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justin_zigenis's review against another edition
3.0
Being that it was very cleaver, the ending raised it from two to three stars for me. Because there's something addictive about Coetzee's writing, is why I couldn't stop. There needs to be more plot--something I rarely say.
bianca89279's review against another edition
2.0
2 stars - I don't know what the hell this is or supposed to be
It started off well... I thought this will be about an ageing female writer, her struggles with ageing, role in society, the writing world etc
I'm not sure what this was about... As time went on, it got more and more incomprehensible to me, I couldn't quite understand that the heck Elizabeth Costello was going on about in her many talks, dissertations, lectures. Was her mind unravelling? Is Elizabeth Costello just a receptacle for Coetzee's philosophies, ponderings? I mean this had everything without meaning much: vegetarianism/animals rights - I was oh, ok, interesting, I'm open to it - but it went all astray.
There was a lecture on African literature - I found that interesting;
What else? Oh, these huge rants between Elizabeth Costello and her very religious sister, now a nun in a South Africa. As a devout atheist, I thought, oh, this should be interesting. I thought both women were batshit crazy and, as it's the case with most religious/theological discussions where there are two opposed sides, nothing comes out of it, they were just talking at each other, all well argued with fancy words, but nobody was listening.
There were many other subjects. I skipped ahead a bit just to see if this was going anywhere different. Nope. Elizabeth Costello was on another lecture yet again.
My biggest gripe with this - whatever it is, as I can't quite call it a novel - is that I never really understood who Elizabeth Costello was, the person, not the intellectual automaton. Most women are more nuanced. Maybe Coetzee should have chosen to write all this from a male perspective, as Elizabeth Costello wasn't that believable. She was too cold and detached. She didn't seem human. It's also possible that she was losing her marbles?
This book can be interpreted in a million and one ways. Some books you enjoy and have fun, some are informative, some you admire for their cleverness even though you don't necessarily enjoy them, I'm afraid, this one doesn't fall in any of the above categories, despite its intellectual highbrow lectures. I don't know ... It was all too dry, too intellectual without providing answers or that much food for thought in the end.
It started off well... I thought this will be about an ageing female writer, her struggles with ageing, role in society, the writing world etc
I'm not sure what this was about... As time went on, it got more and more incomprehensible to me, I couldn't quite understand that the heck Elizabeth Costello was going on about in her many talks, dissertations, lectures. Was her mind unravelling? Is Elizabeth Costello just a receptacle for Coetzee's philosophies, ponderings? I mean this had everything without meaning much: vegetarianism/animals rights - I was oh, ok, interesting, I'm open to it - but it went all astray.
There was a lecture on African literature - I found that interesting;
What else? Oh, these huge rants between Elizabeth Costello and her very religious sister, now a nun in a South Africa. As a devout atheist, I thought, oh, this should be interesting. I thought both women were batshit crazy and, as it's the case with most religious/theological discussions where there are two opposed sides, nothing comes out of it, they were just talking at each other, all well argued with fancy words, but nobody was listening.
There were many other subjects. I skipped ahead a bit just to see if this was going anywhere different. Nope. Elizabeth Costello was on another lecture yet again.
My biggest gripe with this - whatever it is, as I can't quite call it a novel - is that I never really understood who Elizabeth Costello was, the person, not the intellectual automaton. Most women are more nuanced. Maybe Coetzee should have chosen to write all this from a male perspective, as Elizabeth Costello wasn't that believable. She was too cold and detached. She didn't seem human. It's also possible that she was losing her marbles?
This book can be interpreted in a million and one ways. Some books you enjoy and have fun, some are informative, some you admire for their cleverness even though you don't necessarily enjoy them, I'm afraid, this one doesn't fall in any of the above categories, despite its intellectual highbrow lectures. I don't know ... It was all too dry, too intellectual without providing answers or that much food for thought in the end.
sloatsj's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed Elizabeth Costello – the ideas kept my interest despite the book being lean on plot and character development. The relationships the protagonist has with her son and sister seem like they ought to be explored, but instead they’re mostly abandoned, the characters being used only as instruments to play off Elizabeth Costello’s ideas and convictions. I found the second half of the book lost momentum. Still, Coetzee’s prose is marvelous, among the best being written, and I admire him in this book for doing something different. Recommendation: if you like “idea” novels, yes. If you need a story to propel your reading, no.
libraryofcalliope's review against another edition
3.0
This book would have got a much higher rating from me if two chapters of it had been removed. This novel expertly treads the line between a fiction and a work of philosophy, complicating the distinction between the two. He uses the character of Elizabeth Costello to interrogate the role authors play in academia and society but also about their own relationships to their books. Each chapter is more like an essay disguised as prose (or should that be the other way around?) and it’s an interesting book in how it deals with its discussions. What I liked was when I thought an idea from the second chapter was problematically unchallenged, my exact criticism came up later, using the novel’s classic narrative structure of consequences. I really liked this. Unfortunately there were two chapters that were textbook men awkwardly writing women. If they had been taken out this book would have been substantially better. While he does address the concept of a female author writing a male character and how one cannot step outside of their own experiences even in fiction, I don’t think I can excuse the awkward sexual elements in the name of proving this point. Women don’t exist to cheer up a dying man by showing them their breasts. It was uncomfortable and confused. That being said this was very interesting and I look forward to discussing it in class.
moeljo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
graywacke's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
hmm. A collection of lectures and essays, many of which Coetzee had actually given, made into a novel. He even included responses to his work. I didn't know that. Blind, I opened with a very interesting chapter on Realism. But the heart of the essays seem to revolve around Veganism from a moral perspective, which I tried very hard to care about, but nothing was concluded and these were odd and sometimes slow. Then it goes into other things Coetzee imagined, slowly. Nothing concludes, naturally.
I think it's important and admirable that the essays were intelligent. All the thought processes on all sides were well put, argument and criticism. And that I did appreciate. But does it make a good book, or a bore? I'm done and I haven't decided yet. And if you asked me to read it again, I imagine I could be convinced to try again. So, it works in its way. It still might be bore.
I think it's important and admirable that the essays were intelligent. All the thought processes on all sides were well put, argument and criticism. And that I did appreciate. But does it make a good book, or a bore? I'm done and I haven't decided yet. And if you asked me to read it again, I imagine I could be convinced to try again. So, it works in its way. It still might be bore.
jayden_mccomiskie's review against another edition
5.0
What appeared at first cheesy, an alter ego for Coetzee's essays and views, turned out to be a splendid read and a new favourite and I still don't know how he did it, but Coetzee is looking at me with a seducer's eye over his left shoulder that says "you'll be back for more."
makennadykstra's review against another edition
read in swiss ski town verbier. tbh, the views from my coffee shop far surpassed the book itself. essentially a series of highly didactic, exceedingly pretentious essays disguised as a story of an aging writer giving lectures around the world. enjoyed the first “lecture” (lesson 1: “realism”) and really, really enjoyed the last (lesson 8: “at the gate”) but the others were scattered & tedious. i will concede, though, lessons 3 (“the lives of animals: the philosophers and the animals”) and 4 (“the lives of animals: the poets and the animals”) almost convinced me of the futility of being vegetarian
jbrins1's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0