Reviews

Der zerrissene April by Ismail Kadare

zatannacomic's review against another edition

sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

2.25

This book started off interesting, but it felt like it never got off its feet. The whole book felt like the introduction to the story. There was little that made the characters really interesting. I liked the explanation about the way society was built, but sadly it didn't make up for the fact that absolutely nothing happened. 

I get that this book was supposed to show how lives get ruined by these laws, but I still want to find a story or something to care about and that was not there for me. 

bornslippy's review against another edition

slow-paced

3.25

adol909's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

2.0

wendyandthebooks's review against another edition

dark informative reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

dirty_mike's review

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

karinlib's review against another edition

3.0

Gjorg Berisha is 26 year 0ld Albanian mountaineer, forced to avenge his brother's death according to Kanun law, a very strict and complicated feudal code of Law. The story opens with him killing a member of the family that killed his brother. Gjorg is given a 30 day grace period before his victim's family can murder him. Bessian Vorpsi and his wife Diana are on their honeymoon trip to the mountains. Bessian is fascinated with the highland people that practice the Blood Feud. While on the journey to the mountains, Bessian explains to Diana the intricacies of the Kanun, he points out mountaineers with the blood feud ribbon, the refuge towers (where murderers can find refuge for as long as needed from their victims families), and they run into a Kanun judge who travels all over the mountains sitting in judgement over disputes. For one brief moment Gjorg and the Vorpsi lives intersect.

This is the fourth book I have read by Kadare, and to be honest, [book:Chronicle in Stone|708124] is still my favorite of the four.

mi__ela's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

A lot of mixed feelings about this one. Ismail Kadare is Albania's most known writer and the way he writes is certainly beautiful. However, can that compensate for the amount of times I found myself saying "Oh My Lord! just move on already" because he kept repeating himself for pages on end? Not really.

"Broken April" is about the culture of blood feuds among people of Northern Albania. In addition to that it's also about a wealthy amateur writer who takes his new bride on a honeymoon to observe them.

It describes a part of the world where tradition casts longs shadows and the lines between justice and revenge blur. The book crafts this cautionary message about the  enduring harm and pain of normalized violence.

"You encourage a whole nation to perform in a bloody drama, while you yourselves and your ladies watch the spectacle from your loges.” 

I always give the benefit of the doubt to books that are not written in English originally, because translations are an act of treason, they never fully offer the reader the complete experience of the original language. However, I got so annoyed about the amount of repetition Kadare engaged with. We get it, he's about to die in mid-April, you mentioned that like 6272 times before.

The side characters were definitely side charactering, okay. Bessian was such a self-absorbed man that it icked me to read his POV. Why would you think it would be a good idea to go on a honeymoon to witness blood-feuds?? And he just could not understand why Diana was not having it.... I wonder why...

The ending confused me at first, because I was like "what in the Tenet just happened?" but after I employed my critical thinking skills I came to the conclusion that it made perfect sense. Gjorj saying he heard his own footsteps and his own hands turning him face up, and it was the 17th of March again, adds a circular feel to the narrative.

He was a dead man the day he ended another's life. 

mamahest's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? No

3.75

withwings's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

paulamreid's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense

3.0