Reviews

Parasol Against the Axe by Helen Oyeyemi

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megansmith's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I don’t know if this is one of those books I was just honestly too stupid to understand, or if this is actually a mindfuck for the general population, but I hardly had a single idea what was going on the entire time. This book feels like an unending ramble and I had a hard time making heads or tails of what was happening. It was hard to understand who characters were because of the way they were introduced, there were also way too many plot lines introduced in such confusing ways to make any sense with the stories and stories within the story included. This book felt pointless and just when maybe the point of the novel was summed up in one of the last two pages, I lost my interest in caring about what the book meant, and why I should care. Truly so frustrating and not a relief to read! The description on this book threw me off so much. Its not wrong but its very misleading for how this book actually is! I dont think id recommend this unless you want something that makes you really confused and love confusing endings that dont make sense.

I will say - I didnt give this a lower rating because some of the stories were intriguing, and I was struck by the last line in the book that kind of summed it all up. I do think though the book could be more straightforward AND still make the point it was trying to make. Just not my preferred writing style or cup of tea. Her writing can be very descriptive and I found myself in parts of Prague reading this (which is part of why I picked this up). I could also see some of the more comedic moments in the story with her great sense of description. So it has some merits, and if you like a real mind-bender, this would be for you.

fabulousdave's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I enjoyed it when it leaned in on its more abstract elements and the last chapter was brilliant start to finish, but there are abstract novels from this year that I've enjoyed more.

readingtheend's review against another edition

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2.0

WELL I suppose at some point I'm going to have to accept the idea that Helen Oyeyemi's new books aren't auto-buys for me anymore. I haven't loved one since Boy, Snow, Bird, which itself I felt bloody complicated about. Parasol against the Axe kind of felt like nothing, just a collection of events and idas and images that didn't come together for me into a coherent whole (which in retrospect is how I felt about the train journey book as well). Blah. Crushing.