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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ho fatto molta fatica a leggere questo libro, ma per questione di gusti personali. Lo stile di Foer in questo romanzo è molto particolare, perfettamente adatto alla storia ma io non lo reggevo: quello sgrammaticato di Alex e il suo surreale, se oggettivamente gestiti alla perfezione, per me erano entrambi eccessivi e ridondanti.
No lo he terminado porque me ha pasado le ha pasado lo peor que le puede pasar a un libro y es que me lo dejé en el avión. Sólo me faltaban 60 páginas para el final y se estaba poniendo interesante, al fin. Intentaré recuperarlo pero ya me avisaron en la aerolínea que iba a estar difícil. Lo buscaré en tiendas de segunda mano si no me lo devuelven.
This book weaves together this life and the ones of the past that we are tied to so well. It helps "illuminate" the understanding that we are all so closely linked together whether we are geographically, mentally, emotionally or physically millions of miles away. Foer's prose is beautiful and you will walk away with many quotes that make you think about life in a new way.
One of the weirdest books I have ever read. Reviews compare it to clockwork orange and I get that now. I feel like I need to re-watch the movie interpretation because they were different. But there's also a depth to the book that I think you have to just read it to see for yourself. I read lots of WW2 books as a kid, but this was a distinct adult perspective that I found very captivating.
Though I'm still confused on the structure of the story in it's semi-autobiographical nature, this was truly something special. It has a lot of strange and surrealist moments in a story that you wouldn't think to have them. It tests the bounds of storytelling and how reality is twisted in hard times.
It follows Alex and Jonathan. Alex is Ukrainian and is a translator for his Grandfather who works a sort of touring business. Jonathan employs them to take him to where his grandfather was from which is an obscure village that no one seems to know about. The main storyline with both of them is told my Alex who is writing this for a book Jonathan is writing, where other chapters about Jonathan's history and family are written by Jonathan for the same book. There is also another 'storyline' told through letters written from Alex to Jonathan as he reads what Jonathan writes and sends Jonathan what he writes.
It can get confusing at times, but there are so many great moments and it really makes you more aware of the writing as the book is aware of itself in a way. The story of Jonathan's lineage is probably the most 'strange' part of the book because Jonathan writes in such a loose way, unrestricted by the normal structure of history. A main part of the book and conversations between Jonathan and Alex is about the struggle of being honest in their stories. Alex takes awhile to be fully transparent in his writing and Jonathan adds his own details to his family's history. Yet both struggle to like the honesty shared throughout the others writing, both criticizing each other and making suggestions on how to make the story end better if it was a lie.
Alex and Jonathan's relationship was the main thing I found to be the most complex. When get the story of how the met but not how they got to be writing this book, we don't know exactly how close are and it is all told through Alex's perspective. The way the story ends with them makes me a little sad, but it ties in together overall with the message. You can only love when there is truth. Alex and Jonathan are only able to truly understand and love each other when they are finally truthful. And even so, it doesn't mean it will be all happy.
The writing in this book is also one of the stranger aspects but one of the most beautiful and engaging. I felt excited for each upcoming chapter and each went on just long enough to switch to the next perspective when I was starting to miss it.
As a story centered around tragedy and the suppression of truth to avoid it, it presents many very real issues today that can be very widespread and very personal at the same time. It is centered around the holocaust yet is not ever set during the main events of the holocaust. Even so, I believe it has even more impact because of that; we know what's coming, we know what's happened, we know the tragedy better than we know ourselves so we don't have to explain it.
One final small detail I loved was the transition from Alex referring to Jonathan as the "Hero" versus as just "Jonathan". It is a subtle shift, but after he does it once, he never goes back. I think this shows a big shift in Alex's character because he continuously put everyone in his life on a pedestal, but after seeing Jonathan as more human his perceptions of everyone else in his life, including himself, begins to shift.
The History portions were the most interesting to me and tied the story up so well. Foer really knows how to connect a story because everything came full circle, and every detail corresponded with the past and the future.
In the end 'truth is love and love is light'.
It follows Alex and Jonathan. Alex is Ukrainian and is a translator for his Grandfather who works a sort of touring business. Jonathan employs them to take him to where his grandfather was from which is an obscure village that no one seems to know about. The main storyline with both of them is told my Alex who is writing this for a book Jonathan is writing, where other chapters about Jonathan's history and family are written by Jonathan for the same book. There is also another 'storyline' told through letters written from Alex to Jonathan as he reads what Jonathan writes and sends Jonathan what he writes.
It can get confusing at times, but there are so many great moments and it really makes you more aware of the writing as the book is aware of itself in a way. The story of Jonathan's lineage is probably the most 'strange' part of the book because Jonathan writes in such a loose way, unrestricted by the normal structure of history. A main part of the book and conversations between Jonathan and Alex is about the struggle of being honest in their stories. Alex takes awhile to be fully transparent in his writing and Jonathan adds his own details to his family's history. Yet both struggle to like the honesty shared throughout the others writing, both criticizing each other and making suggestions on how to make the story end better if it was a lie.
Alex and Jonathan's relationship was the main thing I found to be the most complex. When get the story of how the met but not how they got to be writing this book, we don't know exactly how close are and it is all told through Alex's perspective. The way the story ends with them makes me a little sad, but it ties in together overall with the message. You can only love when there is truth. Alex and Jonathan are only able to truly understand and love each other when they are finally truthful. And even so, it doesn't mean it will be all happy.
The writing in this book is also one of the stranger aspects but one of the most beautiful and engaging. I felt excited for each upcoming chapter and each went on just long enough to switch to the next perspective when I was starting to miss it.
As a story centered around tragedy and the suppression of truth to avoid it, it presents many very real issues today that can be very widespread and very personal at the same time. It is centered around the holocaust yet is not ever set during the main events of the holocaust. Even so, I believe it has even more impact because of that; we know what's coming, we know what's happened, we know the tragedy better than we know ourselves so we don't have to explain it.
One final small detail I loved was the transition from Alex referring to Jonathan as the "Hero" versus as just "Jonathan". It is a subtle shift, but after he does it once, he never goes back. I think this shows a big shift in Alex's character because he continuously put everyone in his life on a pedestal, but after seeing Jonathan as more human his perceptions of everyone else in his life, including himself, begins to shift.
The History portions were the most interesting to me and tied the story up so well. Foer really knows how to connect a story because everything came full circle, and every detail corresponded with the past and the future.
In the end 'truth is love and love is light'.
I loved this book from the very start. The letters by Alex, present-day narration from Jonathan's diary, Alex's letters, Alex's present-day narration; all were very entertaining, with moments of humor and sadness.
In the end, I wanted more of Lista's and Augustine's story. I wanted to know what exactly happened to the Gypsy Girl and when. I thought the Herschel parts were unnecessary, so were some of the parts related to Alex's grandfather. In the end, Alex sounded very taut, which I found out-of-place and again, unnecessary.
As I am thinking through the whole story, a few more parts make sense now. The storytelling, the plot, the characters were so so so good. I understand that more explanation related to any character would have marred the beauty of this story. I appreciate that the author didn't think his readers too naive to connect some of the dots.
Jonathan Foer is in my all time favorite list now.
In the end, I wanted more of Lista's and Augustine's story. I wanted to know what exactly happened to the Gypsy Girl and when. I thought the Herschel parts were unnecessary, so were some of the parts related to Alex's grandfather. In the end, Alex sounded very taut, which I found out-of-place and again, unnecessary.
As I am thinking through the whole story, a few more parts make sense now. The storytelling, the plot, the characters were so so so good. I understand that more explanation related to any character would have marred the beauty of this story. I appreciate that the author didn't think his readers too naive to connect some of the dots.
Jonathan Foer is in my all time favorite list now.