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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not loving the male main character. Too much for me. I didn't want to be in his head much longer.
I normally adore magical-realism. Jorge Luis Borges? A god. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende? Not so worthy of my praise.
The book was well-written, I'll give it that. The elements of good writing - the storytelling, the vocabulary, everything - were all there. Were it not for the fact that this book was well-written (and something that feels like it's of literary merit; I thought that I must get through because it will probably get better, it feels like it will get better), I probably wouldn't have been able to finish this book.
On that note, it's long. Ok, so 300-something pages isn't that long, you say? Well, when a story's plot sucks, and you have absolutely not care for the characters, 300-something pages feels like an eternity. Mentally, the asides and narrative felt unnecessary and dense as the story went on (I think this was mostly me being annoyed though). It just felt long because the plot was mediocre.
Plot, storyline: aside from minor annoyances above, I didn't like the plot. I felt completely detached, uncaring. I understood every allusion, every censored mention to the Poet (Pablo Neruda), every historical reference, and every symbol; usually when this happens, which is rare, I like the book if not sheerly because I feel accomplished. I just really didn't like the plot of this book.
That is all.
The book was well-written, I'll give it that. The elements of good writing - the storytelling, the vocabulary, everything - were all there. Were it not for the fact that this book was well-written (and something that feels like it's of literary merit; I thought that I must get through because it will probably get better, it feels like it will get better), I probably wouldn't have been able to finish this book.
On that note, it's long. Ok, so 300-something pages isn't that long, you say? Well, when a story's plot sucks, and you have absolutely not care for the characters, 300-something pages feels like an eternity. Mentally, the asides and narrative felt unnecessary and dense as the story went on (I think this was mostly me being annoyed though). It just felt long because the plot was mediocre.
Plot, storyline: aside from minor annoyances above, I didn't like the plot. I felt completely detached, uncaring. I understood every allusion, every censored mention to the Poet (Pablo Neruda), every historical reference, and every symbol; usually when this happens, which is rare, I like the book if not sheerly because I feel accomplished. I just really didn't like the plot of this book.
That is all.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wanted more
I always hesitate to critique a work in translation as I can never be certain that the shortcomings I see exist in the original language. There is no doubt that this is a significant work, with a haunting style that recalls, but doesn't quite reach, the best of magical realism. This multi-generational family drama is certainly interesting, but it isn't moving, and I think it wanted to be.
The characters don't invade you, they merely exist on the page as interesting diversions, and the quite long book suffers on that account. Without an emotional attachment to anyone, it's difficult to maintain interest, despit the interesting things that go on. I felt very removed from the story, thus its middling grade.
I always hesitate to critique a work in translation as I can never be certain that the shortcomings I see exist in the original language. There is no doubt that this is a significant work, with a haunting style that recalls, but doesn't quite reach, the best of magical realism. This multi-generational family drama is certainly interesting, but it isn't moving, and I think it wanted to be.
The characters don't invade you, they merely exist on the page as interesting diversions, and the quite long book suffers on that account. Without an emotional attachment to anyone, it's difficult to maintain interest, despit the interesting things that go on. I felt very removed from the story, thus its middling grade.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Police brutality, War
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes