marleysclassics's reviews
303 reviews

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Das ist einer, der lebt!: Roman by Manuel Niedermeier

3.0

Medea by Euripides

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Irisches Tagebuch by Heinrich Böll

challenging dark inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.75

Starkes Buch. Zwar auch eins, das mich verständnistechnisch oft an meine Grenzen gebracht hat (sorry, mein dürftiges Allgemeinwissen deckt sich leider nicht ganz mit Bölls in den 50er Jahren). Eine Interpretation für die vielfachen Wechsel von Perspektive und Zeitform innerhalb eines Kapitels oder zwischen ihnen fällt mir so einfach nicht ein, aber wirken tun diese Stilmittel. Denn insgesamt malt Böll hier ein vom Regen verwaschenes, uneindeutiges Bild eines Landes, das wechselnd von einem aufmerksamen Touristen, von einem gelehrten Professor und beinahe von einem Einheimischen stammen könnte (soweit ich das als jemand, der Irland aus eigener Erfahrung überhaupt nicht kennt, sagen kann). Jedenfalls erzeugt die Sprache starke Bilder und Emotionen, die wie unter einer Dunstschicht liegen, zu denen man sich vorkämpfen muss. Und immer wieder gibt es Passagen, die ganz klar und grün scheinen. 
Wenn die Beschreibung dieses Werks es als "Mosaik" bezeichnet, dann kann ich dem nur zustimmen. Das "Irische Tagebuch" ist ein Gesamtkunstwerk aus Eindrücken, Rückblenden, Erinnerungen, persönlichen Schmerzpunkten, beobachteten Schmerzpunkten, und das alles mit einer Sprache, die pathetisch und lakonisch ist, und damit perfekt passt.

Kiss Her Once For Me - Die Liebe ist so magisch wie der erste Schnee by Alison Cochrun

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Die Familie Schroffenstein: Ein Trauerspiel in fünf Aufzügen by Heinrich von Kleist

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

The Ghost of Us by James L. Sutter

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Unlikeable characters that develop into better human beings step by step, mess up again and again along the way, but grow stronger together at the same time? Yes, I love it, that's why I adore coming of age novels. Ghost stories with a sapphic romance in the centre? Yes, please! 
Still, this one didn't execute these ideas in the best way possible. First of all, sapphic romance written by a man ... idk, but it didn't make me highly uncomfortable here (except for maybe a few moments), so I guess that's good. The other thing is, that Cara seems to become less and less likeable as the story progresses - and them "turns to the light" over the course of one day. That's not exactly realistically messy, it's just messy. So yeah, the ending felt quite rushed. 
All in all, a nice book with quite a few cute and heart-warming moments (e. g. the concert-scene: I loved the words the author found for a concert-experience, very relatable), but also some aspects that made me really aggressive and  made me want to punch the characters (Cara!) just a little bit to make them come to the senses. 

Die Brüder Karamasow by Fyodor Dostoevsky

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0