's the whole point, but that doesn't make a whole lot of sense for me. You brought your whole family down with you, just for you to (in the end) bring forth what was happening to you from the start all over again.
Not the worst by any means, but I don't see myself having the urge to reread this one - at least not anytime soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Racism
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death
dark
tense
medium-paced
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Yet another one I loved when I was a kid and it's just not good :( I liked the first half, and the ending was just as screwed up as I remembered, but the second half was quite absurd at times. One of those things that requires a complete absence of disbelief rather than a mere suspension. Very disappointing.
EDIT: I forgot to mention the extremely frustrating typos in the Kindle version.
EDIT: I forgot to mention the extremely frustrating typos in the Kindle version.
The beginning was interesting, then it got boring for some time. But then it picked up pace and I couldn't put the book down and had to stay up until 3a.m to finish it.
Despite all of that, I couldn't see where the story was going or how it was going to end.
It was easy to connect with the characters. I liked Billy in spite of his flaws. I felt bad for Heidi, though I understood the reason for Bill's hatred towards her.
The ending left me in awe, it was perfect in my opinion.
Despite all of that, I couldn't see where the story was going or how it was going to end.
It was easy to connect with the characters. I liked Billy in spite of his flaws. I felt bad for Heidi, though I understood the reason for Bill's hatred towards her.
The ending left me in awe, it was perfect in my opinion.
Nie miałam dość wygórowanych oczekiwań co do tej lektury, jednak po przeczytaniu kilku początkowych stron nabrałam podejrzeń, że będzie to niezwykle ciekawa i pełna napięć historia głównego bohatera, który w wyniku nieszczęśliwego splotu wydarzeń podejmuje próbę zdjęcia z siebie klątwy rzuconej przez starego Cygana, będącą główną przyczyną szybkiej utraty kilogramów.
Zamysł historii sam w sobie ciekawy jednak zabrakło tutaj głębszego wejścia w świat kultury Romów, nie mamy też okazji poznać bliżej postaci innych bohaterów tej jednowątkowej powieści, ponieważ od samego początku ma się styczność tylko z tym głównym, Billym Halleckiem, i właściwie przez całą tą powieściową narrację jesteśmy "przyklejeni" tylko do niego. Reszta postaci mało wyrazista i właściwe "uszła w tłoku" z wyjątkiem Ginelliego, będącą tutaj jedyną i chyba najciekawszą postacią "z pazurem".
Mimo przewidywalności tej stricte 'kingowskiej" fabuły, zakończenie zaskakuje choć po końcowych "sennych majakach" Billy'ego można było wysnuć przypuszczenie o zakończeniu historii w taki sposób. Ja nie wysnułam - za bardzo skupiłam się na fabule do momentu, dopóki nie poznałam zakończenia, a te nie dość, że pozostawia czytelnikowi pole do wyobraźni, to jeszcze "smakuje" jak finałowy, cygański placek z truskawkami czyli- wybornie!
Zamysł historii sam w sobie ciekawy jednak zabrakło tutaj głębszego wejścia w świat kultury Romów, nie mamy też okazji poznać bliżej postaci innych bohaterów tej jednowątkowej powieści, ponieważ od samego początku ma się styczność tylko z tym głównym, Billym Halleckiem, i właściwie przez całą tą powieściową narrację jesteśmy "przyklejeni" tylko do niego. Reszta postaci mało wyrazista i właściwe "uszła w tłoku" z wyjątkiem Ginelliego, będącą tutaj jedyną i chyba najciekawszą postacią "z pazurem".
Mimo przewidywalności tej stricte 'kingowskiej" fabuły, zakończenie zaskakuje choć po końcowych "sennych majakach" Billy'ego można było wysnuć przypuszczenie o zakończeniu historii w taki sposób. Ja nie wysnułam - za bardzo skupiłam się na fabule do momentu, dopóki nie poznałam zakończenia, a te nie dość, że pozostawia czytelnikowi pole do wyobraźni, to jeszcze "smakuje" jak finałowy, cygański placek z truskawkami czyli- wybornie!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced