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eitaknnif's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Calvino is amazing. Why are we not all talking about this author?
arby55's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Overall I had fun with it, there are some great stories and I love the experimental risks Calvino takes, although I didn’t feel they always work. I recommend breaking up the compilation and reading one short story collection at a time as they were released. I don’t get the impression that Calvino ever anticipated all 400 pages of these stories to be read as a single work and they get really redundant when read that way. If you’re interested in the concept of the cosmicomics but don’t feel like reading the whole thing, the first Cosmicomics collection alone is probably satisfying enough.
chloechloe's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
rajaraks's review
3.0
I was so excited to read this because I loved Invisible Cities. The first section of stories were fun, silly, and fanciful. Then they became experiments with math and run-on sentences... I started to skim. By the time it came back around to stories that I could follow and care about, I lost my interest in the book as a whole.
First, basically all of his female characters are one, maybe, two dimensional characters. Almost always love interests. With so much imagination in him, you'd think Calvino would have been able to craft better supporting characters. (I realize the stories are really short but it gets annoying when you read the 20th story with a similar concept to the previous 19.)
And second, after reading the introduction after finishing the book, there is a lot of "background information" and references that I just didn't have. I enjoy homages and tributes but when the story is dependent on you knowing the reference and can't stand on its own, I think it's a weak story. Plus, it's elitist. It's my preference, of course, but I feel like the author shouldn't penalize the reader if they haven't has the opportunity to come across the same material the author has had the privilege to read.
That being said, I really do appreciate the amount of creativity and scientific topics he plays with. Like many others my favorite story is the first one (in my version at least): The Distance of the Moon. There are some other stories that I enjoyed as well but as a whole, I can't say the same.
First, basically all of his female characters are one, maybe, two dimensional characters. Almost always love interests. With so much imagination in him, you'd think Calvino would have been able to craft better supporting characters. (I realize the stories are really short but it gets annoying when you read the 20th story with a similar concept to the previous 19.)
And second, after reading the introduction after finishing the book, there is a lot of "background information" and references that I just didn't have. I enjoy homages and tributes but when the story is dependent on you knowing the reference and can't stand on its own, I think it's a weak story. Plus, it's elitist. It's my preference, of course, but I feel like the author shouldn't penalize the reader if they haven't has the opportunity to come across the same material the author has had the privilege to read.
That being said, I really do appreciate the amount of creativity and scientific topics he plays with. Like many others my favorite story is the first one (in my version at least): The Distance of the Moon. There are some other stories that I enjoyed as well but as a whole, I can't say the same.
deanpeters's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
cous_reads's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
catlady496's review
4.0
Calvino is one of my favorite authors. His style is descriptive, yet vague, and this book shows off his versatility in all types of writing within a confined space. His prose is some of my favorite. He’s a master of listing and colons spawn every few sentences.
This book is not for everyone, of course. I think only people who enjoy long winded, convoluted, and theoretical discussion of literature and science in a story will like this. Every story is different, and the timelines of the main character don’t match up. Time moves in an arbitrary manner. Calvino dares the reader to throw any belief out the window and take a whimsical voyage with him.
My favorite thing about Calvino is that his writing is collaborative. He always put forth that while he wrote the story, he wanted the reader involved in the creation. His vague points allow an entrance for the reader into the text.
I guess my only gripe is sometimes I’m not always able to throw off all my sense of the world. And that can throw me out of the story. In one story we can go from dinosaurs talking in one line to that dinosaur stepping onto a train car.
This book is not for everyone, of course. I think only people who enjoy long winded, convoluted, and theoretical discussion of literature and science in a story will like this. Every story is different, and the timelines of the main character don’t match up. Time moves in an arbitrary manner. Calvino dares the reader to throw any belief out the window and take a whimsical voyage with him.
My favorite thing about Calvino is that his writing is collaborative. He always put forth that while he wrote the story, he wanted the reader involved in the creation. His vague points allow an entrance for the reader into the text.
I guess my only gripe is sometimes I’m not always able to throw off all my sense of the world. And that can throw me out of the story. In one story we can go from dinosaurs talking in one line to that dinosaur stepping onto a train car.
rymoffatt's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
sebswann's review
4.0
If you like collections of fictional short stories influenced by mathematical and scientific concepts; while Calvino’s works are at times confusing and complex, they can be also deeply thought-provoking. He has a unique way of diving into and elaborating on the briefest of moments.