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discomagpie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
We gave this book 5/5 stars on InsatiableBooksluts.com.
We often do discussion-style reviews on our site. Here's an excerpt of our review:
"Amy: We both loved, loved, loved it! Best book I’ve read so far this year, by far.
Susie: I’m also so glad that we read it. I was enchanted (as much as you can be enchanted by a book that is about terrorism and war and hippies).
Amy: Almost every line was a poem in itself. I’m going to try to find the one, early on, that hooked me.
Susie: I loved her use of imagery. During the “anniversary” scene she talked about Della’s mother in terms of a tsunami–ocean imagery is dicey because it can be so overdone, but hers was perfect.
Amy: Bah, I can’t find the specific line, annoying. One I did find: “I had been kissing the hems of ghosts.” *swoon* Gorgeous.
Amy: Her use of language and imagery is masterful. The recurring themes of the self-immolators, the pregnant rat, her sister, the ocean… so many common (and often ugly) things, but made beautiful with her language around them."
Read the full discussion at our site.
We often do discussion-style reviews on our site. Here's an excerpt of our review:
"Amy: We both loved, loved, loved it! Best book I’ve read so far this year, by far.
Susie: I’m also so glad that we read it. I was enchanted (as much as you can be enchanted by a book that is about terrorism and war and hippies).
Amy: Almost every line was a poem in itself. I’m going to try to find the one, early on, that hooked me.
Susie: I loved her use of imagery. During the “anniversary” scene she talked about Della’s mother in terms of a tsunami–ocean imagery is dicey because it can be so overdone, but hers was perfect.
Amy: Bah, I can’t find the specific line, annoying. One I did find: “I had been kissing the hems of ghosts.” *swoon* Gorgeous.
Amy: Her use of language and imagery is masterful. The recurring themes of the self-immolators, the pregnant rat, her sister, the ocean… so many common (and often ugly) things, but made beautiful with her language around them."
Read the full discussion at our site.
courtney_elledge's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-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
3.25
Zazen is vivid and well-paced, but contains too many insensitive descriptions and lines of dialogue.
nicolepants's review against another edition
1.0
I was about to put this book down halfway through, and I saw that nearly everyone but me loved this book, so I thought I'd finish and see if I missed something in the ending that would change my mind.
Nope.
Others may find this writing style "beautiful" or "interesting" but I just found it boring and whiny, and so self-indulgent I could hardly stand it. I can't stand stream-of-consciousness narratives where the narrator is self-absorbed and ineffectual. I don't know why, after 160 pages, I though it would get better. If I wanted to talk to someone who is constantly blowing smoke up their own ass, I would find a in real person, so I could actually talk with them, not just listen to a rant.
Blah blah f--king blah. There's nothing new here. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, after reading the extremely pretentious author blurb. Next time, I will just turn the pages of a book like this into a rope, so I can hang myself instead.
Nope.
Others may find this writing style "beautiful" or "interesting" but I just found it boring and whiny, and so self-indulgent I could hardly stand it. I can't stand stream-of-consciousness narratives where the narrator is self-absorbed and ineffectual. I don't know why, after 160 pages, I though it would get better. If I wanted to talk to someone who is constantly blowing smoke up their own ass, I would find a in real person, so I could actually talk with them, not just listen to a rant.
Blah blah f--king blah. There's nothing new here. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, after reading the extremely pretentious author blurb. Next time, I will just turn the pages of a book like this into a rope, so I can hang myself instead.
caitlin21521's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this, but I ended up loving this when I had finished. Veselka is a gorgeous writer, with a slight stream of consciousness style that never feels forced. It’s more like she’s just writing everything she sees and feels down in a rush and it’s almost breath-taking.
The novel is set in a stark future that doesn’t seem far off, with talk of a war (it’s really never said exactly where the war is or who is fighting it or why). Bombs go off everywhere. And Della is a newly graduated paleontologist who has just defended her dissertation and doesn’t know where to go from here. The book focuses on the hippie lifestyle (totally lentilcentral), queer politics, transcendentalism, and anarchy.
Maybe I related to Della so much because I’m nearing the end of my graduate school career, and even though I’m applying for jobs, I still feel a little lost and unsure. We’re surrounded by so many realities, but it is hard to choose just one. We want to do something admirable, something revolutionary, something that will change the way things are, but we don’t know where to begin or even what to do. It all sounds kind of hopeless, but I promise it’s not… there seems to be a spark of optimism in Della, even when she’s at her lowest as though she doesn’t want to believe this is really it.
When she does try to change things, she learns a lot about herself. She calls in bomb threats, but one day the threats come true. Della figures out what’s going on, but her priorities become threatened and she must choose.
My favorite part of the novel is in the acknowledgments, which sums up the book perfectly: the author writes of her daughter who has “lost many evenings of my attention […] Once, when [my daughter] Violet was five, she asked me about Della and what she was like. I said Della was afraid that the world was full of sadness and that everything beautiful just got hurt. Violet looked at me for a second then said, “Yeah, but Della’s wrong”“.
The novel is set in a stark future that doesn’t seem far off, with talk of a war (it’s really never said exactly where the war is or who is fighting it or why). Bombs go off everywhere. And Della is a newly graduated paleontologist who has just defended her dissertation and doesn’t know where to go from here. The book focuses on the hippie lifestyle (totally lentilcentral), queer politics, transcendentalism, and anarchy.
Maybe I related to Della so much because I’m nearing the end of my graduate school career, and even though I’m applying for jobs, I still feel a little lost and unsure. We’re surrounded by so many realities, but it is hard to choose just one. We want to do something admirable, something revolutionary, something that will change the way things are, but we don’t know where to begin or even what to do. It all sounds kind of hopeless, but I promise it’s not… there seems to be a spark of optimism in Della, even when she’s at her lowest as though she doesn’t want to believe this is really it.
When she does try to change things, she learns a lot about herself. She calls in bomb threats, but one day the threats come true. Della figures out what’s going on, but her priorities become threatened and she must choose.
My favorite part of the novel is in the acknowledgments, which sums up the book perfectly: the author writes of her daughter who has “lost many evenings of my attention […] Once, when [my daughter] Violet was five, she asked me about Della and what she was like. I said Della was afraid that the world was full of sadness and that everything beautiful just got hurt. Violet looked at me for a second then said, “Yeah, but Della’s wrong”“.
emcfeely's review against another edition
3.0
I appreciated that this was a story involving radical politics that didn't turn into a story about the main character realizing that radicalism is horrible and dangerous and totally wrong - that was refreshing. This book was delightfully non-judgmental. I don't know, I love vegans and sex parties and farm collectives. They're all a little silly and earnest (yes, even the sex parties), but I feel an undeniable fondness for that sort of thing, and usually when they show up in books it is solely as the butt of a joke - look at the hilarious counter-cultural idiots, don't they know that operating outside of expectations is a waste of time, etc. This book pokes fun at them, but it doesn't feel malicious.
So there were things that I liked, and there were moments of undeniably beautiful prose. It occasionally felt uneven. And this isn't the author's fault, but god, the copy-editing was not good. However! This is one of the first books from a new indie publishing imprint, and I decided to be super excited by the fact that people are still starting independent publishing companies instead of getting too worked up over what I'll chalk up to growing pains.
So there were things that I liked, and there were moments of undeniably beautiful prose. It occasionally felt uneven. And this isn't the author's fault, but god, the copy-editing was not good. However! This is one of the first books from a new indie publishing imprint, and I decided to be super excited by the fact that people are still starting independent publishing companies instead of getting too worked up over what I'll chalk up to growing pains.
tantara's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
richardwells's review against another edition
3.0
We all know it's not easy to write a book, and with that in mind I tend to cheer a writer on as she gets closer to the finish line. It's a horrible thing when she's just about there and she stumbles, a worse thing when she falls.
This is a novel about the young, idealistic, and radical of, I suspect, the 1990's, but except for cultural references could be about any generation. It took me back to Santa Fe, NM in the 70's.
There is so much good about this book. The characters are recognizable and wittily etched, the story is at times a burlesque and at times a touching slice of life, and the author's insights are savory, but just when a terrific set piece is about to explode the author strays from the path of plot and gets lost in the woods of description. That had me skipping pages, and finally losing patience, and whatever impact the writer might have managed was lost.
That being said, and more's the pity, I thoroughly enjoyed the book until then - we're talking the last thirty pages here. Either the editor fell down on the job, or the author just couldn't let go - who knows.
At any rate, lots of people love this book, it's a lot of good writing, and I'm looking forward to whatever the author comes up with next.
PS: I was led to Zazen after reading an essay in The Best American Essays, 2013, ed. Cheryl Strayed.
This is a novel about the young, idealistic, and radical of, I suspect, the 1990's, but except for cultural references could be about any generation. It took me back to Santa Fe, NM in the 70's.
There is so much good about this book. The characters are recognizable and wittily etched, the story is at times a burlesque and at times a touching slice of life, and the author's insights are savory, but just when a terrific set piece is about to explode the author strays from the path of plot and gets lost in the woods of description. That had me skipping pages, and finally losing patience, and whatever impact the writer might have managed was lost.
That being said, and more's the pity, I thoroughly enjoyed the book until then - we're talking the last thirty pages here. Either the editor fell down on the job, or the author just couldn't let go - who knows.
At any rate, lots of people love this book, it's a lot of good writing, and I'm looking forward to whatever the author comes up with next.
PS: I was led to Zazen after reading an essay in The Best American Essays, 2013, ed. Cheryl Strayed.
manek_m's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this-- it had uneven moments (and the electronic version had some copyediting failures), but overall it was a good, dark, emotional, pre-apocalyptic novel that was thoughtful and well-plotted.
pdxpiney's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
heat_her's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I immediately connected with Della because I know exactly how she felt. Every time I check the news I get more depressed about what I view to be the state of this country. I read about murders, social injustice, a**hole politicians, all of the -isms, you name it–and sometimes it’s really hard for me not to say “f*ck it” and throw in the towel. There are days when all I really want to do is sit on my couch and stare out the window for hours at a time. As an empath, it is really hard for me to hear about all of the bad stuff and not get completely overwhelmed; sometimes the bad stuff wins, and I wish there were someplace–anyplace–where I could go and never have to hear about any of it ever again. I’m a tough woman, but enough is enough–I’m tired of fighting and feeling like it’s not making a bit of difference. I can only do so much talking and watch people turn the other cheek. It’s frustrating and overwhelming. Did I mention that it’s overwhelming? I feel this way because I care, and I can’t not care. So yeah, it was very easy for me to put myself in Della’s place, to feel and understand her depression and apathy.
Read my full review of Zazen on Between the Covers...
Read my full review of Zazen on Between the Covers...