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Ali Smith is a marvel. What a brilliant exploration of our time.
3.5, moments of lovely language and various prompts for thought, but for some reason i found myself less engaged than throughout autumn. i feel that in this particular book, there was an excess of motif and imagery of the magical realism kinda genre, so that the impact of any sociopolitical commentary was at times totally lost on me. still, looking forward to spring :)
edit: after reading all the seasonals, this was definitely the weakest for me. spring and summer were exceedingly good.
edit: after reading all the seasonals, this was definitely the weakest for me. spring and summer were exceedingly good.
Leer Winter es como escuchar las reflexiones de un jubilado con un gran dominio del lenguaje. Es precioso, interesante por conocer otros puntos de vista pero claramente te das cuenta de que te está hablando de un mundo que no compartís, o que veis de forma muy diferente. Creo que Ali Smith ha conseguido capturar muy bien la experiencia post-brexit de una cierta generación, y aunque está muy bien contada y ofrece reflexiones interesantes, nunca terminé de conectar con ella porque estaba claro que yo no era su público. En ese sentido, es también muy claro que se trata de una novela social/política y es precisamente ahí donde brilla: las formas de presentar el pasado y el presente, la capacidad de presentar momentos que encapsulan realidades más amplias o las largas conversaciones filosóficas entre los personajes. La trama en sí y sus personajes, por el contrario, quedan un poco más desdibujados y escondidos bajo el peso de todas las reflexiones que Smith quiere compartir.
This quartet of books is AMAZING! I can't stop reading them and thinking about them. So full of joy and hope!
LOVE !
LOVE !
As lovely and lyrical as Autumn, but with a more somber story its focus. Two feuding sisters, Sophia and Iris, Sophia’s son Art, and a girl (Charlotte/Lux) Art is paying to act as his girlfriend over Christmas holidays with his family. The story skips back and forth through time, unraveling the sisters’ relationship and history; Iris the crusader out to change the world; Sophia the practical business woman looking out for herself. There is a lot of commentary and imagery relating their characters to Brexit attitudes; people grapple w global warming, and the internet, and connecting to each other and making a difference. Somber, but wonderful. Also, as usual, full of word play and a palpable love of art. I am officially a fan of Smith’s now.
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Eso es el invierno: un recordatorio de cuándo hay que detenerse y de cuándo hay que volver a la vida. Un ejercicio de adaptación al estado de congelación o descongelación que el invierno trae consigo”.
challenging
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes