Scan barcode
kayasreads's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
withlovebatman's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Written very, very beautifully
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Mental illness
clairewords's review against another edition
3.0
A single mother of two boys wants to take them on a little holiday near the sea. That might sound simple enough, but it is a major life event and challenge for this mother, who suffers from some kind of mental affliction that requires her to take daily medication.
This trip is out of the ordinary and we experience it from inside the mind of the mother, the stream of consciousness narrative is so effective here, it gets inside your own mind as you read and we feel her sense of anxiety and the hostility of the outside world, from which she wishes to protect her children.
An incredible novella, I just couldn't give it any more stars, as I don't particularly enjoy going into that state and arriving at its inevitable conclusion.
It is an interesting challenge, that an author would choose to travel inside the mind of someone like this and I am sure this was probably one of the works that the publisher Mieke Ziervogel read as research in writing her book 'Magda'.
Poignant and thought-provoking too, given the issues that lie beneath its surface, this is the story that is never told and rarely understood by the public, who only see the end result and judge it too easily.
This is the first book in the Peirene Press Female Voices: Inner Realities series.
My full review here at Word by Word.
This trip is out of the ordinary and we experience it from inside the mind of the mother, the stream of consciousness narrative is so effective here, it gets inside your own mind as you read and we feel her sense of anxiety and the hostility of the outside world, from which she wishes to protect her children.
An incredible novella, I just couldn't give it any more stars, as I don't particularly enjoy going into that state and arriving at its inevitable conclusion.
It is an interesting challenge, that an author would choose to travel inside the mind of someone like this and I am sure this was probably one of the works that the publisher Mieke Ziervogel read as research in writing her book 'Magda'.
Poignant and thought-provoking too, given the issues that lie beneath its surface, this is the story that is never told and rarely understood by the public, who only see the end result and judge it too easily.
This is the first book in the Peirene Press Female Voices: Inner Realities series.
My full review here at Word by Word.
your_true_shelf's review against another edition
5.0
Not a lot happens throughout most of the book, but it doesn't matter as its so beautifully written. The insight you get into the characters is amazing. I can feel how it feels to be the narrator. The translation is fantastic. Even though this book is heartbreaking, it's very much worth reading, it's a real work of art.
silverthane's review against another edition
1.0
The story is a narrative told by a mother who takes her two children to the seaside for a holiday. It quickly becomes apparent that she is not the best mother in the world; she can't organise anything properly, shes gets flustered very easily and doesn't have two pennies to rub together. Her children are, on the whole, a pain in the neck and she is almost completely unable to cope with their behaviour.
The story effectively highlights the difficulties faced every day by single mothers and the frustration she feels at their povety however there is a much darker thread throughout the story.
The mother is scared of life, suffers from mental illness and has had her abilities as a mother openly questioned by the authorities. She is close to the edge and the events of the story are a build up to the terrible ending.
I could be specific and mention what happens but if you think about it long enough its not difficult to come to the correct conclusion.
The ending really pained me to read it. I suppose in some ways it is the mark of a good storyteller and writer to be able to terrify the reader so well however the book will only be given one star because, although undeniably powerful, I hated the way this book ended. Not disliked you understand but HATED.
A story truly devoid of hope and, I feel, purpose. Why write a story like that? Does the world need pain and misery in fiction? I don't think so. We have enough of it in reality
The story effectively highlights the difficulties faced every day by single mothers and the frustration she feels at their povety however there is a much darker thread throughout the story.
The mother is scared of life, suffers from mental illness and has had her abilities as a mother openly questioned by the authorities. She is close to the edge and the events of the story are a build up to the terrible ending.
I could be specific and mention what happens but if you think about it long enough its not difficult to come to the correct conclusion.
The ending really pained me to read it. I suppose in some ways it is the mark of a good storyteller and writer to be able to terrify the reader so well however the book will only be given one star because, although undeniably powerful, I hated the way this book ended. Not disliked you understand but HATED.
A story truly devoid of hope and, I feel, purpose. Why write a story like that? Does the world need pain and misery in fiction? I don't think so. We have enough of it in reality
nancyjzigler's review against another edition
1.0
I always feel people shouldn’t judge a book based off of subject matter, as it simply demonstrates an ignorance to appreciate the beauty of words, and form, and all the other lovely things that make up writing. That being said, I had to put my blind spot on for this one. It felt unfair to juxtapose so much suffering alongside two sweet children, and the mother acting against her children (as in killing them) was too much for me as a mother to read and appreciate. I believe in mental illness/stigma, but if a book also acts as a political statement, I don’t think this one accomplished or gave credit to the lyricism and honesty of the writing because of the end shock value.
pallavi_sharma87's review against another edition
5.0
***5.0***
A single mother takes her two boys to the sea shore. But something is not right. what?
Narrated by an mentally unstable woman, who is mentally ill with depression, insomnia, poverty, chemical imbalance and the responsibility of motherhood where she has to look after two little sons, Kevin (5) and Stan(9).
The mother here does not like the world around her. The world terrifies her, does not understand her and she wants to save her boys from this cruel world. Extremely raw but beautifully written. Its a gut wrenching tale of sadness and also a insight on metal illness. The plot reminds me of [a:Toni Morrison|3534|Toni Morrison|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1494211316p2/3534.jpg]'s [b:Beloved|6149|Beloved|Toni Morrison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347984578l/6149._SY75_.jpg|736076].
A very short read which makes us think - am I doing a good job? should I be proud of my accomplishments when many suffer around me? am I a reason for someone's misery or adding to it, being thoughtless?
Happy Reading!!!
A single mother takes her two boys to the sea shore. But something is not right. what?
Narrated by an mentally unstable woman, who is mentally ill with depression, insomnia, poverty, chemical imbalance and the responsibility of motherhood where she has to look after two little sons, Kevin (5) and Stan(9).
The mother here does not like the world around her. The world terrifies her, does not understand her and she wants to save her boys from this cruel world. Extremely raw but beautifully written. Its a gut wrenching tale of sadness and also a insight on metal illness. The plot reminds me of [a:Toni Morrison|3534|Toni Morrison|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1494211316p2/3534.jpg]'s [b:Beloved|6149|Beloved|Toni Morrison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347984578l/6149._SY75_.jpg|736076].
A very short read which makes us think - am I doing a good job? should I be proud of my accomplishments when many suffer around me? am I a reason for someone's misery or adding to it, being thoughtless?
Happy Reading!!!
edwing3's review against another edition
4.0
This was tough.
I do not want to spoil anything because you want to read the book without knowing to much about it but, trust me, you will get a sense of what is happening pretty soon.
In my opinion this slim book is really powerful because of the insights into a fragile and twisted mind it provides. While reading it I could feel the same restless distress of the main character.
Absolutely recommended.
I do not want to spoil anything because you want to read the book without knowing to much about it but, trust me, you will get a sense of what is happening pretty soon.
In my opinion this slim book is really powerful because of the insights into a fragile and twisted mind it provides. While reading it I could feel the same restless distress of the main character.
Absolutely recommended.
bashbashbashbash's review against another edition
4.0
The European obsession with the Unnatural Mother has a lengthy history, from the oral folktale to the contemporary tabloid. Olmi's sharp novella is narrated by a woman whose financial and psychological deterioration lead her to the conclusion that she must murder both her beloved young sons.
This is a triumph of voice: we are immediately swept up and washed out to the muddy, bleak seaside along with this woman and her two boys. The narrator is in a constant state of oscillation: in the past, in the present; sometimes speaking only for herself, sometimes presenting herself and the boys as a complete unit; now loving her sons, now bewildered at their needs, their yearning, their anger. We are dragged through a featureless brown hotel, to the iron sea and around a shrieking, miserable funfair, until the final, irrevocable scene, when the murders are done.
Olmi plays a great narrative trick, because not only does the reader begin to understand the narrator's interior but also, through her, we begin to comprehend her sons, Kevin (5) and Stan (9). Though the narrator often projects her own mental state onto them, it's easy to see the effects of their mother's instability upon them. Stan withdraws into himself, and behaves perfectly in public in order to compensate for his mother's erratic actions and his own ill-fitted clothes, while Kevin yearns and yearns for affection, for his needs to once and for all be met. The narrator sees the signs of these things, but often she misinterprets, or else does not take them on board at all, but rather discards the signs of her sons' distress.
The translation is exceptional and effective, capturing the narrator's breathless colloquial voice perfectly. Yep, this is a good translation full of British colloquialisms. You will forget it was written first in French.
This is a triumph of voice: we are immediately swept up and washed out to the muddy, bleak seaside along with this woman and her two boys. The narrator is in a constant state of oscillation: in the past, in the present; sometimes speaking only for herself, sometimes presenting herself and the boys as a complete unit; now loving her sons, now bewildered at their needs, their yearning, their anger. We are dragged through a featureless brown hotel, to the iron sea and around a shrieking, miserable funfair, until the final, irrevocable scene, when the murders are done.
Olmi plays a great narrative trick, because not only does the reader begin to understand the narrator's interior but also, through her, we begin to comprehend her sons, Kevin (5) and Stan (9). Though the narrator often projects her own mental state onto them, it's easy to see the effects of their mother's instability upon them. Stan withdraws into himself, and behaves perfectly in public in order to compensate for his mother's erratic actions and his own ill-fitted clothes, while Kevin yearns and yearns for affection, for his needs to once and for all be met. The narrator sees the signs of these things, but often she misinterprets, or else does not take them on board at all, but rather discards the signs of her sons' distress.
The translation is exceptional and effective, capturing the narrator's breathless colloquial voice perfectly. Yep, this is a good translation full of British colloquialisms. You will forget it was written first in French.
yasmin69801's review against another edition
5.0
This book plain killed me. I'll probably write about it after I can catch my breath.
داستان مادرى فرانسوى (و احتمالا جوان و بى پول، و هرگز همسرى نداشته) و دو پسر كوچكش كه به كنار دريا ميروند احتمالا بايد داستان شادى باشد.
اين طور نيست.
اولمى اين كتاب رو بعد از خوندن يك خبر توى روزنامه مينويسه. به زيبايى و درستى خودش رو توى قالب اون مادر قرار ميده، مادرى كه خسته و خسته ست، از باران، از گرسنگى، از اينكه تمام پس اندازش رو سكه ها تشكيل ميدن و براى خرج كردن اونها هر دفعه بايد به فروشنده ها توضيح بده كه همين پولها رو فقط داره، و البته، از نا اميد كردن دو پسر كوچكش. استان نه ساله، ظاهرا بچه باهوش و با كفايتيه كه ميتونه از پس خودش و برادر كوچيكترش بربياد. كوين شش ساله، يه پسر كوچيك و شيرينه كه هنوز هرچيزى كه مامان بگه رو با تمام وجود باور ميكنه. توصيفات كتاب عالى ان. ميشه فهميد اون دهكده ى بارونى چه طور جاييه، اون هتل نفرت انگيز هميشه خلوت چه رنگايي داره، و اينكه مادر كنار درياى طوفانى چه احساسى داره كه بچه هاش رو نا اميد كرده، از ديدن "درياى آبى".
نهايتا به اين نتيجه ميرسه كه نميتونه به اونها اجازه بده تو دنيا با اين فلاكت به زندگيشون ادامه بدن، و تك تك روى صورت پسرهاى كوچيكش بالش ميذاره تا توى خواب از دنيا برن و بتونن توى اون دنيا هواى همديگه رو داشته باشن.
وحشتناك ترين اتفاقى كه ميتونه براى يك مادر بيفته، چنين نا اميدى اى هست كه منجر به كشتن فرزنداش، جگر گوشه هاى خودش بشه. چطور انسان به جايى ميرسه كه آفريده هاى خودش رو نابود ميكنه، به صرف حمايت از اونها؟
داستان عالى بود و كمكم كرد بيشتر توى ذهن اين مادر قرار بگيرم.كار فوق العاده وحشتناكش رو تأييد نميكنم، اما ميتونم دليلش رو درك كنم. ترجمه آوا قائمى هم عالى بود و خيلى به دلم نشست.
داستان مادرى فرانسوى (و احتمالا جوان و بى پول، و هرگز همسرى نداشته) و دو پسر كوچكش كه به كنار دريا ميروند احتمالا بايد داستان شادى باشد.
اين طور نيست.
اولمى اين كتاب رو بعد از خوندن يك خبر توى روزنامه مينويسه. به زيبايى و درستى خودش رو توى قالب اون مادر قرار ميده، مادرى كه خسته و خسته ست، از باران، از گرسنگى، از اينكه تمام پس اندازش رو سكه ها تشكيل ميدن و براى خرج كردن اونها هر دفعه بايد به فروشنده ها توضيح بده كه همين پولها رو فقط داره، و البته، از نا اميد كردن دو پسر كوچكش. استان نه ساله، ظاهرا بچه باهوش و با كفايتيه كه ميتونه از پس خودش و برادر كوچيكترش بربياد. كوين شش ساله، يه پسر كوچيك و شيرينه كه هنوز هرچيزى كه مامان بگه رو با تمام وجود باور ميكنه. توصيفات كتاب عالى ان. ميشه فهميد اون دهكده ى بارونى چه طور جاييه، اون هتل نفرت انگيز هميشه خلوت چه رنگايي داره، و اينكه مادر كنار درياى طوفانى چه احساسى داره كه بچه هاش رو نا اميد كرده، از ديدن "درياى آبى".
نهايتا به اين نتيجه ميرسه كه نميتونه به اونها اجازه بده تو دنيا با اين فلاكت به زندگيشون ادامه بدن، و تك تك روى صورت پسرهاى كوچيكش بالش ميذاره تا توى خواب از دنيا برن و بتونن توى اون دنيا هواى همديگه رو داشته باشن.
وحشتناك ترين اتفاقى كه ميتونه براى يك مادر بيفته، چنين نا اميدى اى هست كه منجر به كشتن فرزنداش، جگر گوشه هاى خودش بشه. چطور انسان به جايى ميرسه كه آفريده هاى خودش رو نابود ميكنه، به صرف حمايت از اونها؟
داستان عالى بود و كمكم كرد بيشتر توى ذهن اين مادر قرار بگيرم.كار فوق العاده وحشتناكش رو تأييد نميكنم، اما ميتونم دليلش رو درك كنم. ترجمه آوا قائمى هم عالى بود و خيلى به دلم نشست.