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A review by pawswithabook
Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières
3.0
The synopsis suggests the novel is focussed on a single story of two characters, but I would describe it more as a novel telling the story of four individuals linked through time, and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
I found the structure and style mirrored that of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, with over 100 short chapters jumping between characters and time. This makes it quite difficult to follow, and I found myself a little confused for the first third of the book as I navigated through each of the sub-plots not having the time to fully engage with any.
Once I found my way, I did find myself quite attached to the characters, and by the final third of the book, anxious to see how their journeys would lead. I was also delighted to see Bernières plant a subtle connection to Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, which was quite unexpected.
However, I still struggled with the Mustafa Kamal sections, finding that they provided more of a detailed historical commentary and political backdrop, rather than passages of beautiful narrative that I favour in a novel. I, personally, think this could be removed or summarised and the novel wouldn’t suffer for it.
For the story-telling chapters, Bernières writes with elegance and beauty, conveying a tone of sadness that is impossible to articulate. With words like ‘man is a bird without wings...and a bird is a man without sorrow’ I wanted to immerse myself in these chapters and forget about the others in between.
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#escape #birdswithoutwings #louisdebernieres #spotthecat #pawswithabook
I found the structure and style mirrored that of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, with over 100 short chapters jumping between characters and time. This makes it quite difficult to follow, and I found myself a little confused for the first third of the book as I navigated through each of the sub-plots not having the time to fully engage with any.
Once I found my way, I did find myself quite attached to the characters, and by the final third of the book, anxious to see how their journeys would lead. I was also delighted to see Bernières plant a subtle connection to Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, which was quite unexpected.
However, I still struggled with the Mustafa Kamal sections, finding that they provided more of a detailed historical commentary and political backdrop, rather than passages of beautiful narrative that I favour in a novel. I, personally, think this could be removed or summarised and the novel wouldn’t suffer for it.
For the story-telling chapters, Bernières writes with elegance and beauty, conveying a tone of sadness that is impossible to articulate. With words like ‘man is a bird without wings...and a bird is a man without sorrow’ I wanted to immerse myself in these chapters and forget about the others in between.
#bookstagram #book #books #bookworm #booknerd #bookstagrammer #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookclub #booklover #booklove #bookloves #bookish #story #storytelling #read #reading #readersofinstagram #reader #readingtime #booksbooksbooks #bookreview #bookcommunity #readers
#escape #birdswithoutwings #louisdebernieres #spotthecat #pawswithabook