Reviews

The Black Obelisk, by Erich Maria Remarque

mokasin's review against another edition

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4.0

Любов до життя спричиняє одвічну дилему:
Ми хочемо жити, та прагнемо щиро і вперто
На небо, туди, де, як кажуть, ворота Едему.
Не хочем збагнути, що треба спочатку померти.

Поки що це найгірше з того, що читав з Ремарка. Хоча у цьому випадку найгірше — зовсім не означає погано. Працівник бюро ритуальних послуг у непростий економічний період не падає духом — він з почуттям гумору дивиться на смерть, вдало поєднує філософські розмови у божевільні з повсякденними розвагами. Як на мене, твору бракує сюжету. Автор відкрив мені очі на міжвоєнну Німеччину, але не зацікавив мене таким банальним питанням — “а що ж буде далі?” — воно не виникло в мене жодного разу. Але що могло бути далі — адже Німеччина котилася у прірву...

blueyorkie's review against another edition

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3.0

This book is for literature, what Otto Dix did for painting.
That is to say; the novel treats the social dimension of the crisis of the 1920s in Germany in the same way that painters of objective realism did.
They denounce the abandonment of war invalids, the elites' indecent lifestyle, the Weimar Republic's headlong rush, and National Socialism's popularity.
In this novel, E.M. Remarque speaks of all the morgue of the crisis. The morgue is the proper sense since it is the undertakers' story, who prosper thanks to poverty and famine and punctuate their days with endless drunkenness.
It was told the story in a very cynical tone, structuring the novel to feel the delirious fever of these periods of inflation.

idonthavebroadband's review

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

allie_shu's review against another edition

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reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

nastyame's review against another edition

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challenging reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

marajulia's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ltvali's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

ella_k's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

kseniyamnz's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

theoneyouknow's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5