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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
Had niet verwacht dat het zo goed zou zijn, maar wow
dark
emotional
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Eeee... no. Já vůbec nevím, co si o téhle knize myslet. Četla jsem ji do školy kvůli povinné četbě. Nemůžu jí odepřít čtivost a přístupný styl psaní, ale zároveň mě vytáčela do nepříčetnosti, každá postava mě frustrovala a po celou dobu čtení se mi svíral nepříjemně hrudník a bylo mi z toho trochu zle. A vlastně se mi ta kniha vůbec nelíbí, už si ji nechci znovu přečíst, ale na druhou stranu... K ní nedokážu zastat jasný postoj a jsem z ní celá zmatená.
Read this review for help sorting out this novel and for an excellent view of the author's whole body of work.
http://m.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/jun/11/featuresreviews.guardianreview34?cat=books&type=article
http://m.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/jun/11/featuresreviews.guardianreview34?cat=books&type=article
Weird, wonderful, unsettling.
One of my favourite Ian McEwan novels. Unputdownable.
One of my favourite Ian McEwan novels. Unputdownable.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
Ethel Cain's English ancestors
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest
Un poco decepcionado.
Este libro me resultó lento y aunque los echos sean macabros o perturbadores en pos de poner en la palestra lo tabú (muy del estilo del autor) como el incesto y el travestismo pero la descripción de los echos y la poca audacia hicieron que la novela sea interminable. Pareciese que a medida que avanza se prepara un giro final en la trama que lo cambiará todo pero termina por ser sólo un desenlace predecible desencadenada por los hechos y situación vivida por los hermanos y en donde ni siquiera el factor ajeno al círculo familiar como lo es el personaje de Derek hace que se rompa el vidrio y los protagonistas evidencien lo que realmente acontece con ellos. Por lo cual todo lo que viene después de terminada la novela se transforma aún más en incertidumbre.
Quise volver a Ian McEwan con la intensión de encontrar lo mismo que me cautivo en el anterior libro que leí, "El placer del viajero", pero me encuentro con una novela incompleta a la que seguramente un poco de trabajo añadido hubiese podido cerrar de mejor manera. Por otro lado un libro con agallas para plantear lo que no se quiere reconocer y lo que puede llegar a suceder pero al fin una lectura que no resultará satisfactoria si se pretende conocer al autor por este libro.
Este libro me resultó lento y aunque los echos sean macabros o perturbadores en pos de poner en la palestra lo tabú (muy del estilo del autor) como el incesto y el travestismo pero la descripción de los echos y la poca audacia hicieron que la novela sea interminable. Pareciese que a medida que avanza se prepara un giro final en la trama que lo cambiará todo pero termina por ser sólo un desenlace predecible desencadenada por los hechos y situación vivida por los hermanos y en donde ni siquiera el factor ajeno al círculo familiar como lo es el personaje de Derek hace que se rompa el vidrio y los protagonistas evidencien lo que realmente acontece con ellos. Por lo cual todo lo que viene después de terminada la novela se transforma aún más en incertidumbre.
Quise volver a Ian McEwan con la intensión de encontrar lo mismo que me cautivo en el anterior libro que leí, "El placer del viajero", pero me encuentro con una novela incompleta a la que seguramente un poco de trabajo añadido hubiese podido cerrar de mejor manera. Por otro lado un libro con agallas para plantear lo que no se quiere reconocer y lo que puede llegar a suceder pero al fin una lectura que no resultará satisfactoria si se pretende conocer al autor por este libro.
A very easy read of a novella despite the dark and disturbing themes. This book won't be for everyone but for me it reminded me why I like McEwan's writing so much.
He manages to draw you into the disturbing character of 14/15 year old Jack without shocking too much. He builds the atmosphere of the inevitability of the 4 children's world collapsing carefully and leaves the ending wonderfully open.
The story is told from Jack's point of view and details life as first his father and then mother die with his 3 siblings. They decide to keep their mother's death secret and encase her in cement in the cellar. From there things deteriorate and the book ends with their secret being exposed.
Alongside the Lord of the Flies atmosphere you've got a relationship between Jack and his older sister that gets far too close, a younger sister who retreats to books and a journal and the youngest who really struggles and becomes first a cross dresser and then reverts to being a baby. Nothing about their life is normal even their house is the only one standing amongst demolished pre fabs.
Jack is clearly a very troubled lad and McEwan manages to capture his illicit desires and self absorption well. I felt sympathy for him by the end but many would dislike him as at times he is very narcissistic. The discussions around Tom's desire to start cross dressing are interesting and question gender stereotyping.
This book feels to me to be something that could have happened back in the 70s when it is set. Far fetched yes but possible. For me an enjoyable read but not for the squeamish.
He manages to draw you into the disturbing character of 14/15 year old Jack without shocking too much. He builds the atmosphere of the inevitability of the 4 children's world collapsing carefully and leaves the ending wonderfully open.
The story is told from Jack's point of view and details life as first his father and then mother die with his 3 siblings. They decide to keep their mother's death secret and encase her in cement in the cellar. From there things deteriorate and the book ends with their secret being exposed.
Alongside the Lord of the Flies atmosphere you've got a relationship between Jack and his older sister that gets far too close, a younger sister who retreats to books and a journal and the youngest who really struggles and becomes first a cross dresser and then reverts to being a baby. Nothing about their life is normal even their house is the only one standing amongst demolished pre fabs.
Jack is clearly a very troubled lad and McEwan manages to capture his illicit desires and self absorption well. I felt sympathy for him by the end but many would dislike him as at times he is very narcissistic. The discussions around Tom's desire to start cross dressing are interesting and question gender stereotyping.
This book feels to me to be something that could have happened back in the 70s when it is set. Far fetched yes but possible. For me an enjoyable read but not for the squeamish.
Short, compelling, but very disturbing, very unsettling. Having read only Saturday I was not sure how risky he was as a writer, but this is one of the most macabre tales I've seen in modern literature. Well worth the read, if you can stomach it.
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated