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ronanmcd's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not impressed by awards. Ever. They are chosen based on what will sell, what's a novelty, who is overdue a shot of adrenaline for their career?
I picked this up, regardless of its pedigree and prestige.
You know when you have some food and the flavours are there, intricate and just right? Some good texture too, and looks great. But the whole thing is impossible to eat, it's too stodgy. Well there we are.
There are too many words. I understand it's stylistic, but often these are repeats of repeats of clauses, or reworded phrases. The whole book feels like an exercise because of it. It isn't about the story but about the word flow.
Of course the writer's intention is that this causes us to be in the flow, to feel it, to be brought along by it. But that requires long stretches of concentration (which in quarantine with kids is a luxury I don't have). But more than that: dense paragraphs without punctuation and in justified text is tiring on the eye. There's no break. The natural siccades and rhythms don't exist. Look away and you're often physically lost in a page, and then the character has changed, so you're literally lost too. It's hard work to read, and in return for little so far: some characters of little interest, nothing that provides much response from them, no pause for thought.
- -
"is that, is that what a citizen expects from an educated person? no, that's not what he would expect"
Honestly, this turgid stuff is grim. What purpose can conjoining these serve? Presumably the "is that" is repeated to emulate the spoken word and hesitation in it. What "he" would expect. He.
- -
And suddenly the book turns. Suddenly it is lampooning the gaslighting of the Trumpers, British Tory press and most probably Orban's repressive state. Recorded history is destroyed. The record is erased and memory denied to save the blushes if those in power.
Having been treading water for 400 pages, it's all of a sudden contemporary satire.
But maybe it's even finer a line than that. Maybe it only works from a Hungarian perspective. A glorious past returns, but turns out to be a sham, the usual suspects retain control and shut down dissent.
- -
No. It was not good.
I picked this up, regardless of its pedigree and prestige.
You know when you have some food and the flavours are there, intricate and just right? Some good texture too, and looks great. But the whole thing is impossible to eat, it's too stodgy. Well there we are.
There are too many words. I understand it's stylistic, but often these are repeats of repeats of clauses, or reworded phrases. The whole book feels like an exercise because of it. It isn't about the story but about the word flow.
Of course the writer's intention is that this causes us to be in the flow, to feel it, to be brought along by it. But that requires long stretches of concentration (which in quarantine with kids is a luxury I don't have). But more than that: dense paragraphs without punctuation and in justified text is tiring on the eye. There's no break. The natural siccades and rhythms don't exist. Look away and you're often physically lost in a page, and then the character has changed, so you're literally lost too. It's hard work to read, and in return for little so far: some characters of little interest, nothing that provides much response from them, no pause for thought.
- -
"is that, is that what a citizen expects from an educated person? no, that's not what he would expect"
Honestly, this turgid stuff is grim. What purpose can conjoining these serve? Presumably the "is that" is repeated to emulate the spoken word and hesitation in it. What "he" would expect. He.
- -
And suddenly the book turns. Suddenly it is lampooning the gaslighting of the Trumpers, British Tory press and most probably Orban's repressive state. Recorded history is destroyed. The record is erased and memory denied to save the blushes if those in power.
Having been treading water for 400 pages, it's all of a sudden contemporary satire.
But maybe it's even finer a line than that. Maybe it only works from a Hungarian perspective. A glorious past returns, but turns out to be a sham, the usual suspects retain control and shut down dissent.
- -
No. It was not good.
nonlinearpaolo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
stef369's review against another edition
4.0
Zelfs als je alleen even in dit boek bladert, heb je meteen door dat het hier om een bijzonder boek gaat, een bijzonder verhaal... De inwoners van een Hongaarse stad wachten op de komst van baron Wenckheim die terugkeert uit Argentinië en waarover de wildste verhalen de ronde gaan. Hij zou schatrijk zijn en zou met zijn geld de stad kunnen redden van een financieel debacle. Algauw wordt hij aanzien als een soort Messias. Maar wie is hij eigenlijk echt...? Een vreemd personage in de stad is ook de Professor, die de stad omwille van "omstandigheden" verlaten heeft en als kluizenaar in een bos woont. Daar houdt hij quasi krankzinnige monologen - inderdaad onbegrijpelijke wartaal voor de lezer. En er is ook de Idioot, de Burgemeester, de Commissaris - merk op: deze figuren hebben géén naam, alleen een titel - en daarnaast: héél veel personages die met hun vele verhalen en feitjes het hele boek vullen. Ja, het lezen van dit boek vergt veel van de lezer: tot in het pietluttige details worden al deze kleine verhalen verteld. Je moet ook echt wennen aan de schrijfstijl van deze auteur: de vele zinnen worden aan elkaar geregen door komma's, als in één lange adem - een beetje zoals Saramago dat ook doet - en alinea's zijn eigenlijk allemaal aparte hoofdstukjes. Als je dat door hebt, is het lezen iets aangenamer (in het begin word je letterlijk overspoeld door woorden en zinnen). De vele herhalingen van zinnen en feiten moeten als het ware bezwerend werken, maar soms gaat dat een beetje vervelen. Het verhaal leest als een bizar, mysterieus sprookje. Is het een parabel? Een allegorie? Ik zie er in elk geval ook een verwijzing in naar het communisme, de val van een regime (de beelden die omver worden gegooid, de tankauto's die verwijzen naar tanken, ...), despotisme. Het einde van het boek is een ware apocalyps, en dat is echte horror (de scène met de padden, ...). Het boek is zo omvattend dat je er lang over zou kunnen praten: welke betekenis heeft dit nu? Wat is de rol van de Idioot bijvoorbeeld, of de Professor? En wat met die "Waarschuwing" in het begin van het boek? De vele vragen die het boek oproept zorgen ervoor dat het mysterie gehandhaafd blijft - en dat hoort zo.
hannicogood's review against another edition
1.0
I was really looking forward to this book and it turns out I shouldn’t have been.
sean67's review against another edition
1.0
This may or may not be. the most brilliant book ever written but stylistically it is rubbish and the author makes it almost impossible to read and actually enjoy.
Endless pages of slabs of walls of text without any spaces is just very difficult to read.
Just use normal punctuation and be done with it.
A wasted opportunity and a book that instead of being accruable to many becomes one that only a few will persist with.
Endless pages of slabs of walls of text without any spaces is just very difficult to read.
Just use normal punctuation and be done with it.
A wasted opportunity and a book that instead of being accruable to many becomes one that only a few will persist with.
zylon's review against another edition
5.0
Krasznahorkai is an utterly remarkable storyteller. My favorite of his novels, bigger in scope than his others yet somehow easier to keep track off. His favorite themes are there but balanced with a humor that makes it a much more enjoyable read.
ateliertovar's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0