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my_corner_of_the_library's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Writing
How do I even talk about this...I feel like I could both boast and rant about the writing of this book. I feel like I need to break this down into a few different parts.
John's POV
I would have loved getting John's POV if I wasn't so annoyed by it. The decision to incorporate the POV of someone experiencing the story with us was such a unique and amazing thing to read, however...It felt like it didn't come a satisfying conclusion and ultimately was unreliable and useless given the fact that
Zampano's POV/The Meta Analysis
This was...interesting. I absolutely loved when the formatting would change and become obscure. It felt as though it added an extra level of immersion to the story. Spirling down the staircase with the characters, and having the lines draw out into a tight three lines while crawling through a tight space gave a unique experience that I will be longing to find in other books.
Now, I'm not sure if the analytic writing style added or took from the story. It often felt like we were going on random rants that were meant to show just how smart Zampano thought he was, but at the same time it all eventually felt necessary and useful, like the analysis of the meaning of echo's that ultimately
The Plot
I adored the actual story of this book. It felt real and at the same time insane and supernatural. It didn't feel like any characters were safe and I felt as though I never knew what would happen or how it would end. I found myself physically gasping on several occasions. I kept feeling like I understood what was happening and how things would go, only for the exact opposite to happen.
It was interesting and captivating.
Conclusion
There are many many many other aspects of this book I could touch on, but I feel like I'll need several re-reads before I am actually in a place to give a critical analysis.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse
13octopus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Blood
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, and Incest
aubreyhi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I won't tell you what it's about ... plenty of other reviews do that. Instead, I will say if you are interested in language or film or space or placemaking or grief or mental illness or explorations within this is the book for you.
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Grief
miagw962's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
...and this great blue world of ours seems a house of leaves moments before the wind.
What a wild ride! Didn't really know what to expect with this one so kind of went into it blind. I had a feeling it would blow me away and it did to some extent (but maybe not in the way I thought it would). I've heard people discuss this book and say how life-changing it was, how disturbing, 'they couldn't have the physical book in their room while they slept' things like that. I kind of wanted to feel something so intense like that but I didn't. I just felt that this was a really well-constructed and thought-provoking story. Endlessly interesting and frustrating, it continually held my focus and kept me thinking what would happen next. I love the story-within-a-story concept and I think Danielewski did such a good job at creating such an ambiguous piece to be interpreted by many. Who really wrote House of Leaves? I'm of the house of thought that Zampano wrote all of it, even Johnny's parts. Also, I very much believe that Zampano inserted himself into the narrative in the form of
Anyway, this book was just so interactive in the way that yes, you physically have to move the book around to read some parts but you also have to think really hard about what it all means. OR you don't have to think hard and just read it at face value. There are a lot of passages that critically analyse aspects of the fictitious plot that we are reading about AS YOU READ IT which was super cool and also gave me many more ideas. Overall, I just did have a great time with this book. In my opinion, it all boils down to family relationships - everything you are is related to what your parents were to you. Your relationship with your siblings also affects the way you think and act. Your relationship to your spouse and your children also fuels your actions and feelings. At every twist and turn, whether from The Navidson Record or from Johnny's perspective, it all boiled down to relationships (
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
bumpyjazz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Gun violence
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
chandle5's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death and Mental illness
nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
antares's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
and holy shit, did i love it. i have way too many thoughts and notes to even summarize my adoration and analysis here but it was right up my alley.
of course, this is not a book for everyone—This is not for you. but if you’re a fan of ergodic literature, academic criticism, and long-winded hedonistic stream-of-consciousnesses, and if you know what you’re in for, then i would recommend it.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Minor: Ableism, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Sexism, Death of parent, and War
haloform's review against another edition
5.0
aside from the incredible formatting, house of leaves is beautifully well written and one of the most terrifying books ive ever read. finishing it doesnt feel real, it feels like youll still be in that house forever
finally: yes, the johnny truant parts are long. dont worry, by page 150 youll love him
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
5am's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Dementia, Car accident, and Alcohol
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Cancer, Cannibalism, and War