Reviews

The House of Sleep by Jonathan Coe

lucalrbass's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

5.0

zoebeketova's review

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dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

cloroformio's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5

soukainainblue's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

nle2004's review against another edition

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5.0

Роман - калейдоскоп, где странным образом складываются причудливые узоры. И если сначала кажется, что можно догадаться, что за картинка получится, то, с развитием сюжета, роман становится все более необычным. Коу удивительно красиво совмещает темы одиночества, грусти, поиска себя с невероятно смешной и умной социальной сатирой. Даже самые пронзительные сцены написаны так, что без улыбки их читать невозможно. Каждая деталь продумана и обязательно будет подкреплена какой-то новой информацией, ни один вопрос не останется без ответа. Мастерски написанный роман, очень рекомендую!

frostblade's review against another edition

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4.0

[Review in romanian]
Romanul The House of Sleep surprinde povestile a patru personaje centrale si doar cateva secundare si totusi ramanem cu impresia unui amalgam de vieti si de trairi interioare, in parte datorita celor doua fluxuri temporale pe care se bazeaza autorul. Din punct de vedere structural, Coe face o treaba grozava, plasand capitolele cu numar impar in anii ’83-’84, cand personajele isi traiesc ultimii ani de studentie, iar pe cele cu numar par cu 12 ani mai tarziu, cand aceste personaje reiau in mod curios si atipic vechile legaturi. Asadar capitolele fluctueaza de la un personaj la altul intr-un trecut si un prezent/viitor care ni se dezvaluie treptat.

Firul narativ tinde sa se complice pe sine insusi, raporturile trecut-prezent parand in unele momente artificiale, insa personajele sunt cat se poate de interesante, desi ridicole, si evident, toate legate cumva de problema somnului. Doctorul Dudden trece de la studentul pasionat la personajul obsedat de somn, pe care il vede ca pe o boala; Sarah Tudor – studenta care sufera de narcolepsie si care trece dintr-o relatie dificila catre una cu o alta femeie; Robert – infatuat de tanara Sarah pana la punctul in care ar face absolut orice de dragul ei; si Terry Worth, pasionatul de arta filmului, care devine insomniac cronic si ghinionist de elita.

Cu totii sufera insa de mai multe probleme decat ne dam seama in prima faza, devenind posibil personajele tragice ale unei farse.
Trebuie sa mentionam totusi alaturi de motivul somnului pe cel al nisipului – efemer si miscator. Robert construieste la un moment dat un castel de nisip, ceea ce o determina pe Sarah sa-i dea porecla Omul-nisipurilor: Sandman – cel care picura copiilor nisip in ochi seara, atunci cand sunt somnorosi; in acelasi timp – Sandman, schimbator si efemer intre trecut si prezent.

sklewi's review against another edition

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dark funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A gloomy academia-ish read. Some of the humor had me chuckling and some I felt was a real miss, especially later in the book. Not sure if this is because it was written in '98, but kids being raunchy and some of the sexual humor just didn't land with me. I did enjoy how the storylines and characters between the two timelines connected. The structure of the novel being segmented into stages of sleep was well done and clever. And delving into the different sleep issues of the characters was very interesting. 

qdony's review against another edition

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5.0

(4,5/5)

Estoy entre las 4 y las 5 estrellas, pero le pondré als 5 por originalidad y por estructura. El paralelismo más importante que le veo con el mundo del sueño, el elemento más onírico, es lo cerrado del microcosmos de personajes que compone, lo anómalo de sus rasgos distintivos (y su relación con el sueño y los sueños) y lo improbable de algunos encuentros y desencuentros. Coe escribe muy bien, con una prosa curiosamente convencional (nada que ver con la calidad) dado lo extraño de la narración. El narrador es omnisciente en tercera persona y salta de una a otra focalización sin problemas, y eso puede hacer que nos distanciemos un poco de los personajes. A medida que progresa, la novela se va sembrando de símbolos autorreferenciales que aumentan la sensación de mundo narrativo compacto. Es una novela bastante sutil. Un descubrimiento.

adishimoni's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

marinetta's review against another edition

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4.0

9/10
Τι να λέμε τώρα για τον πανέξυπνο Κόου; Ελπίζω το επίμετρο στην ελληνική έκδοση να του το χουν μεταφράσει , να χαρεί με το πόσο ωραία τα λένε γι αυτόν!