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shha's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nightwater32's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.75
andrea12's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
deerfrancis's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
cvall96's review against another edition
5.0
Great balls of fire! Everyone's gay!
Again: the society scenes are tedious, but Marcel is so over their bullshit. Tales from the Crypt: I Fell in Love...with a Bisexual! (Or in Marcel's words, "a practising and professional Sapphist").
At last, Grandmother's death hits him like a ton of bricks. (This scene did make me cry.) It has probably my favorite stretch of writing in the Search so far. No wonder: the section which features the musing on grandmama's death is called "The Intermittences of the Heart," which was what MP was going to call it, before going with the far-better, less wordy "In Search of Lost Time." But the "Intermittences" section gives away that this part was clearly the heart of the novel for him, the fulcrum, if you will, between past and present, love and death, memory and amnesia. Of course it has to do with Grandmothers...
High high HIGH highs, for sure. That memory bit for which LA RECHERCHE is renowned really creeps up in earnest in this volume: lotsa moments you kinda forgot get remixed with new meanings: oh shit, the bohemian composer's lesbian daughter! yeah I remember her....oh, the chauffeur and the northern French beaches! yeah they're not like they used to be.....and MY GOD WHAT IS THE BARON DOING???
Crazy vibes. Wonder how it's all gonna go down. Quick, Marcel! You neurotic, obsessed, bitchy, self-loathing, king of mess! Write it all down afore ya forget!
Again: the society scenes are tedious, but Marcel is so over their bullshit. Tales from the Crypt: I Fell in Love...with a Bisexual! (Or in Marcel's words, "a practising and professional Sapphist").
At last, Grandmother's death hits him like a ton of bricks. (This scene did make me cry.) It has probably my favorite stretch of writing in the Search so far. No wonder: the section which features the musing on grandmama's death is called "The Intermittences of the Heart," which was what MP was going to call it, before going with the far-better, less wordy "In Search of Lost Time." But the "Intermittences" section gives away that this part was clearly the heart of the novel for him, the fulcrum, if you will, between past and present, love and death, memory and amnesia. Of course it has to do with Grandmothers...
High high HIGH highs, for sure. That memory bit for which LA RECHERCHE is renowned really creeps up in earnest in this volume: lotsa moments you kinda forgot get remixed with new meanings: oh shit, the bohemian composer's lesbian daughter! yeah I remember her....oh, the chauffeur and the northern French beaches! yeah they're not like they used to be.....and MY GOD WHAT IS THE BARON DOING???
Crazy vibes. Wonder how it's all gonna go down. Quick, Marcel! You neurotic, obsessed, bitchy, self-loathing, king of mess! Write it all down afore ya forget!
wyerx's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
ericfheiman's review against another edition
3.0
I think Marcel and I need a little break from one another…
fer_qc's review against another edition
4.0
The only way you can criticise Marcel Proust is by saying "You write way too much!Learn to sumarize and to put out what's not important, you crazy man! I want to know about the relationships of Mesieur du Charlus, about the vices that you suspected on Albertina or about that jealousy that makes y'all crazy. I don't care about knowing everything about every aristocrat that you've met in your snobby life".
The rest is absolutely perfect. Reading this book is like working in a goldmine, you have to read pages and pages until you finally find the gold, and when you do, and he finally gets to the point, and he starts telling us about the interesting people that he writes about, with his remarkable style, and his miraculous introspection, every sentence is GOLD.
By the way, the begining of this book, the first chapter, when he starts talking about bees and ends up spying on Mesieur Du Charlus and Jupien, is probably the best part of it all. So, if you start reading it and you don't really feel much exitement with that, this is not your book, because that's what the book is all about. About spying on gay or lesbian people in a society that doesn't accept them but in which if you are of noble birth and wealthy, they can easily forget about it if you come to their party and pretend to be their friend.
The rest is absolutely perfect. Reading this book is like working in a goldmine, you have to read pages and pages until you finally find the gold, and when you do, and he finally gets to the point, and he starts telling us about the interesting people that he writes about, with his remarkable style, and his miraculous introspection, every sentence is GOLD.
By the way, the begining of this book, the first chapter, when he starts talking about bees and ends up spying on Mesieur Du Charlus and Jupien, is probably the best part of it all. So, if you start reading it and you don't really feel much exitement with that, this is not your book, because that's what the book is all about. About spying on gay or lesbian people in a society that doesn't accept them but in which if you are of noble birth and wealthy, they can easily forget about it if you come to their party and pretend to be their friend.
zjanda's review against another edition
5.0
If you’re on book 4 of ISOLT you know what you’re in for. Maybe the most traditional narrative structure of the four so far. The more M. De Charlus the better.