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bearprof's review against another edition
2.0
This is not the kind of literature I enjoy. I had to force myself to finish it (and would have stopped early on except I was reading it as part of a challenge). There were two lines I particularly liked. "You think you've discovered the joys of simple living, but it's just that you've made enough money." "No one'll even remember where you're buried.". Otherwise, it meandered and blended, with run-on paragraphs and unmarked dialogue, almost like a stream of consciousness in book form.
moviebuffkt's review against another edition
1.0
I read a comment on GoodReads that said something about this being the kind of book where you read each sentence multiple times and still have no idea what is going on.
Another commenter said "This book makes you feel stupid while you read it, but smart when you tell every one of your friends that you finished it." This is the comment I most agree with. I just... did not get this book. At all. And I was frustrated because I felt like I was missing something. In The Guardian review, it is noted that this is "a book that demands respect, but is hard to love." I feel much the same way about the main character, Mehring. Although... I don't think he deserved respect. He's just hard to love...
Mehring was a sexual predator, and his vanity and isolation set the tone for the book. Themes of death, and a return to the earth were poignant, as were the issues of cross-cultural racism found in S. Africa, but through the frame of the novel, I could not easily cull these story lines.
Another commenter said "This book makes you feel stupid while you read it, but smart when you tell every one of your friends that you finished it." This is the comment I most agree with. I just... did not get this book. At all. And I was frustrated because I felt like I was missing something. In The Guardian review, it is noted that this is "a book that demands respect, but is hard to love." I feel much the same way about the main character, Mehring. Although... I don't think he deserved respect. He's just hard to love...
Mehring was a sexual predator, and his vanity and isolation set the tone for the book. Themes of death, and a return to the earth were poignant, as were the issues of cross-cultural racism found in S. Africa, but through the frame of the novel, I could not easily cull these story lines.
eggilybread's review against another edition
2.0
Some interesting ideas and perspectives but overall too difficult to get through and not very engaging.
shoshin's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Once again, I feel like I was missing a lot that I might have understood better with a better grounding in South African culture.
taylorelm's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Strange dreamlike quality, told well
damopedro's review against another edition
3.0
A very frustrating book. She can describe a scene or situation beautifully. Better than most. However she ditched quotation marks when people speak in favour of a dash at either end of their sentence. Why? It makes it harder to know when someone is speaking or to tell just who is speaking. That alone really frustrated me. She also tends to write Mehrings thoughts much like real thoughts take place - with lots of skipping around between the current and the past, mixing up of situations. It's not exactly easy to follow. Not a great book for reading when you're tired and your concentration isn't at its best.
janson's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
DNF. I just don’t care at all about the characters. And the writing isn’t enough to keep me within.
shanviolinlove's review against another edition
2.0
Barring a few great scenes and lovely metaphoric language, I am still nonplussed how this book won so many awards. A book mainly based on conversations can, indeed, have merit, but a book with frequent time jumps--all the while in present tense--and confusing dialogues with no entrances? Hard to follow. It was definitely a chore to get through this novel.