A review by birdghost
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino

challenging funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Went into this book completely clueless and was very quickly delighted and confused by the turn that it took. It's very clear having read this after Invisible cities is that Calvino loves to give the reader a little tast of something and then leave the rest of the imagining to them. I found this book feeling similar in a way to Pynchon's "Crying of Lot 49", what with the

silly conspiratorial turn that it takes,

although this is definitely a much more unserious, lighthearted version of that. The book has a lot to say about what it means to Read something, not all of which landed for me.