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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Tedious beyond words. The only part I enjoyed was right at the end of the final chapter where it describes his lover’s horror of growing old.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Yes
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Per his daughter’s explanatory remarks, I also do not believe Camus would have published this, not least because it is not complete. However, even its sparseness, Camus leaves us with a somewhat autobiographical account set in familiar climes, and for that we are grateful to have even this collection of notes and illegibilities in support of this great writer. I wish that Camus had lived to finish this work. I believe it would have been monumental, but even ‘as-is’ it is a great read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, War
so hard to rate because on one hand there were manyyy parts that were tangential and felt slow, but the moments that tied all these loose ends together i cherished and truly made the book such a moving read and worth the struggle. a true insight into the childhood and life-philosophy of Camus
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
reflective
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:
No
somehow it’s just brutal… give me a reason to live, then I‘ll just sit down to listen to your breathing.
I picked up this book due to my interest in the childhood of artists and philosophers, the moments that shaped them into who they are, their family dynamics, how their settings influenced their work, etc etc. However, I didn’t take into account how heartbreaking it is to read a book with no solidified ending.
It hurts to think that I will never be able to experience Camus’ (loosely augmented) childhood through his prose, which after editing may have been his greatest work, and would’ve helped understand Algeria’s influence on his philosophic works
I found the addition of Camus’ thoughts and was footnotes very interesting, particularly the few discrepancies and illegible words. It made me feel like I was in on a little secret, an unfinished draft not yet sent to a publisher yet.
All and all, interesting experience, not my favorite Camus plot wise- but I also think that a lot fell through due to the dry, unenjoyable translation and the lack of an ending, which to be fair is not Camus’ fault.
It hurts to think that I will never be able to experience Camus’ (loosely augmented) childhood through his prose, which after editing may have been his greatest work, and would’ve helped understand Algeria’s influence on his philosophic works
I found the addition of Camus’ thoughts and was footnotes very interesting, particularly the few discrepancies and illegible words. It made me feel like I was in on a little secret, an unfinished draft not yet sent to a publisher yet.
All and all, interesting experience, not my favorite Camus plot wise- but I also think that a lot fell through due to the dry, unenjoyable translation and the lack of an ending, which to be fair is not Camus’ fault.