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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book isn't quite my usual cup of tea, but I got it from my late's mother's collection, so I wanted to give it a fair shot. I found the writing style interesting, and I chose to read the novel in what was called "the baroness's order", which felt like training for House of Leaves. The plot was unique, and the characters complex, I just found the writing style to be quite dry and the actual plot relatively dull.
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Mi aspettavo qualcosa di più. Una storia più profonda, una scrittura più coinvolgente, una trama più oscura... invece, a parte il divertimento di seguire l'ordine di lettura della Baronessa, questo libro mi ha lasciato in bocca il sapore di romanzetto per ragazzi... una scrittura semplice, dei personaggi scontati, un grande monologo in cui il pov della protagonista era l'unica spiegazione della direzione della trama... e quando la trama si fonda su di un solo personaggio, quasi tutto diventa banale: le azioni di tutti gli altri personaggi si svuotano di autonomia, di significato, di profondità.
Anche la scelta di utilizzare persona reali, come Coco Chanel o Charles Baudelaire, a tratti mi ha fatto storcere il naso, proprio perché mi hanno dato l'impressione di fantocci porta nome, marionette vuote, che svuotate della propria identità storica
Fossi ancora all'epoca delle medie, sarebbe stato un romanzo che avrei adorato e divorato in una notte; lo consiglierei perciò a questa fascia d'età se proprio
Anche la scelta di utilizzare persona reali, come Coco Chanel o Charles Baudelaire, a tratti mi ha fatto storcere il naso, proprio perché mi hanno dato l'impressione di fantocci porta nome, marionette vuote, che svuotate della propria identità storica
Fossi ancora all'epoca delle medie, sarebbe stato un romanzo che avrei adorato e divorato in una notte; lo consiglierei perciò a questa fascia d'età se proprio
I enjoyed the story although I thought it was going to be more of a mystery then a romance one. Read it in the Baroness' sequence and while that made it different, it also made it a bit annoying for me. Guess I'm too used to feeling an accomplishment with every page turned or the % completed statistic inching towards 100. I can't help but feel that the story is "unfinished" and that I'm not sure that I really read the whole book. Not going to read it a second time front-to-back though, it was interesting enough the first time around but not that fantastic that I feel the need to read it again. Since I have a dead-tree copy, it will go in the donate/gift bin.
Alex Landragin has created a beautiful book no matter if you read as you typically would (front to back) or in the "Barroness's sequence" skipping around. I read the book both ways. The interwoven story of supernatural lovers that travel through time is wonderful and heart wrenching, and the three short stories are expertly written in the traditional manner. This is one book that should not be missed. The journey through the scope of two lives living numerous lifetimes was captivating, and I had a hard time putting this one down.
My only wish is that I had read the DARC I received earlier so that I could have experienced this sooner.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the DARC in exchange for my honest review.
My only wish is that I had read the DARC I received earlier so that I could have experienced this sooner.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the DARC in exchange for my honest review.
What an interesting book. However, I didn't really know how to rate it. At times it was very confusing as to who was who. And I was constantly reaching for my dictionary to look up words I never heard of before. So this book was some work. The concept was very interesting and fascinating that you could read it in two different ways. I read the book the traditional way from page 1 to the end of the book but I plan on rereading it the alternate way. Brilliant concept.
What an interesting read in more ways than one!
This book can be read in two ways: traditionally (just following chapter by chapter like a normal book) or the baroness’ way (at the end of each chapter you follow a page number to a different chapter in the book). I chose the baroness’ way for the uniqueness and it was such a fun experience! I highly recommend reading a physical copy so that you can quickly reference previous sections and also to get the full experience of hopping app over the book. I definitely recommend to anyone who wants a different kind of reading experience.
Overall I’d give the book 3 stars for the story plus 1 star for the uniqueness!
This book can be read in two ways: traditionally (just following chapter by chapter like a normal book) or the baroness’ way (at the end of each chapter you follow a page number to a different chapter in the book). I chose the baroness’ way for the uniqueness and it was such a fun experience! I highly recommend reading a physical copy so that you can quickly reference previous sections and also to get the full experience of hopping app over the book. I definitely recommend to anyone who wants a different kind of reading experience.
Overall I’d give the book 3 stars for the story plus 1 star for the uniqueness!
Kinda got the point without need to read more. Not really all that interesting nor compelling.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“Crossing” invented by the author Alex Landragin refers to a soul transferring from one body to another while both bodies are alive. I enjoyed this fantasy plus historical fiction.
There are two ways to read this book: the regular way, i.e. from front to back, or, in Baroness sequence, i.e. following the page order specified in “Note to the Reader”. If you read it like a regular book, you will find three loosely linked stories. If you, like me, choose the Baroness sequence, you will read a single story woven together by an invisible thread (the internal logic).
Fun, inventive and well-written. It reminds me of Claire North’s [b:Touch|22314178|Touch|Claire North|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415977617l/22314178._SY75_.jpg|41706739]. I see why one might compare it to The Cloud Atlas. Both books include multiple story lines across time and space, and a plot line on a remote pacific Island, but that’s where the similarity ends. Crossing is lightweight, less complex, less philosophical than The Cloud Atlas.
There are two ways to read this book: the regular way, i.e. from front to back, or, in Baroness sequence, i.e. following the page order specified in “Note to the Reader”. If you read it like a regular book, you will find three loosely linked stories. If you, like me, choose the Baroness sequence, you will read a single story woven together by an invisible thread (the internal logic).
Fun, inventive and well-written. It reminds me of Claire North’s [b:Touch|22314178|Touch|Claire North|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415977617l/22314178._SY75_.jpg|41706739]. I see why one might compare it to The Cloud Atlas. Both books include multiple story lines across time and space, and a plot line on a remote pacific Island, but that’s where the similarity ends. Crossing is lightweight, less complex, less philosophical than The Cloud Atlas.
With a fascinating concept and execution, the structure is either entertainingly crosshatched or straightforward—depending on the method you choose. With all the feel of an adult Choose Your Own Adventure story, without having to actually go through the tedium of choosing. The Baroness Sequence Pagination is one of the two methods of reading through the story, and those sections end with a simple "Go here" link that takes you to the next appropriate section. (I did have some technical difficulties with the Kindle linking (and even the naming of the upcoming section) but I methodically broke down both attack strategies by their chapter names and the Kindle locations they span, and came up with what I believe is the correct order from the Baroness's instructions.)
Rest assured, I will be rereading this soon with the other method — simply turning the pages in the given order.
Regardless, the entire escapade is worth the effort. Following souls through time in an overlapping method that allows each individual story to develop alongside the others, and waiting for the pieces to finally fit together in one larger picture was completely and utterly engrossing. I did not want to put this book down or to end. Landragin has created characters for Crossings that have so much depth; they feel every bit as ancient and well-traveled as they are in their own stories. That includes the real-life characters who make an appearance of sorts in the book: Charles Baudelaire, Jeanne Duval, and Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel.
Crossings is an appropriate name — calling to mind a journey over the seas, but Landragin uses it as the name of another kind of journey here. Nonetheless, this novel is a veritable basketweave of three narratives. With reading it as the Baroness intended, I believe she's allowed most of the work to be done by the stories themselves. Whereas, it's up to the reader to tie everything in completely when reading it straight through. Either way, both ways, create a supremely masterful novel.
With hints of [b:Orlando|18839|Orlando|Virginia Woolf|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1443118010l/18839._SY75_.jpg|6057225], a drop of [b:The Song of Hiawatha|780875|The Song of Hiawatha|Henry Wadsworth Longfellow|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391963647l/780875._SY75_.jpg|2783902], and a fragmental resemblance to [b:Cloud Atlas|49628|Cloud Atlas|David Mitchell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1563042852l/49628._SX50_.jpg|1871423], Crossings stands among some greats — and holds up to the label of genre-bending.
I will definitely be purchasing my own physical copy for the reread coming up.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book, nor the content of my review.
Rest assured, I will be rereading this soon with the other method — simply turning the pages in the given order.
Regardless, the entire escapade is worth the effort. Following souls through time in an overlapping method that allows each individual story to develop alongside the others, and waiting for the pieces to finally fit together in one larger picture was completely and utterly engrossing. I did not want to put this book down or to end. Landragin has created characters for Crossings that have so much depth; they feel every bit as ancient and well-traveled as they are in their own stories. That includes the real-life characters who make an appearance of sorts in the book: Charles Baudelaire, Jeanne Duval, and Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel.
Crossings is an appropriate name — calling to mind a journey over the seas, but Landragin uses it as the name of another kind of journey here. Nonetheless, this novel is a veritable basketweave of three narratives. With reading it as the Baroness intended, I believe she's allowed most of the work to be done by the stories themselves. Whereas, it's up to the reader to tie everything in completely when reading it straight through. Either way, both ways, create a supremely masterful novel.
With hints of [b:Orlando|18839|Orlando|Virginia Woolf|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1443118010l/18839._SY75_.jpg|6057225], a drop of [b:The Song of Hiawatha|780875|The Song of Hiawatha|Henry Wadsworth Longfellow|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391963647l/780875._SY75_.jpg|2783902], and a fragmental resemblance to [b:Cloud Atlas|49628|Cloud Atlas|David Mitchell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1563042852l/49628._SX50_.jpg|1871423], Crossings stands among some greats — and holds up to the label of genre-bending.
I will definitely be purchasing my own physical copy for the reread coming up.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book, nor the content of my review.