Reviews

A Coin in Nine Hands by Marguerite Yourcenar, Dori Katz, Walter Kaiser

sudogasahan's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

kostogher's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

ahsansenan's review against another edition

4.0

Very similar to Calvino's The Path to the Spider's Nest

sinelit's review against another edition

4.0

bir on liretlik madeni paranın etrafında birbiriyle bir ya da birden fazla şekilde birbirine bağlı karakterin hayatlarından kısa kısa kesitler izliyoruz. böyle olunca "bir deliler evinin yalan yanlış anlatılan kısa tarihi" gibi bir şey bekledim başta ama tabi çok daha az karakter var ve o denli derinlere inmeden anlatıyor. bazı karakterleri okurken daha çok keyif aldım, bazılarında adeta vites düşürüyor yazar. yine de kadın yazar olmakla ilgili bir durum bu sanırım, yazarın takıldığı ve anlatırken yoğunlaştığı anlar gerçekten çok farklı bir şekilde geçiyor okur olarak size de.

benim bu kitabı fark etmem ise çevirmen roza hakmen sayesinde. yine çok farklı, güzel bir kitap okudum; adeta güvenilen bir arkadaş tavsiyesi gibi bir işlevi oluyor bir kitapta çevirmen olarak roza hakmen'i görmek. fransız akademisi'ne seçilen ilk kadın yazarla da bu sayede tanışmış olduk.

robgreig's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.75

nealadolph's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

There is no doubt in my mind, after reading two books by Yourcenar, that she was an incredible author who carried a stronger understanding of human suffering in her left big toe than I have been able to pull together in all of my body. I also do not doubt that she was an exceptional artist with words; there are moments here where the words are exceptional and the writing clear and vast and beautiful and precise, but only because it is written with a commitment to poetry that belies the actual form of the writing.

But, did I love the book?

Absolutely not. And I nearly stopped reading it, if I'm honest.

Nonetheless, I'm glad I persevered. There was something beautiful in this for me, some important ideas on human limitation that I might need to have heard today more than ever. The afterword, added in by Yourcenar to explain the 1959 rewriting that the novel went through, added much to the book as a whole.

Recommended, but not before you've read something else by her - perhaps one of her two masterworks.

keechu1324's review against another edition

4.0

On the day of attempted murder of Mussolini in 1933, a 10 Lira coin changes hands 9 times giving us a glimpse into their lives. This is not a short story Collection as the stories are somehow interconnected.

sucrose's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0