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A review by hedsek
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
This book left me feeling unsure about what I thought about it. I was not interested in the main plot about the Reader and the Other reader, which was pretty sexist. The Reader was insufferable as a character and the Other Reader was a woman so she didn't really need a personality or understandable motivation at all I guess. And the ending?? The Reader literally has nothing going for him and the Other Reader just kind of decides to marry him for no apparent reason? Not to speak of the other women who just offer themselves to him as if he's the most appealing man in the world.
Some of the 'book' chapters were amazing though (others, not so much. Looking at you, chapter in which an author just kind of creeps on a woman). Especially the one with the weather station was very poetic and I would have loved to read an entire novel about that particular story. Calvino is really showing off his ability to use different styles and forms, which made for an intriguing whole. I was also very impressed with how readable he made the second person perspective. Before, I'd only read short stories that made use of it and even then it usually started to become annoying pretty quickly.
Finally, I think the form of the book in itself is what makes it most interesting and also worth it. I would still recommend it to someone who just wants to read something weird and creative, because it really is not like any other book I've ever read.
Some of the 'book' chapters were amazing though (others, not so much. Looking at you, chapter in which an author just kind of creeps on a woman). Especially the one with the weather station was very poetic and I would have loved to read an entire novel about that particular story. Calvino is really showing off his ability to use different styles and forms, which made for an intriguing whole. I was also very impressed with how readable he made the second person perspective. Before, I'd only read short stories that made use of it and even then it usually started to become annoying pretty quickly.
Finally, I think the form of the book in itself is what makes it most interesting and also worth it. I would still recommend it to someone who just wants to read something weird and creative, because it really is not like any other book I've ever read.