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pascalthehoff's reviews
404 reviews
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
3.0
So, first things first: The message of this book is, without a question, worth solid 5 stars. However, I felt like the book was a bit too shallow to give me any new insights. Maybe the fault is partly on me for overlooking the low pagecount of this book before receiving the package that concealed that tiny little booklet. I also didn't know before, that I might just have watched the author's speech on YouTube, which basically contained most, if not all, of the books content.
Do I regret purchasing and reading the book? No, not at all. But I just don't think that anybody, who has already read a few feminist novels or essays before, will be able to gain a significant amount of new knowledge by reading this book. The new insight for me was mostly limited to the Nigerian perspective on certain matters.
On the other side, however, the essay's conciseness might also be one of its biggest strengths. It is a quick, low commitment-way of introducing people to the topic of feminism... and hopefully it will spark their interest for reading more about it.
Do I regret purchasing and reading the book? No, not at all. But I just don't think that anybody, who has already read a few feminist novels or essays before, will be able to gain a significant amount of new knowledge by reading this book. The new insight for me was mostly limited to the Nigerian perspective on certain matters.
On the other side, however, the essay's conciseness might also be one of its biggest strengths. It is a quick, low commitment-way of introducing people to the topic of feminism... and hopefully it will spark their interest for reading more about it.
A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
4.0
It's hard to grasp what really makes Murakami's novels as outstanding as they are. However, this one here had, despite not being one of his "greats", most traits of a great Murakami novel. It does not feel quite as unique and well-rounded as works like 1Q84, Norwegian Wood or Kafka on the Shore. But it makes up for that by presenting us one of Murakami's most well-paced narratives. Reading a detective-esque novel by Murakami was more compelling than I thought it might be.
Also: the eponymous sheep is one remarkably bizarre character... even for Murakami's standards. That alone should be reason enough to read the book.
Also: the eponymous sheep is one remarkably bizarre character... even for Murakami's standards. That alone should be reason enough to read the book.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
5.0
This was maybe one of the greatest novels I have ever read in my life. Memoirs of a Geisha is everything I expect a great novel to be. It was educating, emotional, atmospheric, subtly political, extremely elegant in its language and, last but not least, a pageturner from beginning to end.
Although written by an American author it felt like the Japanese culture and the typical feeling of a Japanese novel were transported quite well. At times, the deus ex machina might have been just a bit too present, but overall such narrative development fits well to the leitmotif of a Geisha’s reliance on destiny. I honestly would never have expected this novel to bet THIS great.
Although written by an American author it felt like the Japanese culture and the typical feeling of a Japanese novel were transported quite well. At times, the deus ex machina might have been just a bit too present, but overall such narrative development fits well to the leitmotif of a Geisha’s reliance on destiny. I honestly would never have expected this novel to bet THIS great.
Tanz mit dem Schafsmann by Haruki Murakami
4.0
"Dance, Dance, Dance" is one of Murakami's earlier novels and probably not the best one to get started with. It's loosely connected to the equally obsure "A Wild Sheep Chase" and I'm kinda happy that I made this the last one of Murakami's novels I had yet to read.
I'd say that "Dance, Dance, Dance" can be placed at the top-most end of the weirdness-scale, when it comes to Murakami-stories. While not being drastically different than other novels (like, for example, "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle"), its plot is a bit more vague and cryptic than usual. Although many Murakami stories defy a classic sense of logic, "Dance, Dance, Dance" seems to rely on dream-like and esoteric elements even more than his other novels.
That being said, it's still a fascinating story, giving insight into the mind of one of Murakami's uniquely ununique protagonists and the people who surround him. Especially these well-written side characters are what makes the novel truly shine. "Dance, Dance, Dance" might lack the comparatively staright plot and pacing of something like "A Wild Sheep Chase" or Murakami's most successful novels. But, nevertheless, it's still an intriguing read from beginning to end. Just make sure, this one isn't your first Murakami novel.
I'd say that "Dance, Dance, Dance" can be placed at the top-most end of the weirdness-scale, when it comes to Murakami-stories. While not being drastically different than other novels (like, for example, "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle"), its plot is a bit more vague and cryptic than usual. Although many Murakami stories defy a classic sense of logic, "Dance, Dance, Dance" seems to rely on dream-like and esoteric elements even more than his other novels.
That being said, it's still a fascinating story, giving insight into the mind of one of Murakami's uniquely ununique protagonists and the people who surround him. Especially these well-written side characters are what makes the novel truly shine. "Dance, Dance, Dance" might lack the comparatively staright plot and pacing of something like "A Wild Sheep Chase" or Murakami's most successful novels. But, nevertheless, it's still an intriguing read from beginning to end. Just make sure, this one isn't your first Murakami novel.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
4.0
'Never Let Me Go' was a pretty interesting read. But that was mostly due to its dystopian theme as well as the ethical and philosophical questions that result from said dystopia. But maybe 'dystopia' isn't quite the right term for the world Ishiguro describes here. Basically, the novel is about our world in a not-so-far future, in which we use mass-produced clones to provide fatally ill people with substitute organs.
Ishiguro put that rather simple premise to really good use and explored a lot of interesting ideas and problems that such a solution to diseases like cancer would come along with.
However, the story itself is pretty static and slow for the first two thirds of the narrative. Especially in the first third, the distanced retelling of past events makes it a bit hard to get invested in the fate of the characters. Only in the second half is there a bigger emphasis on actual interaction or dialogue between characters.
The slow build-up of the first two thirds of the book really pays of when the last third portrays the more recent life of the main characters, that stands in stark contrast to the previous chapters. Only here, it becomes clear, how dire the main characters' situation actually is. That shocking revelation, after being trapped in ignorance for so long, was well worth the trudge through roughly 150 pages of what felt like a mere exposition to the center of the plot.
In the end, however, the novel still suffered from a lack of memorable characters. It's not like the main characters weren't authentic or well-rounded - quite the opposite, actually. But it was too little, too late. Although far from a lifeless story, 'Never Let Me Go' is much more compelling when thinking about its world in hindsight, than it is while reading it. That being said, I appreciate the conciseness and clarity with which Ishiguro presented his story. With so little unneccessary baggage around its main ideas, it's really hard to not like such an intesting take on the consequences of such a not too far-fetched health care-system.
Ishiguro put that rather simple premise to really good use and explored a lot of interesting ideas and problems that such a solution to diseases like cancer would come along with.
However, the story itself is pretty static and slow for the first two thirds of the narrative. Especially in the first third, the distanced retelling of past events makes it a bit hard to get invested in the fate of the characters. Only in the second half is there a bigger emphasis on actual interaction or dialogue between characters.
The slow build-up of the first two thirds of the book really pays of when the last third portrays the more recent life of the main characters, that stands in stark contrast to the previous chapters. Only here, it becomes clear, how dire the main characters' situation actually is. That shocking revelation, after being trapped in ignorance for so long, was well worth the trudge through roughly 150 pages of what felt like a mere exposition to the center of the plot.
In the end, however, the novel still suffered from a lack of memorable characters. It's not like the main characters weren't authentic or well-rounded - quite the opposite, actually. But it was too little, too late. Although far from a lifeless story, 'Never Let Me Go' is much more compelling when thinking about its world in hindsight, than it is while reading it. That being said, I appreciate the conciseness and clarity with which Ishiguro presented his story. With so little unneccessary baggage around its main ideas, it's really hard to not like such an intesting take on the consequences of such a not too far-fetched health care-system.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
3.0
'All the Light We Cannot See' is an unusually personal story about WWII. It focuses on the fates of a few characters instead of displaying WWII on a more general level. As such its success in keeping the reader's attention largely depends on the quality of the characters. Unfortunately those were, although quite unique and likable, just a bit too onedimensional for me to get REALLY invested. A cause for this may also be the incessant change of scene between the German side and the French side after roughly every second or third page. This might help in making the book feel fast-paced, but it really distracted me from being fully immersed in one setting. Maybe it's just me, but I had a hard time focusing on each side of the story, because they were always interrupted, just as I got into a proper reading flow. That constant switching between sides made the book a drag to read at certain points, although I must admit, it was still worth that bit of trouble in the end.
How to Listen to Jazz by Ted Gioia
4.0
"How to Listen to Jazz" is a great help in getting a grasp of a genre most people aren't as familiar with as they should probably be. I've always been interested in the diverseness and spontaneity of jazz, but I just didn't know where to start when it came to discovering artists. Jazz is a genre that spans an entire century by this point, encompassing dozens of sub-genres and a tremendous amount of virtuous musicians.
Ted Giola's book not only helped me to find a few good entry points, but also made me understand the musical intricacies as well as the history of the genre a lot more.
The book is fun and easy to read (if you are a bit of a music nerd anyway) and Giola seems genuinely enthusiastic about getting a few new people in on the arguably widely underappreciated genre that is jazz.
Ted Giola's book not only helped me to find a few good entry points, but also made me understand the musical intricacies as well as the history of the genre a lot more.
The book is fun and easy to read (if you are a bit of a music nerd anyway) and Giola seems genuinely enthusiastic about getting a few new people in on the arguably widely underappreciated genre that is jazz.