Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - The Dry Heart

Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The Dry Heart by Natalia Ginzburg

10 reviews

sashabaker177's review

dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

In many ways a very atypical book, written from the perspective of a fairly naïve and unambitious character. The prose style is very judicious, almost cold, which I really liked, and I enjoyed hearing the perspective of a female main character who appeared about as far from an author self-insert as you can get. Her passivity is frustrating at times and tragic at others. We know at the beginning that she shoots her husband, so the book asks us to look at what led her to that. The resulting text is a dark portrait of marriage in which a woman's job is endure until she can endure no longer. The final lines were evocative, and while I initially found them unsatisfying, I have come to appreciate the author's decision to choose a fate for the main character that calls into question her purpose in her husband's absence.

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bookiesncreme's review

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dark sad medium-paced

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molly_kate's review against another edition

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medium-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? Yes

4.0

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internationalreads's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

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tomnorth's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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restlessreaderjay's review

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

The best way to read this is in one setting. Also, it's stream-of-consiousness-y, so if that's not something you like to read, you're not going to like this book.

This book falls into my personal Good For Her books - in terms specifically of her offing her husband. By the end of it, I was as bitter towards her husband as she was.

I thought the first few pages were a little slow. If you stick with it though, by page 20 you're into it. I think what I enjoyed most was the main character's descent into rage and despair - at times I almost wanted to shake with it myself. None of these characters are all that loveable. All of them are deeply flawed, all of them fucking suck in different ways, and all of them have chosen/been given shitty lots in life. I definitely recommend reading it, but not if you want a happy ending.

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