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emanon_reads's reviews
117 reviews
Естествен роман by Georgi Gospodinov, Αλεξάνδρα Ιωαννίδου
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
4.25
Ревю на английски:
Ok, so… all in all this was a slightly confusing novel. I personally cannot tell if it’s a memoir or not but it sure felt like one.
It goes through the divorce of our main character. His thoughts, feelings, actions and aftermath. While this story is progressing Gospodinov does into sharing with us very ordinary conversations that happen between people on a day to day basis (I suspect he wrote down real overheard conversations). These are conversations that, in a way, let you into the culture and atmosphere of Bulgaria in the 90s but it’s also very far away fork who it actually was (it’s a very slight peek into like)
What I find fascinating is that the title of the novel is very fitting. “Normal Novel” - it in fact is a no er that talks about very normal things.
I also found it fun how at the very end of the novel he talks about writing a novel like that (this is one of he many reasons I think it’s a memoir)
I’m not going to lie, while reading the novel I was confused and a bit disappointed because it’s my second novel by Gospodinov and it’s my second mover by him that makes me feel confused and not fully captivated.
Bulgarian review:
Като цяло това беше малко объркващ роман. Аз лично не мога да кажа дали е мемоар или не, но със сигурност ми се стори като такъв.
Историята преминава през развода на главния герой. Неговите мисли, чувства, действия и последствия. Докато тази история се развива, Господинов споделя с нас съвсем обикновени разговори, които биха се случили между хората (мисля, че той може и да е напила истински дочути разговори). Това са разговори, които по някакъв начин ви позволяват да навлезете в културата и атмосферата на България през 90-те.
Това, което намирам за много добро е, че заглавието на романа е много подходящо. „Естествен роман“ – това всъщност е роман, който говори за съвсем нормални неща.
Освен това ми беше забавно как в самия край на романа той говори за написването на такъв роман (това е една от многото ми причини да мисля, че е мемоар)
Няма да лъжа, докато четях романа бях объркан и малко разочарован, защото това е вторият ми роман на Господинов и вторият ми роман от него който ме кара да се чувствам объркан и не напълно запленена.
Ok, so… all in all this was a slightly confusing novel. I personally cannot tell if it’s a memoir or not but it sure felt like one.
It goes through the divorce of our main character. His thoughts, feelings, actions and aftermath. While this story is progressing Gospodinov does into sharing with us very ordinary conversations that happen between people on a day to day basis (I suspect he wrote down real overheard conversations). These are conversations that, in a way, let you into the culture and atmosphere of Bulgaria in the 90s but it’s also very far away fork who it actually was (it’s a very slight peek into like)
What I find fascinating is that the title of the novel is very fitting. “Normal Novel” - it in fact is a no er that talks about very normal things.
I also found it fun how at the very end of the novel he talks about writing a novel like that (this is one of he many reasons I think it’s a memoir)
I’m not going to lie, while reading the novel I was confused and a bit disappointed because it’s my second novel by Gospodinov and it’s my second mover by him that makes me feel confused and not fully captivated.
Bulgarian review:
Като цяло това беше малко объркващ роман. Аз лично не мога да кажа дали е мемоар или не, но със сигурност ми се стори като такъв.
Историята преминава през развода на главния герой. Неговите мисли, чувства, действия и последствия. Докато тази история се развива, Господинов споделя с нас съвсем обикновени разговори, които биха се случили между хората (мисля, че той може и да е напила истински дочути разговори). Това са разговори, които по някакъв начин ви позволяват да навлезете в културата и атмосферата на България през 90-те.
Това, което намирам за много добро е, че заглавието на романа е много подходящо. „Естествен роман“ – това всъщност е роман, който говори за съвсем нормални неща.
Освен това ми беше забавно как в самия край на романа той говори за написването на такъв роман (това е една от многото ми причини да мисля, че е мемоар)
Няма да лъжа, докато четях романа бях объркан и малко разочарован, защото това е вторият ми роман на Господинов и вторият ми роман от него който ме кара да се чувствам объркан и не напълно запленена.
Desire by Haruki Murakami
3.0
I honestly… my average for this book is probably closer to 4 stars but as a collection of stories it’s not too good.
The takes were meh as best. Yes, one or two sounded nice and were an easy read but overall it felt… amature. I don’t know if that’s from the early years of Murakami as a writer but I wasn’t too impressed.
The takes were meh as best. Yes, one or two sounded nice and were an easy read but overall it felt… amature. I don’t know if that’s from the early years of Murakami as a writer but I wasn’t too impressed.
The Hero of This Book by Elizabeth McCracken
3.25
I think I expected this book to be more… captivating?
I liked the whole concept of her denying that she’s writing a memoir while very obviously doing it. I loved the fact that it was dedicated to her mother with such strong feelings. You can very well see how much love and attention she had put into getting to know and understand her parents.
I can probably give geh book a better rating but I somehow didn’t get into the book properly. I instead breezed through it.
I liked the whole concept of her denying that she’s writing a memoir while very obviously doing it. I loved the fact that it was dedicated to her mother with such strong feelings. You can very well see how much love and attention she had put into getting to know and understand her parents.
I can probably give geh book a better rating but I somehow didn’t get into the book properly. I instead breezed through it.
Tony Takitani by Ann Faison, Yao Michiko, Haruki Murakami
fast-paced
3.5
I think Murakami listened to someone’s life story and then decided to make it into a book…
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
a book about a guy with a a really good nose 🤷🏻♀️
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
medium-paced
4.0
I wrote a review and then it got lost. Excuse me if this one sounds rushed lol
I liked the book but I think I didn’t understand parts of it.
I loved how you can tell it’s written ages ago. The way the characters communicate is different and new (to me).
The book was good. Interesting. Some parts were confusing and I felt lost but I think that’s normal when your mind is not thinking straight and that’s the case do our character her.
I find it fascinating how Path was able to show how someone loosing sense of themselves thinks from a first person perspective. That’s difficult and hence, I respect it!
I liked the book but I think I didn’t understand parts of it.
I loved how you can tell it’s written ages ago. The way the characters communicate is different and new (to me).
The book was good. Interesting. Some parts were confusing and I felt lost but I think that’s normal when your mind is not thinking straight and that’s the case do our character her.
I find it fascinating how Path was able to show how someone loosing sense of themselves thinks from a first person perspective. That’s difficult and hence, I respect it!
Beirut Knights by Jasmina Najjar
2.5
If you pick this book up thinking you’ll learn a bit about the Lebanese society and be happy put it back down.
Unfortunately, it made me more afraid of being in the capital than anything. Sadly all the stories are true and they depict the ugly and the unfortunate of the people there. What I hoped for was for me to also read the beautiful and the unseen.
Unfortunately, it made me more afraid of being in the capital than anything. Sadly all the stories are true and they depict the ugly and the unfortunate of the people there. What I hoped for was for me to also read the beautiful and the unseen.
Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
I don’t think I’ve ever marked a book as much I did with this one.
It’s full of very smart sentences and some beautifully written chapters. Gospodinov definitely knows how to make you feel the emotions of the character and Rodel did. an incredible job in translating all the Bulgarian phases and saying into English. On that front I am very happy.
On the other hand, the plot didn’t really develop the way I would’ve liked it I feel like. The book is divided into 5:
1. Clinic of the Past - really good, loved the story, the development and where things were going to
2. The Decision - I’m not sure why but things started going into historical fiction and I’m really not into that genre; I don’t think it’s good to play with history especially when it’s just on the basis of entertainment
3. One Country Taken as an Example - I liked that it gave a closer look into Bulgaria and the mentality of its people; it definitely help to let people see into how the country is/ was but still wasn’t exactly my groove
4. Referendum of the Past - I’m still on the ‘no go’ for the whole fiction part of it but I liked that the author went in details to see which year each county would choose and why
5. Discreet Monsters - that’s where it felt like we were going back into the story and understanding our main character
I’m not really sure how to explain it. I loved the book but the story wasn’t my favourite. I would definitely recommend people read it but I wouldn’t expect them to love it. I’d love for my foreign friends to go through it and see the world I’ve grown up in but I won’t say it’s a masterpiece even though it’s full of singles out lines and paragraphs that I would call a masterpiece on their own.
It’s full of very smart sentences and some beautifully written chapters. Gospodinov definitely knows how to make you feel the emotions of the character and Rodel did. an incredible job in translating all the Bulgarian phases and saying into English. On that front I am very happy.
On the other hand, the plot didn’t really develop the way I would’ve liked it I feel like. The book is divided into 5:
2. The Decision - I’m not sure why but things started going into historical fiction and I’m really not into that genre; I don’t think it’s good to play with history especially when it’s just on the basis of entertainment
3. One Country Taken as an Example - I liked that it gave a closer look into Bulgaria and the mentality of its people; it definitely help to let people see into how the country is/ was but still wasn’t exactly my groove
4. Referendum of the Past - I’m still on the ‘no go’ for the whole fiction part of it but I liked that the author went in details to see which year each county would choose and why
5. Discreet Monsters - that’s where it felt like we were going back into the story and understanding our main character
I’m not really sure how to explain it. I loved the book but the story wasn’t my favourite. I would definitely recommend people read it but I wouldn’t expect them to love it. I’d love for my foreign friends to go through it and see the world I’ve grown up in but I won’t say it’s a masterpiece even though it’s full of singles out lines and paragraphs that I would call a masterpiece on their own.
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Such a good book! This is my third time reading it and it’s still as good as the first time I read it.
It’s descriptive in an interesting way. It’s not so much about what’s around and how things look as it’s about the feelings and the thoughts of the old man.
I love how you can tell that these are thoughts that would probably go through the mind of someone tired, deranged and dedicated.
In reality it might not be a spectacular but it just holds a warm stop in my heart.
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I with the book had another 200 pages in it. It was captivating to be honest but it also feels like it’s underdeveloped.
What I mean is, the author uses about 90 pages to get us to understand the main character and that’s great. I feel like I got to really understand how she thinks and feels and where these feelings come from. But the. We have another 30 that are a bit of transitioning period from who she is to what is happening and then all of the sudden it all unravels and everything gets fixed and we live happy ever after in the last 40 pages.
It’s a little confusing because it got me attached to certain characters that were then tossed away without an explanation of what’s to come. It started slow and steady and then it finished abruptly as if the author was in a rush to meet a deadline.
It’s 3.75 for me.
What I mean is, the author uses about 90 pages to get us to understand the main character and that’s great. I feel like I got to really understand how she thinks and feels and where these feelings come from. But the. We have another 30 that are a bit of transitioning period from who she is to what is happening and then all of the sudden it all unravels and everything gets fixed and we live happy ever after in the last 40 pages.
It’s a little confusing because it got me attached to certain characters that were then tossed away without an explanation of what’s to come. It started slow and steady and then it finished abruptly as if the author was in a rush to meet a deadline.
It’s 3.75 for me.