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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Un libro in cui Starnone ci racconta di tradimenti, fughe e ritorni, e il segno che queste cose lasciano su tutti i componenti di una famiglia ma anche che
"niente è più radicale dell'abbandono, ma niente è più tenace di quei lacci invisibili che legano le persone le une alle altre". È stato un libro carino però al tempo stesso non ne sono stata coinvolta molto. È come se mi mancasse qualcosa.
3.5 stars
I read this based on an rec sent via Instagram because I enjoy Elena Ferrante. This was beautifully written and once I started, I gulped it all up in one sitting. It left with a lot of thoughts and feelings that ended in a mixed review. I love the format, I love the way the story was fed out to us, I love the big themes of ties, of family, of happiness.
I didn't like the tropes this kind of fell into when it comes to literary fiction about infidelity. I didn't like that it painted the woman as hysterical. It was purposefully undone, this story, letting each piece and each point of view fade. I enjoy that in theory, because family and relationships don't get tied up with a bow, but in practice, it's not as fun for me as a reader.
Definitely glad I read it. I keep wanting to bring this book up and talk about it. It's even something I can see myself rereading. Not perfect but definitely an experience.
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"I loved Vanda, there hadn't been a single moment in which I coldly wanted to cause her harm. I had behaved cautiously, lying precisely so that she would suffer as little as possible. But, God help me, not to the point of my own suffering, suffocating myself to keep her from suffocating. Not that far."
"I'm pissed at the gratitude that children owe their parents, for the life they've received. Gratitude? I laugh. I shout: It's our parents who owe us a compensation."
Wow, this book was great, and it only fueled my suspicion that Domenico Starnone is at least one component of the phenomenon that is Elena Ferrante. Not only are their works so similar in theme, their books charting oddly mirrored trajectories of one another, but the narrating voice present in each text, while not identical, is eerily similar. In any case, whether there's any connection between the two or not, they have both cemented themselves as some of my favorite writers. They have a way of unveiling the brutality of mundane life and everyday routines and feelings, of laying bear the harshness of social expectations and thwarted hopes and diminished ambitions.
"I'm pissed at the gratitude that children owe their parents, for the life they've received. Gratitude? I laugh. I shout: It's our parents who owe us a compensation."
Wow, this book was great, and it only fueled my suspicion that Domenico Starnone is at least one component of the phenomenon that is Elena Ferrante. Not only are their works so similar in theme, their books charting oddly mirrored trajectories of one another, but the narrating voice present in each text, while not identical, is eerily similar. In any case, whether there's any connection between the two or not, they have both cemented themselves as some of my favorite writers. They have a way of unveiling the brutality of mundane life and everyday routines and feelings, of laying bear the harshness of social expectations and thwarted hopes and diminished ambitions.
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Diferentes perspectivas e uma história que caminha no tempo. Um livro curto, rápido de ler e extremamente interessante em sua narrativa. Sem culpados ou vítimas é o retrato de uma relação e todos os seus possíveis envolvidos dentro de desfechos que parecem não se fechar.
“A vida precisa ser relida para ser vivenciada por completo. Só quando as coisas são relidas, reexaminadas, revisitadas é que são compreendidas: cartas, fotos e palavras são dicionários” (nota da tradutora)
“Os filhos precisam dos pais não também, mas sempre”
“Assim que você se esforça para dizer uma coisa com clareza, se dá conta de que é clara só porque a simplificou”
“A vida precisa ser relida para ser vivenciada por completo. Só quando as coisas são relidas, reexaminadas, revisitadas é que são compreendidas: cartas, fotos e palavras são dicionários” (nota da tradutora)
“Os filhos precisam dos pais não também, mas sempre”
“Assim que você se esforça para dizer uma coisa com clareza, se dá conta de que é clara só porque a simplificou”
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Amaro, tormentato, freddo a tratti. Romanzo che racconta la sofferenza, il rancore, il rimpianto di una famiglia assolutamente non convenzionale, imperfetta, piena di difetti e mancanze. ❤️
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes