Reviews

The Castle of Crossed Destinies by Italo Calvino

anastasiaadamov's review against another edition

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4.0

Intriguing and psychodelic. At times very engaging. It made me want to read classics all over again - Shakespeare mostly.

charvermont's review against another edition

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

4.0

filipesantos's review against another edition

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5.0

Esta obra é uma viagem na leitura inconfundível de Italo Calvino. É mágico o modo como ele trabalha a escrita e como a sua criatividade viaja por caminhos diversos.

Um grupo de personagens reunem-se num castelo, no meio do nada, onde relatam as suas viagens - tão diferentes e características - mas enfadados pela mudez eles são obrigados a descrever as suas histórias com cartas de um baralho, o que vai levar o leitor em uma interpretação da personagem principal.

É genial.

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This work is a journey into Italo Calvino's unmistakable reading. The way he works his writing and how his creativity travels down different paths is magical.

A group of characters gather in a castle, in the middle of nowhere, where they relate their journeys - so different and characteristic - but bored by the muteness they are forced to describe their stories with cards from a deck, which will lead the reader in an interpretation of the main character.

It's genius.

cvrlybcck's review against another edition

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

2.5

bush42's review against another edition

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challenging funny mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.25

two sets of short stories framed by narratives shaped by tarot cards. the second half is a lot less constrained and more primal than the first. the stories weave between known tales and originals in strange, slippery ways. such an odd book. knows its tarot history, too.

itsgiuliabtw's review against another edition

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3.0

i didnt get it

ma l’ho apprezzato. c’è qualcosa che va oltre la superficie ma probabilmente non era il momento adatto perché riuscissi a coglierlo.

dancingprince's review against another edition

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

3.0

breadandmushrooms's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional lighthearted 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? No

4.75

w_st_n's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious

3.5

In the notes section of this book, Calvino writes, "I always feel the need to alternate one type of writing with another, completely different, to begin writing as if I had never written anything before."

This is why I love Calvino, and it was yet another ingenious premise that led to this series of stories. Not all of them were totally great and some began to read like literary theory or philosophical ponderings, but I think that they'd be more enjoyable if I'd read all the texts that Calvino alludes to.

I'm a sucker for the "travelers and adventurers sitting around and swapping stories" framing device, and I can see myself reading this collection again in the future after I've better equipped myself to appreciate it fully.

foreverly_me's review against another edition

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Hated the writing style