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tigerkind's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
4.25
Kehlmann‘s prose is masterful. Even long, borderline rambling passages about the minutiae of the Thirty Years' War are elevated by subtle humor and a vocabulary that fits the setting without alienating a modern reader.
The book is told from many different points of view, which I personally did not mind as it is clearly part of the larger theme of historiography. It however also makes for a slightly removed reading experience and I could not connect with the story as much as I otherwise would have.
The book is about Till Eulenspiegel as much as it is not; it is about the power of a good story, about who we are when no one is watching and who we become when everyone is.
The book is told from many different points of view, which I personally did not mind as it is clearly part of the larger theme of historiography. It however also makes for a slightly removed reading experience and I could not connect with the story as much as I otherwise would have.
The book is about Till Eulenspiegel as much as it is not; it is about the power of a good story, about who we are when no one is watching and who we become when everyone is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Animal death, Gore, War, Violence, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Body horror
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Vomit, Medical content, Excrement, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Murder
Minor: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Rape
rhiannonafternoon's review against another edition
I found this book really dark with no reprieve or hopeful moments. The third story/chapter in the book I found hard to follow, and even by the fourth chapter I couldn’t figure out what was compelling me to learn more about Tyll.
Just not for me.
Just not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, and Death of parent
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