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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Lispector's style is loaded with introspective aphorisms that, individually, attract attention for their authentic-Being quality and elegance. One would think that her writing therefore demands a slow, meditative read, but Lispector doesn't make that easy. This novel is thrilling; it's rapturous. Like Água Viva, it begs to be re-read, to be studied and dissected, and it exists in such a state that encourages such an approach without it losing immediacy or intensity.
My copy of this novel declared Lispector 'the greatest Latin American woman prose writer of the twentieth century.' That phrase seemed cumbersome and almost overly narrow in its praise. I certainly intend to continue to read Lispector with the expectation that she will transcend that limited description.
My copy of this novel declared Lispector 'the greatest Latin American woman prose writer of the twentieth century.' That phrase seemed cumbersome and almost overly narrow in its praise. I certainly intend to continue to read Lispector with the expectation that she will transcend that limited description.
I picked this book because Clarice Lispector is everywhere on Bookstagram, and the premise hooked me—a privileged woman spirals into existential chaos after encountering a cockroach in her maid’s room. I expected something like Kafka’s Metamorphosis: eerie, symbolic, but with a thread of narrative. Turns out, I was very wrong.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
No Dialogue, All Monologue
The entire book is a stream-of-consciousness inner ramble. Zero dialogue. Zero breaks. Just G.H. dissecting her crumbling psyche in one relentless breath. If you thrive on plot or character interactions, this isn’t it.
I Got Lost—Constantly
I love philosophical books, but here, every paragraph felt like wading through fog. Even right after finishing, I couldn’t summarize what I’d read. Good books make me forget the page number; this one made me forget the point.
It’s Not You, It’s Me
I’ll admit: this book needs the right reader. Someone who vibes with poetic abstraction, who doesn’t mind a 200-page existential scream. That’s just not my style.
What I Did Appreciate:
The Raw Honesty: G.H.’s relentless self-questioning is impressive. Lispector forces you to stare into the void—no flinching.
Its Reputation: I get why it’s a masterpiece. It’s just not my kind of masterpiece.
Final Thoughts:
Respect to Lispector, but this wasn’t my gateway into her work. I’ll try her more plot-driven books next. If you love meditative, chaotic introspection (think Beckett or Woolf), give it a shot. If you need structure? Proceed with caution.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
No Dialogue, All Monologue
The entire book is a stream-of-consciousness inner ramble. Zero dialogue. Zero breaks. Just G.H. dissecting her crumbling psyche in one relentless breath. If you thrive on plot or character interactions, this isn’t it.
I Got Lost—Constantly
I love philosophical books, but here, every paragraph felt like wading through fog. Even right after finishing, I couldn’t summarize what I’d read. Good books make me forget the page number; this one made me forget the point.
It’s Not You, It’s Me
I’ll admit: this book needs the right reader. Someone who vibes with poetic abstraction, who doesn’t mind a 200-page existential scream. That’s just not my style.
What I Did Appreciate:
The Raw Honesty: G.H.’s relentless self-questioning is impressive. Lispector forces you to stare into the void—no flinching.
Its Reputation: I get why it’s a masterpiece. It’s just not my kind of masterpiece.
Final Thoughts:
Respect to Lispector, but this wasn’t my gateway into her work. I’ll try her more plot-driven books next. If you love meditative, chaotic introspection (think Beckett or Woolf), give it a shot. If you need structure? Proceed with caution.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Such a minute experience rippling out into a spiritual crisis is the best but also the most vague way to put the story, as the reader is sent on a tumultuous journey with g.h as she navigates the self, the world, and existence.
Through seeing and killing a cockroach, g.h ruminates on what she’s done to begin with, but then it explodes outward into her reflecting on the meaning of her fear, and from there into other matters and their meanings too.
A really nice read and I love the way it’s written, I’ve come to love lispector and her prose and thoughts, but this one for me was also the hardest to crack. It’s far more surreal and lucid, and for me I love reading it but to understand it better a reread would be in order
Through seeing and killing a cockroach, g.h ruminates on what she’s done to begin with, but then it explodes outward into her reflecting on the meaning of her fear, and from there into other matters and their meanings too.
A really nice read and I love the way it’s written, I’ve come to love lispector and her prose and thoughts, but this one for me was also the hardest to crack. It’s far more surreal and lucid, and for me I love reading it but to understand it better a reread would be in order
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Reading this felt like falling down a very deep, interdimensional well. You sense the asymptotes of her reasoning brush infinitely close, but meaning is fleeting. Until the end, when the revelation of her passion clarifies.
"The human condition is the passion of Christ".
Profound, brilliant, and playfully written; it's difficult to put into words all that this book so deftly crystallises. It's one that I'm sure to reread.
Lispector = genius.
"The human condition is the passion of Christ".
Profound, brilliant, and playfully written; it's difficult to put into words all that this book so deftly crystallises. It's one that I'm sure to reread.
Lispector = genius.
Crear no es imaginación, es correr el inmenso riesgo de poseer la realidad.
Qué hermoso reencontrarme con Clarice Lispector, y hacerlo con una novela como La pasión según G.H.. Había extrañado esa cosa tan suya de partir de un hecho cotidiano y generar un conflicto, un quiebre en la protagonista y en su mundo, y en este libro en particular, en sus pasiones. Siempre digo que Clarice es mi escritora brasilera favorita, y con La pasión no hice más que confirmarlo.
Qué hermoso reencontrarme con Clarice Lispector, y hacerlo con una novela como La pasión según G.H.. Había extrañado esa cosa tan suya de partir de un hecho cotidiano y generar un conflicto, un quiebre en la protagonista y en su mundo, y en este libro en particular, en sus pasiones. Siempre digo que Clarice es mi escritora brasilera favorita, y con La pasión no hice más que confirmarlo.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes