Reviews - Die Pest | The StoryGraph

4.57k reviews for:

Die Pest

Albert Camus

3.92 AVERAGE

umer_m's review against another edition

3.5

reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

A story of man's perseverance in face of a great adversity. The writing style felt a little dated, and I did not like the narrative device used in this book until much later on in the story.

Content Warnings

eayurt's review against another edition

5.0

Ödüllü bir kitap okuduğumu biliyordum ancak bu kadar keyifli okuyacağımı düşünmemiştim. Veba ile değişen insanlar, yitip giden hayatlar ve kopan aşklar. Camus çok iyi veriyor Oran'da karantina süresinde geçenleri. Şehir tamamen kapanıyor ve insanların da duygusal olarak açılmaları başlıyor.

hwestenhofer's review against another edition

4.0

I did not anticipate reading Camus's other famous novel in such quick succession after The Stranger, but some colleagues of mine were reading it together, so I decided to join. I really enjoyed this work, & I think if I had not just read The Stranger a few months prior, I would have rated it five stars. Camus has a very distinct writing style & subject matter--what I like about him--but it can feel a little "okay, let's wrap it up now." Part of why I loved The Stranger so much is because of its brevity, & I thought that this novel dragged just a little. I loved the narrator's musings & the philosophical commentary that the book provides, but it got to a point where I was like "Okay, I get it," & maybe that was because, thematically, The Stranger is not entirely different (of course, they're not the same work at all, but there is some thematic crossover). Anyway, I feel like I'm dragging this novel through the mud which is not my intent at all! Please read this book & Camus, but I would start with The Stranger & wait awhile before you read this one; however, you won't regret reading either of them!

sophiemcp1's review against another edition

2.25

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

em_h_ma's review against another edition

2.5

reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: N/A

Strong character development: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Je suis entrée dans La Peste sans vraiment savoir à quoi m’attendre, en l’écoutant en audio. Le début m’a tout de suite happée : il y avait une vraie tension, presque mystérieuse, autour de cette étrange maladie qui s’installe dans la ville. Le rythme était prenant, et j’étais curieuse de comprendre ce qui allait se passer.
Mais à partir du discours du prêtre, le roman a basculé vers quelque chose de plus lent, plus réflexif, presque philosophique, et j’ai commencé à décrocher. Je ne comprenais pas très bien où Camus voulait m’emmener, et j’attendais un événement ou un rebondissement qui n’est jamais venu.
Le roman s’étire, justement, pour montrer l’épuisement, la répétition, la résignation. Et je pense qu’il faut le lire en sachant cela : c’est avant tout une réflexion morale sur la souffrance, le mal, et la résistance humaine, plus qu’un roman d’action ou de personnages.
Le passage sur la mort de l’enfant m’a particulièrement marquée : la manière dont il est écrit, détaillé, m’a évoqué Victor Hugo par son intensité tragique.
Je suis finalement partagée : je ne dirais pas que je n’ai pas aimé, mais je pense que j’aurais eu une lecture différente si j’avais su, dès le départ, que c’était un roman philosophique, écrit dans le contexte de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, et que chaque personnage portait en lui une manière d’affronter le mal.