4.39 AVERAGE

reflective sad slow-paced

Un libro hermoso

La escritura de Shattuck me recordó a Olive Kitteridge de Elizabeth Strout, a las novelas de Kent Haruf (aunque con una prosa un poco más descriptiva). Es esa escritura sutil, que calla mucho más de lo que dice, que parece sencilla pero contiene una sensibilidad infinita. La clave no está en la trama, sino en imágenes, objetos, en momentos efímeros, en la vida interior de los personajes.

Shattuck construye un conjunto de relatos que vienen de a pares, uno se conecta con otro a través de algún detalle que atraviesa el paso del tiempo: una pintura que pasa de un dueño a otro, un árbol que sobrevive siglos, notas musicales garabateadas en una pared. El autor no sólo conecta distintas épocas a través de objetos, también lo hace a través de una región geográfica: Nueva Inglaterra y sus alrededores, poniendo un enfoque especial en el clima y las estaciones. Cómo los personajes se vinculan entre sí y, a su vez, con los paisajes y la naturaleza que habitan.

Todos los cuentos me parecieron preciosos, me sentí transportada a las escenas que Shattuck construye en cada uno de ellos. No puedo elegir un único par de cuentos favorito, realmente disfruté todos.
emotional mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
medium-paced

I enjoyed most of the stories but found some of them to be rather slow and I had a hard time staying interested. I loved how they were connected but wish there were more connections between the stories. 
challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced
emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
emotional reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A very New England book. Shattuck weaves short stories lightly together with simple prose and a gift for inner monologue. The title story leads off and is the strongest in the book, so it's nice that the motif gets revisited later on.
adventurous reflective medium-paced
emotional sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: N/A
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A
patricia_baker's profile picture

patricia_baker's review

4.0
adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Ben Shattuck’s The History of Sound is a beautifully crafted collection of interconnected stories that explore love, loss, and the passage of time with quiet elegance. His writing is deeply atmospheric, drawing me into each setting and moment with vivid detail. The way the stories weave together gives the book a sense of intimacy as if glimpsing different facets of a shared history. Some pieces resonated more than others, and a few left me wanting more depth, but overall, the collection is moving and beautifully written.