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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
"Now, in a bare room across the world, I leave commas on the page,,,, like eyelashes."
This one wasn't long enough.
This one wasn't long enough.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I had reservations about this book going in. It was a gift and all I knew about it was that it had won the Giller Prize. It was an OK book, nothing special. The book is written as if it was being written to Clara Reisenberg, a girl that Leon Theremin apparently loved.
It is written in a very emotionless way. Things happen, Theremin recounts them, and we move on. Why does he love Clara? We don't know. Nothing in his dealings with her reveal what it is about her that makes her become his idealized woman. He marries a friend of his sister, Katia, early on, and she gets two scenes in the book, one short one when he meets her, and one when he leaves her. Her brother, Sasha, receives emphasis as his good friend early on, and then disappears. Why does he marry his second wife, Lavinia Williams? We don't know. Why should we care about Leon Theremin? Well, the book's not going to give you that either.
It is very difficult to invest oneself emotionally in such a character. I did find the book became a little more interesting when Theremin indulges in some espionage. But overall, he is a very passive character that responds to the manipulation of others, and doesn't seem to have much motivation on his own, beyond his work. The scenes in the book from the labour camp and his life as an imprisoned scientist reminded me a lot of books I've read by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and as such, they did not have the same impact on me that they may have otherwise. This book was nothing special.
It is written in a very emotionless way. Things happen, Theremin recounts them, and we move on. Why does he love Clara? We don't know. Nothing in his dealings with her reveal what it is about her that makes her become his idealized woman. He marries a friend of his sister, Katia, early on, and she gets two scenes in the book, one short one when he meets her, and one when he leaves her. Her brother, Sasha, receives emphasis as his good friend early on, and then disappears. Why does he marry his second wife, Lavinia Williams? We don't know. Why should we care about Leon Theremin? Well, the book's not going to give you that either.
It is very difficult to invest oneself emotionally in such a character. I did find the book became a little more interesting when Theremin indulges in some espionage. But overall, he is a very passive character that responds to the manipulation of others, and doesn't seem to have much motivation on his own, beyond his work. The scenes in the book from the labour camp and his life as an imprisoned scientist reminded me a lot of books I've read by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and as such, they did not have the same impact on me that they may have otherwise. This book was nothing special.
I absolutely adored this book. The language was simply mesmerizing; it was as vulnerable and poetic as the Theremin's hypnotic sound. I agree with another review of this book, which stated that this story cleverly combined many genres together, thus making it an epic love saga, a spy-thriller, and a book of political commentary. Lev's undying devotion to Clara was beautiful, tragic and heartbreaking. I am not ashamed no admit that I cried at the end...while I was in the library. Overall,Sean Michaels did a fantastic job of telling the fictionalized tale of a brilliant inventor, and this book definitely expanded my knowledge of engineering, Communist Russia, and of course, the Theremin.
3.5. The first half of the book was slow and kinda hard to get through, but the end picks up and overall it's a well-written tale that I did enjoy. I think the big main issue is that I didn't feel anything for Termen till the last 100-150 pages, though the gulag and Soviet part is well-done. Also surprised to learn that this is based on a true story!
Not a fan of this book. Didn't really enjoy the writing style, things meant to be romantic came off as kind of creepy and very robotic. My favourite parts were the prison scenes, because it gives an insight into how messed up Russia was at the time, and how prisons literally break people down. But the rest of the book was average, and I really didn't agree with how it ended.