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A review by elle_reads
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
5.0
Instagram @elle_reads
BOOK REVIEW
[The English Patient] An patient, nurse, sapper, and thief stay in a bombed Italian villa during WW2.
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WHAT I LIKED
The English Patient is a slow read, long pause, and haunting reflection. I can’t stop thinking about it. I had to let my thoughts simmer for a week before piecing my thoughts together.
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I loved Michael Ondaatje’s comparisons of human events to the natural world. “Seas move away, why not lovers?” (p253). Much of the book is set in Egypt. Ondaatje brought the desert alive. The desert answers to no nation. It doesn’t care what power, money, or war shapes the world. It just is. It is unmoving.
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At the end of my read, my favorite character was Kip and my least favorite was Hana. Then I was lucky enough to discuss the book with @chrissy.reads.lit . Chrissy completely changed the way I understood Hana! Only great, multi-faceted characters can do that.
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
There were a few moments when Kip’s skin was described as a sea/river/*insert body of water* of brown. It didn’t bother me just for the content, but more that these phrases were repeated too often to really give new meaning.
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The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️5/5
BOOK REVIEW
[The English Patient] An patient, nurse, sapper, and thief stay in a bombed Italian villa during WW2.
//
WHAT I LIKED
The English Patient is a slow read, long pause, and haunting reflection. I can’t stop thinking about it. I had to let my thoughts simmer for a week before piecing my thoughts together.
//
I loved Michael Ondaatje’s comparisons of human events to the natural world. “Seas move away, why not lovers?” (p253). Much of the book is set in Egypt. Ondaatje brought the desert alive. The desert answers to no nation. It doesn’t care what power, money, or war shapes the world. It just is. It is unmoving.
//
At the end of my read, my favorite character was Kip and my least favorite was Hana. Then I was lucky enough to discuss the book with @chrissy.reads.lit . Chrissy completely changed the way I understood Hana! Only great, multi-faceted characters can do that.
//
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
There were a few moments when Kip’s skin was described as a sea/river/*insert body of water* of brown. It didn’t bother me just for the content, but more that these phrases were repeated too often to really give new meaning.
//
The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️5/5