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lacommunarde's review against another edition
3.0
Epic novel set in southern France during cholera season. This book could more appropriately be called "Love in the Time of Cholera" than the book that's actually titled that. Oh, and did I mention cholera? The number of scenes where people are dying of cholera is excessive, even more so than the movie which is based on it (a very good film). The rambles don't seem to have much point either, and just seem to be different people's view of cholera. The writing is also confusing and very, very slow. The main characters are adorable though.
chickienuggies's review against another edition
2.0
This felt unnecessarily long, extremely repetitive, and kinda boring overall but maybe that's just because I really don't have the mental capacity to care right now (and also I read it in French so there was less chance of me enjoying/understanding it *sigh*). The beginning felt the strongest because there's an air of mystery around why people are dropping dead like flies if you go in reading blind. But then its just death after death after death and characters (that are barely memorable) coming and going and coming and going. At least one of them came back and stuck with Angelo through a good part of the story, but even that didn't help much. Angelo himself seems like a good guy, but to the point where he feels fake and kinda meh as a character. I did like the chonk tho; even though it wasn't hugely significant, it was one of the few things that made me happy while reading this. Gosh I hope the last book of this course will be 1) something I can actually finish, and 2) at least a bit more fun to read.
1.5 stars, but I'll round up cause I reserve the 1-star section strictly for Ross Sinclair and Giono doesn't even come near to inducing the same amount of pain.
1.5 stars, but I'll round up cause I reserve the 1-star section strictly for Ross Sinclair and Giono doesn't even come near to inducing the same amount of pain.
clumsymushrooom's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5 ⭐
Some positive, some less so.
Positive rating:
- Jean Giono's writing. He's one of those writers who manages to combine the beautiful and the repulsive to create a kind of poetic ugliness, and I love that.
- The idea wasn't bad, it had all the ingredients for a good book (a journey, a deadly epidemic, a love story...),...
BUT :
- I got bored. Not much happens. And yet I swear I'm not one of those people who wants action at every turn, no, I like contemplation and slowness, but in this case, I felt I'd been sold too much of a dream for not very much. Little bursts of animation from time to time, and if not, pages and pages telling us that Angelo goes from village to village.
- Big con, guys. You don't want to know how long he stays on a roof.
In any case, I don't want to tear off this book because thanks to the writing, I still have fine memories of it, as a book that transformed horror into literary beauty.
Some positive, some less so.
Positive rating:
- Jean Giono's writing. He's one of those writers who manages to combine the beautiful and the repulsive to create a kind of poetic ugliness, and I love that.
- The idea wasn't bad, it had all the ingredients for a good book (a journey, a deadly epidemic, a love story...),...
BUT :
- I got bored. Not much happens. And yet I swear I'm not one of those people who wants action at every turn, no, I like contemplation and slowness, but in this case, I felt I'd been sold too much of a dream for not very much. Little bursts of animation from time to time, and if not, pages and pages telling us that Angelo goes from village to village.
- Big con, guys. You don't want to know how long he stays on a roof.
In any case, I don't want to tear off this book because thanks to the writing, I still have fine memories of it, as a book that transformed horror into literary beauty.
djussswa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
marneyjane's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
alicia_zh's review against another edition
1.0
Alors c'était long, vraiment long. Je ne vais pas mentir, j'ai eu du mal à rentrer dans l'histoire, mais quand c'est arrivé c'est arrivé. Malheureusement, ça c'est très vite estompé et j'ai du faire beaucoup d'effort pour le finir. Je dois avouer que j'ai un peu lu les 20 dernières pages en diagonale car je commençais à dodeliner de la tête
inesdef's review against another edition
2.0
Lent, très lent, je n’arrivais pas à en voir le bout.
Intéressant par contre de voir les similitudes dans les comportements entre l’épidémie de choléra et celle du covid.
Intéressant par contre de voir les similitudes dans les comportements entre l’épidémie de choléra et celle du covid.