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antennaclasses's review against another edition
4.25
The learning curve to read this book (as in, learning how to read this book) is actually so high it gave me headaches. In the beginning it all seemed to blur together until I got to the Casement and Hamburger episodes; from then on it felt like Sebald's literary methods gained stakes. Slowly the progression of sentiments in the book became clearer as well. It's a story which seeks to gauge the importance of its existence as it's being told, distilling a millennium's worth of history to amplify the immediate relationships at the heart of it. Just be sure to have a coffee before you read.
amurray914's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very original, unusual and captivating book and my first venture into Sebald. The narrator takes us on a walking tour around Suffolk county on the east coast of England, while giving us a history lesson in related local and foreign events and sharing with us his inner thoughts and reflections. The text is interspersed with bad grainy photos, which makes the whole experience very sureal. He finds a seamless way of bridging between his perception of the physical surroundings and his musings on historical topics, whether it’s the decline of the local seaside economy, Sir Thomas Browne’s skull, Joseph Conrad and Roger Casement, the demise of the local herring industry, or sericulture in Norwich. His diversity of topics is never muddled and Sebald finds a natural almost dreamlike way to beautifully transition from one topic to the next. It’s almost like a tour of his mind.
His central theme seems to be somewhat nostalgic and poignant, one of decay, nothing is permanent and ultimately everything dies:
“ ... nothing endures, in Thomas Browne’s view. On every new thing there lies already the shadow of annihilation. ... There is no antidote, he writes, against the opium of time ... Dunwich, with its towers and many thousand souls, has dissolved into water, sand and thin air.”
Sebald’s lyrical prose has a poetic ring to it and is some of the most enjoyable I have read in a long time.
“And yet, what would we be without memory? We would not be capable of ordering even the simplest thoughts, the most sensitive heart would lose the ability to show affection, our existence would be a mere never-ending chain of meaningless moments, and there would not be the faintest trace of a past.”
I really enjoyed this book. Despite the unusual narrative and seemingly endless range of topics, I was fully immersed and never bored. It just naturally flows. Highly recommended.
His central theme seems to be somewhat nostalgic and poignant, one of decay, nothing is permanent and ultimately everything dies:
“ ... nothing endures, in Thomas Browne’s view. On every new thing there lies already the shadow of annihilation. ... There is no antidote, he writes, against the opium of time ... Dunwich, with its towers and many thousand souls, has dissolved into water, sand and thin air.”
Sebald’s lyrical prose has a poetic ring to it and is some of the most enjoyable I have read in a long time.
“And yet, what would we be without memory? We would not be capable of ordering even the simplest thoughts, the most sensitive heart would lose the ability to show affection, our existence would be a mere never-ending chain of meaningless moments, and there would not be the faintest trace of a past.”
I really enjoyed this book. Despite the unusual narrative and seemingly endless range of topics, I was fully immersed and never bored. It just naturally flows. Highly recommended.
funktious's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
A beautiful, meandering meditation on the ephemeral nature of our lives. Oddly comforting from a ‘none of this will matter in a hundred years' perspective.
uhambe_nami's review against another edition
5.0
The musings of a wanderer on past and present, skulls and silkworms, art and literature, nature and destruction. The Rings of Saturn is a fine tapestry of stories pieced together by a very capable weaver.
stewman's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
elmatera's review against another edition
5.0
Rings of Saturn is less a novel than a set of interlocking essays that circle around a few grand themes with beautiful, beautiful writing. It's not a happy book, on the surface, since its themes are mainly about cruelty, decay and the illusion of human progress. But Sebald is one of the least bleak, most deeply satisfying authors I've read that hold such a dark and pessimistic view of the world.
andrewmiracle's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
5.0
tinaargh's review against another edition
4.0
First off, I bought this book without knowing that the original was in German, otherwise I obviously would not have read it in English. I bought it because The Times called Sebald “the Joyce of the 21st century” and while I can understand where they are coming from, after reading this book I have to disagree. Other than with Joyce I really felt pleasure reading this and the text was not only approachable but I felt like I was taken on a journey with an incredibly interesting companion.
suitcaselife's review against another edition
This book has been on my tbr the longest and the first 47 pages are nothing of what the books description (a travel report of the authors journey on foot through the UK) is about. It utterly bored me and I decided not to continue.