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adrianasturalvarez's review against another edition
4.0
What is here is wonderful and even the ending - left unfinished mid-sentence - kind of works in context, though I would have read Daumal's conclusion.
maltepan's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
cannot_cross_water's review against another edition
5.0
it's curious how easily this could be the most unremarkable book on your shelf, yet ... it was the best thing i've ever read in my life.
dsell's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
franklinfantini's review against another edition
5.0
Something always draws me back to reading this unfinished book. There's some sort of draw in reading it even though each time I get to the end I'm surprised and somewhat disappointed.
Here are a few bullet points about what draws me back:
The words and sentences Daumal uses are absolutely gripping. He has a way of putting very complex thoughts into easily readable prose. I remember being blown away when I first started listening to Bob Dylan, but Daumal does it better.
The idea of the novel is that a group of new companions travel to a mountain that is accessible to humans at the ground but has a peak that extends all the way up to heaven, making it unattainable, which makes the fact that it's unfinished seem so fitting, almost planned, one of those perfect coincidences that couldn't have been written better in fiction.
At the time of Rene Daumals death in 1944 none of the Himalayan peaks over 8000 meters (the highest peaks in the world) had been summited. I don't know if Daumal thought these peaks would be reached or not, but it adds more for the reader to think about.
From what I've read Daumal was writing this book when a friend called and he went to answer the door. This was the last day he felt well enough to write and the book literally ends mid-sentence.
If Daumal wasn't even able to finish the sentence he was working on did he edit the already written parts of this book? I think that he probably didn't, which then leads me to believe that what we have is unpolished. If that is the case than Rene Daumal is even a greater writer. To be able to compose these ideas into these sentences is mind blowing by itself, but to think that they were relatively unedited and unfinished somehow brings it to another level.
Mount Analogue is a highly symbolic story, but unlike some stories that get overly symbolic this one is easy to read and fun in it's own right without most of the symbols.
Here are a few bullet points about what draws me back:
The words and sentences Daumal uses are absolutely gripping. He has a way of putting very complex thoughts into easily readable prose. I remember being blown away when I first started listening to Bob Dylan, but Daumal does it better.
The idea of the novel is that a group of new companions travel to a mountain that is accessible to humans at the ground but has a peak that extends all the way up to heaven, making it unattainable, which makes the fact that it's unfinished seem so fitting, almost planned, one of those perfect coincidences that couldn't have been written better in fiction.
At the time of Rene Daumals death in 1944 none of the Himalayan peaks over 8000 meters (the highest peaks in the world) had been summited. I don't know if Daumal thought these peaks would be reached or not, but it adds more for the reader to think about.
From what I've read Daumal was writing this book when a friend called and he went to answer the door. This was the last day he felt well enough to write and the book literally ends mid-sentence.
If Daumal wasn't even able to finish the sentence he was working on did he edit the already written parts of this book? I think that he probably didn't, which then leads me to believe that what we have is unpolished. If that is the case than Rene Daumal is even a greater writer. To be able to compose these ideas into these sentences is mind blowing by itself, but to think that they were relatively unedited and unfinished somehow brings it to another level.
Mount Analogue is a highly symbolic story, but unlike some stories that get overly symbolic this one is easy to read and fun in it's own right without most of the symbols.
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