Scan barcode
fountainstories's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
3.5
This book is gorgeously written and Collins makes such good use of the dual timeline to move the plot forward. Honestly I would've rated this much higher if the game had been explained a little bit more, I didn't quite understand what a grand jeux was meant to look like and that made me a lot less invested. The other shortcoming for me was that the Catholic oppression felt a little tone deaf in today's political and religious climate, and it also lead to a lot of religious and cultural inaccuracies within the book itself.
kimbean25's review against another edition
I can't read English -French books I don't know why, I just can't (the only exception is the three musketeers)
cannotbelievertz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This gave me Thirteenth Tale vibes in places.
The first quarter of the book, it was interesting, but I wasn't certain how I felt. The second quarter I was interested. The third quarter had a lot of movement. The last quarter was a rollercoaster. I'm not sure how I feel about the book overall, it might be one I think a lot about and grows in reflection.
The first quarter of the book, it was interesting, but I wasn't certain how I felt. The second quarter I was interested. The third quarter had a lot of movement. The last quarter was a rollercoaster. I'm not sure how I feel about the book overall, it might be one I think a lot about and grows in reflection.
minna94's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
joannebyrne's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
monique3's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
⭐️Three Stars at a push⭐️
"there are always voices that speak against an outsider." Page 35
"'The grand jeu is not game. It is the opposite of a game. It is our way of paying attention to something outside ourselves. And what is outside ourselves - whatever truly exists - is the divine. We remake the world so that we can submit to it; and what we encounter, in the act of playing the grand jeu, is the truth." Page 57
" 'Since You want to work on something risibly difficult . . . How about death?.' 'Death?' I repeated, like an idiot. "There's a lot of material. I mean, it's huge. Enormous. I think we'd be mad-' He caught himself and looked away, tensing, as he waited for me to make the inevitable comment about his family. There was a second's pause, and then he went on in a kind of rush. 'We'd be mad to do it. But ... there's a musical precedent. The Danse Macabre - Saint-Saëns, Liszt.' 'Shakespeare, Dante,' I said. '"I had not thought death had undone so many ..." He grinned. 'The structure of the Requiem Mass, the tension between an individual and infinity - asymptotes...' 'Yes! The rituals of mortality, decomposition and belief in the eternal.' // 'The impossibility of comprehending the magnitude of our own demise - our own insignificance.' He was teasing me, but he was excited, too, I think. 'The undiscovered country - the deepest mystery of existence itself!' " page 108/9
"We may not like each other, but it almost feels as though we understand each other better than anyone else." Page 113
"It's Midsummer Eve. The air is still, like glass. The valley holds the night like a bowl, frothy with stars. The silence is as thick as deafness." Page 332
"Equals, opponents, rivals, lovers." Page 367
"there are always voices that speak against an outsider." Page 35
"'The grand jeu is not game. It is the opposite of a game. It is our way of paying attention to something outside ourselves. And what is outside ourselves - whatever truly exists - is the divine. We remake the world so that we can submit to it; and what we encounter, in the act of playing the grand jeu, is the truth." Page 57
" 'Since You want to work on something risibly difficult . . . How about death?.' 'Death?' I repeated, like an idiot. "There's a lot of material. I mean, it's huge. Enormous. I think we'd be mad-' He caught himself and looked away, tensing, as he waited for me to make the inevitable comment about his family. There was a second's pause, and then he went on in a kind of rush. 'We'd be mad to do it. But ... there's a musical precedent. The Danse Macabre - Saint-Saëns, Liszt.' 'Shakespeare, Dante,' I said. '"I had not thought death had undone so many ..." He grinned. 'The structure of the Requiem Mass, the tension between an individual and infinity - asymptotes...' 'Yes! The rituals of mortality, decomposition and belief in the eternal.' // 'The impossibility of comprehending the magnitude of our own demise - our own insignificance.' He was teasing me, but he was excited, too, I think. 'The undiscovered country - the deepest mystery of existence itself!' " page 108/9
"We may not like each other, but it almost feels as though we understand each other better than anyone else." Page 113
"It's Midsummer Eve. The air is still, like glass. The valley holds the night like a bowl, frothy with stars. The silence is as thick as deafness." Page 332
"Equals, opponents, rivals, lovers." Page 367
unclescooby's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5