lit_terary's reviews
499 reviews

The Original by Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal

3.0

It was ok, there was nothing really mindblowing about it, but it was quite fun. The concept was interesting, but I think that too much time was employed for the world building, and this is a rather short book to begin with, so maybe I could've used less of that and more content on the plot front. The story is pretty straightforward and linear, in a way that I didn't find particularly engaging but, again, this is a novella after all, and the time was limited. Perhaps something wider in scope and length would've worked better for the story, giving us time to explore this world and also experience a more full-fledged and less half-baked plot.

Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov

3.0

Unfortunately, I had the same “problem” I had with the first book, which is the writing: very much dated and old school, heavily relying on dialogue as the main form of exposure/explaining. There is so much telling rather than showing and it got super annoying at times, but I can fault Asimov only to a certain extent, this is a rather old book after all. In terms of story, I found this second book much more interesting and better focused, thus making things easier to follow. I felt like actors, places, goals and stakes were neater and less confusing this time.

M. Il figlio del secolo by Antonio Scurati

3.0

A dir poco mastodontico, ed è la sola cosa che mi sento di dire. Un libro ambizioso, ben studiato, sicuramente informativo/educativo, affascinante pure, ma davvero (davvero!) lungo. Solitamente la lunghezza non è qualcosa mi impedisce di apprezzare un libro, ma dato il soggetto e la scrittura saggistica il libro risulta ancora più lungo di quanto sia effettivamente e, francamente, un po’ tedioso. Non è una lettura leggera, e questo è un eufemismo, si legge come un libro di storia (o quantomeno una biografia molto storica), però ho imparato molto e questo è ciò che conta.

The Nun by Simonetta Agnello Hornby

3.0

To be fair, I can’t really pinpoint what I didn’t love about this book. It was fine, not Good, nor Bad, just fine. I couldn’t really connect with it, mainly because of how dry and sterile the writing felt. Sadly, I wasn’t engaged at any point of the story and the way the character was depicted made it even harder to care. Also, I don’t really see the comparison with Austen’s heroines, but, from what I’ve gathered, I’m not alone. All in all, it’s a perfectly ok book, maybe even good if you manage to feel some sort of connection; for me though, I won’t be thinking about it any time soon.

Death with Interruptions by José Saramago

4.0

Well, this was lovely. Rather brilliantly, Saramago attempts to answer a simple question: what would happen if people stopped dying all of a sudden? The book is a thorough anthropological, social and political analysis of a world without death, tackling, in particular, the way a government and its people would have to deal with it. In short, the book is an in-depth investigation of humanity under strain. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel as strongly about the last section of the novel; albeit quite endearing, the ending felt a bit disconnected from the main concept, losing its edge.

Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev

3.0

As usual, I don't have much to say when it comes to classics, and this one is no exception, but here you go: "Fathers and Sons" is an ok book; much shorter and less dense than the Russian tomes I'm used to, thus leaving me wanting more and quite unsatisfied. I really liked the first third of the story, as it focused on the generational differences and inability to communicate of the old land-owners class and the young, disruptive nihilists. Unfor-tunately for me, the story soon veered elsewhere, with no clear direction or destination, getting lost in romance and bickering.

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

4.0

Everything I said about "Fellowship of the Ring" still stands with "Two Towers": great story, memorable and lovable characters, tender relationships (don't even get me started on Legolas and Gimli, bromance goals) and, most of all, a great message. Overall, such a wholesome story the truly warms my heart. Of this instalment I particularly enjoyed the first part involging Aragorn & co., while the second one was a bit slower and less eventful compared to kings, orcs, ents, evil wizards and raging war.

Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov

3.0

My GOD. I’m so conflicted; I’m not completely sure of how I feel about this book. On one hand, I do get it, I understand the intent behind it, and the character of Oblomov is pretty much revolutionary and not the sort of “hero” you would generally find in a classic. His characterization is so modern and well-realized, and I couldn’t help but relate to him on so many levels. The entire concept of “oblomovism” itself was incredibly well executed and still feels relevant and modern today. On the other hand, however, the plot was just so excruciatingly slow and uneventful which I (personally) believe was what the author had meant. In part, I can condone and justify the unbearable pace, but at the end of the day it just made it such a hard book to get through for me and, weighing both literary values/qualities and enjoyment, I can’t give it any more than three stars.

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

4.0

So freaking good! I will not repeat what I already wrote for the first book, but, in short, this series is great and this second book only reinforced my previous opinion. Plot-wise, I don't think many things happened, there was a lot of going back and forth that almost felt like running in circle, however, it got so much richer in terms of world-building and character development. I know for a fact things will only get better from here.

La voce del testo. L'arte e il mestiere di tradurre by Franca Cavagnoli

4.0

In generale l'ho trovato un manuale molto valido, sia per chi sta contemplando di intraprendere un percorso formativo in traduzione/revisione, sia per chi ha già delle basi consolidate in materia. Ho soprattutto apprezzato l'equilibrio teoria-pratica: l'autrice fornisce qualche cenno teorico nella prima parte del libro, ma non troppi da appesantire o rallentare la lettura; gli esempi pratici, invece, sono molti e ricchi, e ricoprono una varietà di generi (si spazia dalla letteratura più impegnata e sperimentale a quella di evasione o per l'infanzia). Avendo io già concluso un percorso universitario in traduzione, non ho trovato il testo particolarmente illuminante o sorprendente, detto questo, ho potuto imparare molto dagli esempi e dalle strategie traduttive dell'autrice. Consiglio caldamente!