Scan barcode
belwau's review
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
darby3's review
3.0
Sometimes I loved it. Sometimes I detested it. Mostly I didn't have a clue what the heck was going on. Good times!
vio's review against another edition
4.0
I can only thank those two ladies on Instagram ;) ;) whom I (re)read this book with, without them I might still be struggling with the first book.
I wish I could say something mm intelligent about the book, but alas I can't. :) I did enjoy some bits, but mostly I was fighting with every word and sentence and fragment and chapter and hoping this all will be over soon!
Still, I am super in awe by Cărtărescu's use of adjectives (mostly, of colour), by his shocking power of imagination, by his tremendous knowledge of the Romanian language (yes!), of human anatomy, zoology, architecture, art(s).
I would like to read the other two parts of Orbitor, but I don't see myself embarking on this journey alone. Help. :)
Why am I writing this review in English? No idea.
PS So, yes, I read this book for the first time in 2000. You can imagine I pretty much had *zero* recollection after 20 years (almost zero, to be perfectly honest).
I was super curious how some words or phrases were translated in English/ Italian/ German and while searching for the translated fragments, I stumbled upon some mistakes, which quite surprised me and made me wonder once again how ”accurate” the translations we read really are...
I wish I could say something mm intelligent about the book, but alas I can't. :) I did enjoy some bits, but mostly I was fighting with every word and sentence and fragment and chapter and hoping this all will be over soon!
Still, I am super in awe by Cărtărescu's use of adjectives (mostly, of colour), by his shocking power of imagination, by his tremendous knowledge of the Romanian language (yes!), of human anatomy, zoology, architecture, art(s).
I would like to read the other two parts of Orbitor, but I don't see myself embarking on this journey alone. Help. :)
Why am I writing this review in English? No idea.
PS So, yes, I read this book for the first time in 2000. You can imagine I pretty much had *zero* recollection after 20 years (almost zero, to be perfectly honest).
I was super curious how some words or phrases were translated in English/ Italian/ German and while searching for the translated fragments, I stumbled upon some mistakes, which quite surprised me and made me wonder once again how ”accurate” the translations we read really are...
lettazett's review against another edition
Did not like the writing style and thus I had no interest in the protagonist.
pavel_nedelcu's review against another edition
4.0
Primul volum al trilogiei, este cel mai scurt dar și cel mai concentrat din cele trei. Dacă cititorul va trece de testul citirii Aripei Stângi, cu siguranță că va reuși fără nicio problemă să citească și continuarea. Cartea se concentrează în mare parte pe viața mamei protagonistului Mircea, descriind procesul de transformare al splendidei, tinerei Maria într-o casnică dedicată exclusiv soțului și copilului său. Dar acesta nu este nici pe departe singurul sau cel mai important fir al poveștii. Bucureștiul este descris ca un oraș paralel, devine o entitate unică și complet nouă în mintea-carte a personajului Mircea. Acest București nu este totuși unicul loc în care se petrece acțiunea. Salturile spațial-temporale vor deveni, după o primă perioadă de familiarizare, o obișnuință.
brusboks's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
author has a literary obsession with his own life and family, loves certain words too much, hung up on the relation between man and woman as _the_ relation, also racist.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
brgntteva's review against another edition
3.0
Un po' memoir, un po' incubo. C'è Mircea da bambino, tantissimo sua madre, e la di lei gioventù, in una Bucarest labirintica e misteriosa e piena di sotterranei e cunicoli e botole sotto le statue, farfalle giganti da tutte le parti. A sorpresa un jazzista nero e New Orleans. L'ospedale per Mircea, una sorta di depressione infantile, le macerie e personaggi balordi. La scrittura è evidentemente ipnotica, con passaggi a volte strabilianti, altrimenti uno non reggerebbe circa 500pagg di stramberie.
More...