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katiwe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
marianav97's review against another edition
4.0
I was definitely transported to another world through this book, one that was shocking to me, yet also made conceivable through the authors descriptions. The plot is slow going, but it kept me curious, (maybe spoiler!!!->) especially through the perspective taking from those in and out of culture described.
andrew61's review against another edition
5.0
As I started this book I knew it was set in an Albania earlier in the 20th century yet was so intrigued by the idea of communities having ritualistic blood feuds in which a killing leads to families, generation by generation, killing members of the other clan, each murder triggering a revenge killing of an individual yet the whole thing being governed by rules that are centuries old and are abided by , that I searched on line the word 'Kanun' and found that even in the last 10 years there are reports of it continuing. If it wasn't so horrific the manner in which the story is written and the ritualism of it is almost hypnotically beautiful (probably the wrong expression). The plot centres around Gjorg who at the begining is about to kill a member of another family in retribution for the murder of his brother in a chain that has gone back generations. After the killing according to tradition he is given 30 days amnesty before the bereaved family can kill him. He wanders around the vast plteau of the Albanian countryside after he has visited the manor to pay the Prince the blood money fee. At the same time a writer from the capital Tirana and his beautiful fiancee are travelling the plateau in a carriage visiting inns and the countryside but the writer Bessian is obsessed with Kanun and its rituals in an anthropological manner to the point that it is creating an issue in the days old marriage. Bessian , his wife and Gjorj have a very fleeting encounter but the wife Diana becomes obsessed with Gjorj and his fate as does Gjorj with this chance sight of beauty. I won't say more but I found the writing compelling, it was gothic in its feel having a sense of the mists and doom of say a 19th cetury gothic horror, yet poetically describes the beauty of the rituals and the countryside. The feeling that the reader is immersed in the journey of Gjorj is also countered with a feeling of observing something from a distance with a sense of an inevitable ending.I am still amazed by the tradition itself and the book was interesting purely on the basis of a picture of such a strange culture. Suffice to say this was an excellent read and makes me want to read more by Kadare.
anniesmanybooks's review against another edition
4.0
Tragic stories of blood feud in early 20th-century Albania told in a sometimes lyric, sometimes matter-of-fact voice. The details of Kanun, the ancient Albanian law, are fascinating but unsettling (even more so because blood feuds still exist in Northern Albania to this day).
Read for my Around the World in 80 Books challenge (Albania).
Read for my Around the World in 80 Books challenge (Albania).
prufrockian22's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is an incredible book about the blood feud system in rural Albania. It moved me to tears and was utterly fascinating. And the language was lyrical. His insights into people was astute. Basically I didn’t expect to love this book and I did.
jankaluj's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
hannah_em's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great book. It was beautiful and haunting, following and explaining Albanian blood feuds. I had a hard time putting the book down, so it read through rather quickly. It ended very abruptly and I felt a few of the story lines had not completely played out.
roniscomfort's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0