Reviews

All Men Are Mortal by Simone de Beauvoir

avery_skyler13's review

reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

galucka's review

adventurous reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

3.0

j_b0908's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

dzjie's review against another edition

adventurous reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

leaafle's review

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

beth_jwilliams's review

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

jossenoynaert's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.25

supercoolbookguy's review

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

ivostarr's review

4.0

I hadn't read any of Beauvoir's fiction in quite some time, but it is funny that this novel called up some of the same feelings I had about the earlier novels I read. It is obvious that she loved to research, because this really shines through as she takes the reader all over the world via her character, Fosca, in All Men Are Mortal. She pays great attention to detail and aims to craft an environment rich with politics, emotion, and exploration of some of the tenets of existentialism. What I don't feel I get from Beauvoir is a writing style that I can really fall in love with. Then again, I'm reading her books in English, so it may not be her at all.

Beauvoir reveals the bulk of the story in flashbacks as Fosca, an immortal man, tells the story of his life to Regina. Now, Regina is fascinating, because she is not initially set up as an extremely likable character. In fact, the way Beauvoir wrote Regina somewhat reminded me of some of Colette's female characters--interesting, beautiful, complicated, awful, vain, etc. You don't love her, but you want to know more.

But, you actually don't get much of Regina. Once the story really gets going, it is all about Fosca's tale, which becomes an exercise for Beauvoir to explore aspects of existentialism through her main character.

nixxer's review against another edition

The characters were annoying me, and reading it felt like a chore. I feel like the story didn't live up to what it could've been, because the topic does interest (and mildly despresses) me.