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mirgon03's review against another edition
4.0
Al principio, este libro no me estaba gustando nada. Lo he leído para la asignatura de World Literatures in English y no fue hasta el lunes cuando empezamos a analizarlo que logré entenderlo.
Es un libro que hay que leer despacio, fijándote en los detalles y dejándote empapar por la narración.
En un comienzo, parece que nada está sucediendo, que es una mera descripción y sucesión de datos y hechos cotidianos, pero conforme avanzas te das cuenta de la riqueza que guarda.
Es una historia que te envuelve en un ambiente de comfort pero a la vez de melancolía. Con las palabras, con cada capítulo, la autora genera un universo a tu alrededor en el que las imágenes te rodean y crean una nueva perspectiva.
Ojalá haber leído todo el libro como he leído las últimas 30 páginas. Dejándome mecer por el ritmo lento de las palabras.
Correr solo consigue agobiarte, te tienes que dejar balancear al ritmo que marca la autora.
Una vez entendido esto lo he podido disfrutar muchismo, comprender con mayor profundidad a los personajes y cerrar con muy buen sabor la lectura.
Un 8/10.
Es un libro que hay que leer despacio, fijándote en los detalles y dejándote empapar por la narración.
En un comienzo, parece que nada está sucediendo, que es una mera descripción y sucesión de datos y hechos cotidianos, pero conforme avanzas te das cuenta de la riqueza que guarda.
Es una historia que te envuelve en un ambiente de comfort pero a la vez de melancolía. Con las palabras, con cada capítulo, la autora genera un universo a tu alrededor en el que las imágenes te rodean y crean una nueva perspectiva.
Ojalá haber leído todo el libro como he leído las últimas 30 páginas. Dejándome mecer por el ritmo lento de las palabras.
Correr solo consigue agobiarte, te tienes que dejar balancear al ritmo que marca la autora.
Una vez entendido esto lo he podido disfrutar muchismo, comprender con mayor profundidad a los personajes y cerrar con muy buen sabor la lectura.
Un 8/10.
meghan111's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. I really liked the plain, simple, direct writing style - it felt very frank and matter-of-fact, but also elegant. This would be an interesting pairing with [b: Franny and Zooey|5113|Franny and Zooey|J.D. Salinger|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355037988s/5113.jpg|3118417], since it's about a mother whose college-age daughter has some sort of breakdown, drops out of school, and sits on a street corner in Toronto with a sign, refusing to speak, living in a hostel for homeless people, and refusing to communicate with her family.
carabee's review against another edition
4.0
I will agree with those saying the book can be self indulgent and even boring at times. But I say this and think of all the other literary fiction that is equally so, written by men, but usually described instead as "pensive" or "relentless in its commitment to the wonder of the ordinary" or some such phrasing. As a result I challenged myself to carry on, as I did with Jonathan Safran Foer's everything is illuminated. The observations on the female role were excellent. Watching Shields explore the anxiety of wondering whether equality, whether being seen as blissfully and terribly and equally human, can ever be a matter of practice and not politically correct speeches... Well, it made every slow patch of plot worthwhile.
alwatts021's review
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
carolineroche's review against another edition
5.0
This is the second time I have read this book and I've been stunned by its lyrical power again. I love Carol Shields's writing - the way she draws out the inner life. A book to enrich your life.
emilyisreading2024's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed Unless. Shields' writing is beautiful, and I look forward to reading more of her books (especially The Stone Diaries). As others have mentioned, her word choice is impeccable. I didn't mind that it was slow-moving and I enjoyed reading about mother-daughter relationships. Some parts of Unless were a little annoying; I got tired of the repeated feminism theme. The narrator and her friends seem too hard on themselves at times. For example, I recall someone criticizing her for using the word "veggies." I wish she would give herself a break and relax a bit. Overall, though, this was very good.
sylviaisme's review against another edition
3.0
"A meno che" è la voce dell'inquietudine. Ti sfiora l'orecchio come una falena: la senti appena, eppure tutto dipende da questo sussurro.
A meno che: è la congiunzione inerte che porti con te, come una pietruzza nella piega di una tasca. Sempre presente, o assente. A meno che tu non abbia abbastanza fortuna, o abbastanza salute, a meno che tu non sia abbastanza fertile o non abbia qualcuno che ti ama e ti sostiene, a meno che tu non abbia chiarezza sul tuo orientamento sessuale o non abbia le stesse opportunità che si offrono ad altri, be', allora sei destinato a sprofondare nel buio e nella disperazione.
"A meno che" è un'uscita di sicurezza, è un tunnel che va verso la luce, il rovescio del non abbastanza.
amberhayward's review against another edition
4.0
I'm still processing this. It was nothing like expected and started slowly but about midway through it got incredibly compelling. It was at the point that I realized- really understood- that it was a book about a woman writing a book about a woman. Shields just has this way of writing where it didn't occur to me right away. And after that, I couldn't help but pay attention.
alanyoung's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a riveting book. In once sense so little happened but the everyday and the unexplained were so sensitively interwoven.
There were glorious touches of honesty and a wonderful depth of feeling.
Highly recommended!
There were glorious touches of honesty and a wonderful depth of feeling.
Highly recommended!