Reviews

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

readerisha_'s review against another edition

3.0

I dnt know

headunderrainbow's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

campbcar3's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

indigonite's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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

4.5

pezinho's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Such a unique literary voice. Never have I read a book that uses the actual formatting of the paragraphs as a storytelling tool. It was exciting and kept me wanting to continue reading to find in which ways the text would change.

So many parts of the book left me in awe of the smart decisions the writer made. Things like why having Reston share Navidson's experience mirrored the unreliability of the Hi8 footage of what happened in the house, for example.

I also liked seeing the different effects the horror the house presented had on the Navidson family compared to Johnny.

That being said, I didn't enjoy reading about Johnny's various sexual encounters nor did I find they added much to the book at all. Also, parts of the book are extremely hard, in my opinion, to get through as they dive into academic-level discussions of scientific and philosophical topics. So many times I would have finished a page and realized I did not know a single thing I had just read.

All and all, a really fun read and I could see myself re-reading it in the future.

jacksonromelli's review

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

pauliewayne's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

dr_zappy's review against another edition

5.0

Truly unhinged

abea's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

readingpisces's review against another edition

2.0

I did it. I finished this behemoth of a book!!