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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Anais Nin is a beautiful writer with such unusual writing style. Profundity being equally measurable to its confusing nature, ‘under the glass bell’ was quite a disturbing and poetic read. Somehow Anais captures feminine rage, the feeling of shrinking and despair so perfectly. Some of the lines were breathtaking and astounding despite how nonsensical a lot of the stories were to me. I didn’t find this easy to read, and initially I felt dismissive of her dense and dramatic way of writing, but the second half of the book was really beautiful. In the first half I mostly felt like I was missing something, perhaps some context or the underpinning themes or thoughts to each short story but once I let go of trying to understand I enjoyed it a lot more. Personally, a lot of her stories really epitomised battles with mental illness. Anais deserves more recognition as her lines (though not always coherent) are so magnetic. This book will stick with me I’m sure and I’m looking forward to reflecting on her work in more detail.
reflective
medium-paced
I gave this book 4 stars, not so much because I enjoyed it, but because of the power of the writing. The stories are actually quite depressing, dealing with sadness, loss, cruelty and unresolved tension. Her imagery is intensely vivid, so much so that there were times I felt I was so entangled in the vines of her words that I couldn't see the forest for the trees, so to speak. For all that, I think it's still well worth a read, for the beauty of her language alone.
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I am not the biggest fan of short stories, I'd rather relish in a good long one if I have the time and energy for it, but this was just lovely.
There are 13 short tales in this book, all of them very dreamlike, almost abstract in places but the writing is so excellent, the metaphors so well chosen they enchanted me into believing it was all real.
This was my first book of this author, but I am dying to read her journals which I have also purchased recently. I would highly recommend this colourfull and stirring collection to anyone !
There are 13 short tales in this book, all of them very dreamlike, almost abstract in places but the writing is so excellent, the metaphors so well chosen they enchanted me into believing it was all real.
This was my first book of this author, but I am dying to read her journals which I have also purchased recently. I would highly recommend this colourfull and stirring collection to anyone !
3.75... this is bonkers but beautiful at times. It can get too confusing and metaphorical tho, it demands attention.
