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vivacissimx's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
3.75
lngoo's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Some parts I adored, some parts went over my head/made me feel poorly read. I think it’s one to keep coming back to reread
cruzsuzanne's review
5.0
the discussion about saudade was so poignant, it felt like every word was written for me. my favorite chapters were Alternative Routes, Stuttering Cities, and Relingos: The Cartography of Empty Spaces. what a special book ❤ will definitely reread and recommend this!
mrskkpst's review against another edition
glorifying the russian imperialist Brodsky
katherinechase's review
5.0
A fantastic perambulatory excursion into the mind of Luiselli. She becomes a nomadic flaneur, theorising about what it means to belong, to inhabit, to abandon, to restore, to live in, and to occupy places and spaces.
haindfielda's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
Felt like 2x the length- but good writing and interesting
coffeebooksrepeat's review
5.0
When I picked up this book a couple of days ago, the only thing I had in mind was I needed a quick read.
Valeria Luiselli is one of those writers who have been on your TBR list for so long that you have acquired their books but never gotten your way around reading them.
“Sidewalk” is a tiny book that is merely a little over a hundred pages but has the power to remind you when you need some reminding or to kick you whenever you need some kicking. The latter works pretty well when the former doesn’t, albeit figuratively.
It is composed of 10 parts where Valeria wrote her thoughts about just the most random of stuff which she could connect to places, names, or phrases.
This collection by Luiselli reminded me of Clarice Lispector’s Selected Cronicas. Some were funny, some were like hard pills to swallow, and some were like warm embraces reminding you it’s okay to hoard books.
My favorite chapter was Stuttering Cities. I loved how Valeria made descriptions of streets and building entrances so simple, yet so real, so relatable. While I hail and currently reside in a tiny city in the southern part of the Philippines, I love visiting the metro for holidays, and unknown to my friends, I love looking at old buildings and traveling along old streets, not for their history, especially not for the horrendous traffic, but their structure in contrast to the new and modern ones. Probably the reason why that Metro Manila loop drive we did last April is one of my favorites for 2022.
Cities usually tell stories through lamp posts, potholes, drainage, public transport, and sidewalks, if we care to look.
I was a few pages in when I knew it would be a memorable ☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️ read.
If you see this Vuiselli, get it.
Valeria Luiselli is one of those writers who have been on your TBR list for so long that you have acquired their books but never gotten your way around reading them.
“Sidewalk” is a tiny book that is merely a little over a hundred pages but has the power to remind you when you need some reminding or to kick you whenever you need some kicking. The latter works pretty well when the former doesn’t, albeit figuratively.
It is composed of 10 parts where Valeria wrote her thoughts about just the most random of stuff which she could connect to places, names, or phrases.
This collection by Luiselli reminded me of Clarice Lispector’s Selected Cronicas. Some were funny, some were like hard pills to swallow, and some were like warm embraces reminding you it’s okay to hoard books.
My favorite chapter was Stuttering Cities. I loved how Valeria made descriptions of streets and building entrances so simple, yet so real, so relatable. While I hail and currently reside in a tiny city in the southern part of the Philippines, I love visiting the metro for holidays, and unknown to my friends, I love looking at old buildings and traveling along old streets, not for their history, especially not for the horrendous traffic, but their structure in contrast to the new and modern ones. Probably the reason why that Metro Manila loop drive we did last April is one of my favorites for 2022.
Cities usually tell stories through lamp posts, potholes, drainage, public transport, and sidewalks, if we care to look.
I was a few pages in when I knew it would be a memorable ☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️ read.
If you see this Vuiselli, get it.
laurynreads's review against another edition
3.5
My first Luiselli! I really enjoy her writing style and her perspective is so interesting. I especially liked the essay about bikes (duh)