Scan barcode
A review by wanderinghill
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Okay. Wow, this book. I’ll start by saying I absolutely loved it. I loved the meta nature of it and the commentary on reading and authorship. So many passages and lines rang out beautifully, like poetry. The way Italo described the Reader making his (our?) way through a bookstore was delightfully accurate, and I really enjoyed the idea that reading is more than just reading. It is the whole experience, physical and mental, that goes into your perception and realization of a book.
I thought it got delightfully weird and there were multiple times I laughed out loud at the ridiculous scenarios in the latter chapters. I especially enjoyed the way the sex scenes between the Reader and Ludmilla and in “On the carpet of leaves…” were written.
I also found it fun how so much of the book is about translation and interpretation, while I’m reading a translated copy. There were times when I actually found myself wondering if I was reading a real book or if its existence was also part of the narrative.
Every chapter and sentence and word was absolutely necessary, it was an incredible analysis and commentary on books and people who love them, and I absolutely adored it. I think this is a masterpiece of a novel.
I thought it got delightfully weird and there were multiple times I laughed out loud at the ridiculous scenarios in the latter chapters. I especially enjoyed the way the sex scenes between the Reader and Ludmilla and in “On the carpet of leaves…” were written.
I also found it fun how so much of the book is about translation and interpretation, while I’m reading a translated copy. There were times when I actually found myself wondering if I was reading a real book or if its existence was also part of the narrative.
Every chapter and sentence and word was absolutely necessary, it was an incredible analysis and commentary on books and people who love them, and I absolutely adored it. I think this is a masterpiece of a novel.