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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Well-written and sad and awkward and difficult and brutal.
and the angel of history with her backward facing eyes erupts from your sternum
your insides are outside and we bear witness
All of us detritus at her feet
your insides are outside and we bear witness
All of us detritus at her feet
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hate hate hate that "trope" as a way to advance the story. So poorly developed, so unreal.
No words. Not no words but. No words. Thank you, Coetzee.
This was really bad. So bad I almost gave up on it, but I swallowed the acid that I felt coming up my throat and actually reached the 100% mark on my kindle. The beginning of this book is so disgusting I started to feel like there is something wrong with the author. By the time I reached the middle, it was tolerable and I had the tiniest bit of hope for the rest of it - turns out I was wrong. Just bad. Weird. Wrong. Why.
Here are some of my comments from when I was reading this on my train ride to Hamburg:
While reading this I felt like I was touching something sticky and green. If the point of the book was to make you feel slightly nauseous then I guess it's a success.
GROOOSSS GROOOOSSSSS why is this man writing about *ape and saying it's not *ape.
Here are some of my comments from when I was reading this on my train ride to Hamburg:
While reading this I felt like I was touching something sticky and green. If the point of the book was to make you feel slightly nauseous then I guess it's a success.
GROOOSSS GROOOOSSSSS why is this man writing about *ape and saying it's not *ape.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Woof, this was not the book that I thought I was getting into. It came highly regarded by a coworker that has given me other book recommendations, but I was a little hesitant after reading blurbs. I’m glad that I read it but, wow, this is a heavy book that will stick with me for a long time.
I borrowed the copy I read from the Yale library. It was marked up by a previous student that I presume (perhaps ungraciously) was a younger undergraduate. Sometimes I was irked by what they chose to focus on but was often struck that what resonated with them seemed relatively trivial to me in the broader context of the story; yes, this story is loaded with symbolism, but what about the subtle changes in the narrator? His shifting view, wading through the multiple layers of not only blatant symbolic devices but the fascinating kaleidoscopic way that Coetzee explores the true meaning of “disgrace?” Facing the notes and underlines of a likely younger reader, I couldn’t help wondering how this book must read to someone closer to the narrator’s age and someone well past it— surely what I cling to would seem trivial, too. For that reason I have to imagine that I will pick this book up again and again... it is well-written, so very sad, and ultimately a compelling exploration.
I borrowed the copy I read from the Yale library. It was marked up by a previous student that I presume (perhaps ungraciously) was a younger undergraduate. Sometimes I was irked by what they chose to focus on but was often struck that what resonated with them seemed relatively trivial to me in the broader context of the story; yes, this story is loaded with symbolism, but what about the subtle changes in the narrator? His shifting view, wading through the multiple layers of not only blatant symbolic devices but the fascinating kaleidoscopic way that Coetzee explores the true meaning of “disgrace?” Facing the notes and underlines of a likely younger reader, I couldn’t help wondering how this book must read to someone closer to the narrator’s age and someone well past it— surely what I cling to would seem trivial, too. For that reason I have to imagine that I will pick this book up again and again... it is well-written, so very sad, and ultimately a compelling exploration.