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notesofacrocodile's Reviews (257)
4☆ — what a beautifully-written memoir on childhood and its inherent helplessness, when you feel like everything perfect is constantly just out of reach. its very first paragraph was enough to immerse me in the narrative and i identified a familiar something in tove ditlevsen's memory of childhood- an antithesis of the popular image of childhood as laughter and sunshine, or just in general as a time where there was Nothing To Do. her childhood was filled with bitterness, short-lived pleasures, and the occasional hope. she doesn't mince words or over describe anything, but at the same time she manages to get her message across in a manner that feels lyrical at times. her story is by no means a perfectly happy one but she makes her points bravely and for at least that alone i think this one is worth a read
// "she sowed in my mind the idea that reality is not only what we see on the surface; it has a magical dimension as well and, if we so desire, it is legitimate to enhance it and color it to make our journey through life less trying."
and so our protagonist, the tenacious eva luna, sets out to find friendships and love armed with her power for captivating storytelling set amidst an unnamed fictional south american country riddled by political turmoil.
this novel is the second time i am coming across isabel allende's work- the first being the house of the spirits. allende's writing is as stunning and immersive as ever, as she traces the life of eva luna's mother, eva's birth, and her life in the succeeding years as she gets older. eva and her stories, as well as the secondary protagonist rolf and his upbringing, was narrated with finesse. allende has this innate talent of breathing full life into every character- the personalities and stories of the main characters all stood on their own, and they were all well-rounded and had depth to them. the protagonist herself was likeable and readable, with her stubborn, determined, and hard-working nature
additionally, i really appreciated the portrayal of the fighters in this novel; it isn't every day that you come across a realistic and positive depiction of this section.
this has been one of my favourite novels that i have read in recent times, would definitely recommend!
and so our protagonist, the tenacious eva luna, sets out to find friendships and love armed with her power for captivating storytelling set amidst an unnamed fictional south american country riddled by political turmoil.
this novel is the second time i am coming across isabel allende's work- the first being the house of the spirits. allende's writing is as stunning and immersive as ever, as she traces the life of eva luna's mother, eva's birth, and her life in the succeeding years as she gets older. eva and her stories, as well as the secondary protagonist rolf and his upbringing, was narrated with finesse. allende has this innate talent of breathing full life into every character- the personalities and stories of the main characters all stood on their own, and they were all well-rounded and had depth to them. the protagonist herself was likeable and readable, with her stubborn, determined, and hard-working nature
additionally, i really appreciated the portrayal of the fighters in this novel; it isn't every day that you come across a realistic and positive depiction of this section.
this has been one of my favourite novels that i have read in recent times, would definitely recommend!
4.5☆ — a wonderful book of poetry in verse, moving and poignant, coated with a dusty layer of nostalgia and darkness, and echoing with the sharp sting of bygone intimacies. it was pleasing to read the work of such a talented poet who happens to be from the same part of india as me, and i enjoyed the references as megha rao artfully and seamlessly combined the weight of the two languages together to create teething. my only complaint was that the premise felt slightly different from what the book ended up actually dedicating itself to, but the writing does make it worth it
// "The distress I experience on recalling certain images and on hearing certain words is beyond comparison with what I felt at the time: these are merely literary emotions; in other words they generate the act of writing and justify its veracity."
my first experience with the works of annie ernaux ! some elements of this felt personal and thus touched me deeply. the pain and struggle that ernaux went through back then was clearly too great to be confined to words in a book that she wrote much later, but it is still understood that it was quite a lot for a woman of her age, at that time, and with all the restrictions placed on her by law, by her own family, and by society in general. i will definitely be reading more of her works in the future.
my first experience with the works of annie ernaux ! some elements of this felt personal and thus touched me deeply. the pain and struggle that ernaux went through back then was clearly too great to be confined to words in a book that she wrote much later, but it is still understood that it was quite a lot for a woman of her age, at that time, and with all the restrictions placed on her by law, by her own family, and by society in general. i will definitely be reading more of her works in the future.
