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pomegranatemoomin's review against another edition
4.0
უფრო 4,5. “ყველას სრულად ჰქონდა თავისი აპრილი, მისი აპრილი კი შუაზე გაჭრილი და გადახლეჩილი იყო.”
saumaykapoor's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
anca_m's review against another edition
2.0
I think it's obvious from the time it took me to finish this tiny book that I wasn't exactly crazy about it - I didn't hate it but it didn't make me eager to steal some minutes here and there for reading either.
The kanun, the law of the land in old Albany, is the central part of this novel. Three storylines give us majorly different perspectives on it - the foreigner, the direct participant and the supervisor. It freaked me out a bit, probably because this book focuses so much on its bloody parts, concerning gjakmarrja. This tongue-twisting word is the name for a sort of vendetta that in most cases is started by the murder of a guest. This offense is above all other offenses and it gives the host the right (and obligation!) to revenge the murderer which in turn gives the right to the murderer's family to revenge his murder and so on.. entire generations being wiped out this way. I resonated the most with Diana - the foreigner - to whom this idea sounds perfectly silly and pointless, but in the end, I'm sure a lot of Romania's (and any other country's) traditions sound the same to outsiders.
Towards the end the storyline started to draw me in and I was rooting for Gjorg or at least . The whole experience reminded me of Romanian books I read in highschool - they had their good parts and I didn't hate them but I didn't love them either.
The kanun, the law of the land in old Albany, is the central part of this novel. Three storylines give us majorly different perspectives on it - the foreigner, the direct participant and the supervisor. It freaked me out a bit, probably because this book focuses so much on its bloody parts, concerning gjakmarrja. This tongue-twisting word is the name for a sort of vendetta that in most cases is started by the murder of a guest. This offense is above all other offenses and it gives the host the right (and obligation!) to revenge the murderer which in turn gives the right to the murderer's family to revenge his murder and so on.. entire generations being wiped out this way. I resonated the most with Diana - the foreigner - to whom this idea sounds perfectly silly and pointless, but in the end, I'm sure a lot of Romania's (and any other country's) traditions sound the same to outsiders.
Towards the end the storyline started to draw me in and I was rooting for Gjorg
Spoiler
to meet the lovely Diana againSpoiler
not die, but the whole ending was unsatisfyingruneclausen's review against another edition
4.0
Another great shot of Albanian culture/history from the hands of Ismail Kadare, it is a simple pleasure every time. Wonderful prose, and touching story.
katytatishvili's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
scarletohhara's review against another edition
4.0
The first few pages of this book talk about Gjorg's distress in enough detail to make me feel it myself and feel the weight of Kanun rest on the story. And that's how the main protagonist of this story, Kanun got into my psyche, making me wonder the social reason for it's existence and it's future. It's unabashed acceptance in the Albania society in the face of the brutality is something to be pondered. No matter where the story took me for the next 200 odd pages, a niggling feeling about the cold-bloodedness of Kanun couldn't be shaken.
And yet the story moved, making me hope and feel for the minor protagonists along the way and this, I think is Kadare's mastery.
Read this book for an introduction into a slice of the life in the Albanian mountains. Read this, so you can ponder on how lucky you are that Kanun didn't apply to you. Read this book to expand your horizons, wee little bit.
And yet the story moved, making me hope and feel for the minor protagonists along the way and this, I think is Kadare's mastery.
Read this book for an introduction into a slice of the life in the Albanian mountains. Read this, so you can ponder on how lucky you are that Kanun didn't apply to you. Read this book to expand your horizons, wee little bit.
yasminar's review against another edition
2.0
I did not like this book. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I have to read this for class, or that I've been reading YA fantasy non-stop so historical fiction is a sudden departure from the action and drama-filled pages that I'm used to.
What I did like from this book:
• The setting, and what I learned about Albania. This book is set in Albania where the people follow the laws of the Kanun, a sort of holy book not dissimilar to the Quran or Bible. They have super weird blood feudal laws. Gjorg, the main character, kills the murderer of his relative (because he legally has to) and then he goes on a trip to pay the blood tax. He has 30 days before he is legally allowed to be killed. He won’t get to see the month of April end, hence the title Broken April. I loved that this book exposed me to this concept and setting, and I truly do appreciate what I learned about Albania.
What I didn’t like:
• Pacing. Though the setting was great, this book was so slow. The world building was done in steps, which isn't necessarily bad. I loved the way the author drops into the concept of the world as things happened, but I think that setting the staked higher earlier in the book would've created more anticipation for Gjorg because as a character... he was dull. I'm not sure if this is deliberate to represent the fleeting moments left of Gjorg's life during the truce. If it is, then I think it's a great symbolism but for reading purposes, I didn't enjoy it.
• The relationship between the characters. Bear in mind, I thought this book was boring so I might've missed the hints or completely forgot an entire section, but I'm pretty sure their relationship was not developed at all. I don't know why she was so drawn to him, or whether it's romantic, platonic? I needed to know more to empathize because I just couldn't.
• No character development / not enough substance to the characters. Maybe this story is intended to be more about the Albanian customs rather than characters, in which case it makes sense that the characters weren't very well developed.
I feel like if I read this any other time (i.e. not after I just binge-read two YA fantasy series), I would've like it better. idk i might reread it
What I did like from this book:
• The setting, and what I learned about Albania. This book is set in Albania where the people follow the laws of the Kanun, a sort of holy book not dissimilar to the Quran or Bible. They have super weird blood feudal laws. Gjorg, the main character, kills the murderer of his relative (because he legally has to) and then he goes on a trip to pay the blood tax. He has 30 days before he is legally allowed to be killed. He won’t get to see the month of April end, hence the title Broken April. I loved that this book exposed me to this concept and setting, and I truly do appreciate what I learned about Albania.
What I didn’t like:
• Pacing. Though the setting was great, this book was so slow. The world building was done in steps, which isn't necessarily bad. I loved the way the author drops into the concept of the world as things happened, but I think that setting the staked higher earlier in the book would've created more anticipation for Gjorg because as a character... he was dull. I'm not sure if this is deliberate to represent the fleeting moments left of Gjorg's life during the truce. If it is, then I think it's a great symbolism but for reading purposes, I didn't enjoy it.
• The relationship between the characters.
Spoiler
I honestly do not understand the connection between Diana and Gjorg.• No character development / not enough substance to the characters. Maybe this story is intended to be more about the Albanian customs rather than characters, in which case it makes sense that the characters weren't very well developed.
Spoiler
I wish we had more of what was going on in Diana's mind because I couldn't understand her motivations or why she went into the Tower of Refuge at the end.I feel like if I read this any other time (i.e. not after I just binge-read two YA fantasy series), I would've like it better. idk i might reread it
arcyeus's review against another edition
5.0
Kadare finds a way to craft a culture and code steeped in the past into what feels like a dystopian, sometimes Orwellian world. The wasteland the characters inhabit is ever-present in all its melancholy. This pairs well with the internal struggles of the protagonist in questioning yet finally succumbing to the Kanun, the Code of the Albanian mountains.