Reviews

The Castle of Crossed Destinies by Italo Calvino

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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.