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A review by eclectictales
The Great & Calamitous Tale of Johan Thoms: How One Man Scorched the Twentieth Century But Didn't Mean To by Ian Thornton
3.0
The scope of The Great and Calamitous Tale of Johan Thoms is pretty vast, covering the first half of the 20th century with the build-up and the destructiveness of the world wars in Europe. There is a sense of magical realism throughout the book, of the whimsical and the absurd that made Johan’s adventures larger-than-life but at the same time I felt that it was missing something that made it really awe-inspiring (for lack of a better word).
Johan is an intriguing character with different quirks that make him unique and destined for something great and/or leaving a major impact. However, because of the enormous scope that the novel covers and the instances and events that it covers, I found it a bit difficult to truly connect with the character, especially the further away from home he goes and the more guilty he feels over the course of the century (this might merely be because of the way the novel was narrated). I did however like the theme of memory and regret that was touched on throughout the novel, about what is in your control and what is out of your hands.
The Great and Calamitous Tale of Johan Thoms was a curious read. While it felt a little heavy-handed to me at times (and on occasion I found myself a little unsure as to where all of these stories were heading), it was very imaginative, weaving Johan’s life alongside some of the major events from the early half of the twentieth century. Readers of quirky narratives and magical realism will want to check this novel out.
You can read this review in its entirety over at eclectictales.com: http://www.eclectictales.com/blog/2013/09/18/review-the-great-and-calamitous-tale-of-johan-thoms/
Johan is an intriguing character with different quirks that make him unique and destined for something great and/or leaving a major impact. However, because of the enormous scope that the novel covers and the instances and events that it covers, I found it a bit difficult to truly connect with the character, especially the further away from home he goes and the more guilty he feels over the course of the century (this might merely be because of the way the novel was narrated). I did however like the theme of memory and regret that was touched on throughout the novel, about what is in your control and what is out of your hands.
The Great and Calamitous Tale of Johan Thoms was a curious read. While it felt a little heavy-handed to me at times (and on occasion I found myself a little unsure as to where all of these stories were heading), it was very imaginative, weaving Johan’s life alongside some of the major events from the early half of the twentieth century. Readers of quirky narratives and magical realism will want to check this novel out.
You can read this review in its entirety over at eclectictales.com: http://www.eclectictales.com/blog/2013/09/18/review-the-great-and-calamitous-tale-of-johan-thoms/