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xbznskeieosoae's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-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? Yes
3.75
weejman33's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like there is a flamboyantly enjoyable way to do absurdism that this book did not quite reach. Eclectic prose can only take a novel so far.
kynessy_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
savaging's review against another edition
4.0
Sure I was sometimes bored and occasionally annoyed by this book, but when it is good it is the best. Bizarre and beautiful. And also full of new ways of thinking about matter and its relationship with life, and I know some of these sections are maybe just extended jokes but also I found them so poignant.
reeb's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
kdawn999's review against another edition
3.0
This collection was weird—in both good and unfulfilling ways. The stories are linked (having the same core family characters) but they don’t progress any particular plot. Rather, the draw here is to the fantastically surreal language. The stories are full of rich and strange descriptions, but these characterizations don’t lead to much happening. In fact, multiple stories seem to be telling the same story in passing—the diminishment and depression of the narrator’s father, who seems to morph, Kafka-like, into a dead bird or a cockroach. The title story isn’t as evocative as its title suggests, but I can see why the original English edition went with the title “Cinnamon Shops” since that story is heftier thematically and more interesting as we follow our narrator through the odd labyrinth of his town at night. Sadly, these stories didn’t seem to have anywhere to go as stories, but the mind at work is quite poetically creative. It’s an unforgivable tragedy that the author was killed so horribly and so early in his career.
patgur's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
conman0's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0