Reviews

La treccia della nonna by Alina Bronsky

sarah_strx's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.75

r62's review against another edition

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5.0

Die Geschichte wird aus der Perspektive des kleinen Maxim erzählt, der mit seinen russischen Grosseltern nach Deutschland auswandert.
Wer Bronsky kennt, weiss was ihn erwartet - Melodrama, Komödie, Satire, skurrile, überzeichnete Charaktere, die alle ihr Herz am richtigen Fleck haben, nur das Beste füreinander wollen und trotzdem oft das Falsche tun.
Nur beim kleinen Maxim, der im Laufe der Geschichte heranwächst und sich von der Übergrossmutter und ihren Phobien befreit, bin ich am Ende des Buchs nicht sicher, ob er nicht eine Ader zum Bösartigen hat. Absolut lesenswert, rasant und unterhaltsam geschrieben.

the_girl_who_drank_the_moon's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.25

clara_05r's review against another edition

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lighthearted sad
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

fanini's review against another edition

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sad fast-paced

3.5

annalena219's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.0

dara_kossok_spiess's review against another edition

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3.0

Jede russischsprachig sozialisierte Mensch kennt Eigenarten der Großmutter als Sammlung von Stereotypen. Zu wenig beleuchtet, wieso sie so werden musste, um alles zu ertragen und wie das "verrückte" Verhalten sie und das Leben ihrer Familie überhaupt ermöglicht hat.

katjazettelchen's review against another edition

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funny sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

the_tea_collector22's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.0

This was a very strange book, and the grandmother was such a strange character. She felt so real, with her pages of dialogue and her contradictory world view (like being racist and antisemitic all while having their family claim to be Jewish to have protected status in Germany), she felt like an actual person in a way that was really well written and also unsettling at times?
I don’t know if it was a satisfying ending exactly, or an entirely satisfying book- but it did keep propelling me forward in a way I hadn’t expected it to. 

lauramcgaha's review against another edition

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3.0

As a book club selection for Pittsburgh's CITY OF ASYLUM BOOKSTORE (check them out... amazing store!), I was expecting great things. Upon completion, however, I'm confused as to why it was chosen. Maybe I need to think about the characters more and the story the author was trying to tell, but the grandmother comes across as mean-spirited (at worst) or narcissistic (at best). And while she is a "strong woman," she's not the kind of strong woman anyone would admire.

What I *do* know is that this discussion should be great -- and maybe that's why it was chosen.