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tuesday_evening's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
breadbummer's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Can we please get more books narrated by weird old women??? Because of this type of main character, I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this. I'll admit, it did seem kind of slow to me in some parts but, even at these sections, just like with Duszejko's love of astrology, paying attention to the tiniest details is key to figuring out what's going on. I definitely had my suspicions as the book progressed, but I was still glued to the page when everything was revealed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Violence, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Confinement, Fatphobia, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
sidekicksam's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
Janina Duszjeko lives reclusively, almost at the border of society. She's very much into Astrology, predicts people's future date of deaths based on the location of the planets on the moment of birth, and is generally considered... colourful. When one of her two neighbours dies and the other asks her to help dress him before his body stiffens, she sets in motion a series of peculiar events that affect the people around her..
This book is an interesting character study, with vivid world-building and a witty pen to add a little extra dazzle. The first scene is set in mid-winter Poland, which was such a different vibe from the sunny weather I was reading it in, that I almost DNF'ed it to finish it in the winter time. In the end, I was happy I stayed on this weird ride of a book, because I giggled multiple times at the character of Janina and her quirks. The plot is predictable, but I did really enjoy reading it.
My favourite passage:
It's hard work talking to some people, most often males. I have a Theory about it. With age, many men come down with testosterone autism, the symptoms of which are a gradual decline in social intelligence and capacity for interpersonal communication, as well as a reduced ability to formulate thoughts. The Person beset by this Ailment becomes taciturn and appears to be lost in translation. He develops an interest in various Tools and machinery, and he's drawn to the Second World War and the biographies of famous people, mainly politicians and villains. This capacity to read novels almost entirely vanishes; testosterone autism disturbs the character's psychological understanding. I think Oddball was suffering from this Ailment.
This book is an interesting character study, with vivid world-building and a witty pen to add a little extra dazzle. The first scene is set in mid-winter Poland, which was such a different vibe from the sunny weather I was reading it in, that I almost DNF'ed it to finish it in the winter time. In the end, I was happy I stayed on this weird ride of a book, because I giggled multiple times at the character of Janina and her quirks. The plot is predictable, but I did really enjoy reading it.
My favourite passage:
It's hard work talking to some people, most often males. I have a Theory about it. With age, many men come down with testosterone autism, the symptoms of which are a gradual decline in social intelligence and capacity for interpersonal communication, as well as a reduced ability to formulate thoughts. The Person beset by this Ailment becomes taciturn and appears to be lost in translation. He develops an interest in various Tools and machinery, and he's drawn to the Second World War and the biographies of famous people, mainly politicians and villains. This capacity to read novels almost entirely vanishes; testosterone autism disturbs the character's psychological understanding. I think Oddball was suffering from this Ailment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Murder
carojust's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I'd read Olga Tokarczuk write about paint drying.
This was so much fun -- unreliable narrator, small clues everywhere, small town characters and cozy soups, forest animals and bugs. And as an astrology girlie, I couldn't not enjoy the extensive musings on birth charts and aspects; I knew these parts would lose a lot of people, and that's what's so incredibly ingenious. This all created a mystical world guided by the laws of nature, and our narrator the omniscient and moral light in the cold night.
I really love that this narrator is an older woman, who reminds us constantly how she's dismissed as a lunatic, and largely ignored and forgotten by the community. It's especially brilliant in the unraveling.
I highly recommend this if you are interested in translated fiction, sleuthy mysteries, and really beautiful, intelligent writing.
This was so much fun -- unreliable narrator, small clues everywhere, small town characters and cozy soups, forest animals and bugs. And as an astrology girlie, I couldn't not enjoy the extensive musings on birth charts and aspects; I knew these parts would lose a lot of people, and that's what's so incredibly ingenious. This all created a mystical world guided by the laws of nature, and our narrator the omniscient and moral light in the cold night.
I really love that this narrator is an older woman, who reminds us constantly how she's dismissed as a lunatic, and largely ignored and forgotten by the community. It's especially brilliant in the unraveling.
I highly recommend this if you are interested in translated fiction, sleuthy mysteries, and really beautiful, intelligent writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
welaneyding's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, and Murder
antimony's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
the first like. 80? 90?% of this book was sooooo slow and i had a lot of trouble caring about it. possibly this was in part because i have covid. but alas! but the last two chapters were REALLY good & the slowness kinda paid off. i liked janina as a narrator a lot as well, and the conversations about who we pay attention to and who we don't, about justice with regard to animals, etc. this definitely wasn't the right book for Sick Me but i think it easily could be the right book for someone else
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Murder
adriennemrn's review against another edition
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
inspiring old lady ! bitches can do everything !
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Murder
suzyq's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Medical content, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Vomit
classicadg's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
contemporarymeepsie's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead is set in a remote forested village near the Polish border with the Czech Republic. Mrs Duszejko lives on her own with only her few neighbours for company. It is a tight-knit community but that doesn't mean everyone gets along, and when one such neighbour accidentally chokes and dies on an animal bone, it sparks a flurry of murders in the area.
I think I missed the hook of this book. I understood the points it was making about animal cruelty and our definitions of insanity and the hypocrisy of religious hunting and so forth. I just wasn't interested in anything that was happening. I'm not a big fan of books that waffle and this was very waffley which is unfortunate as it was recommended to me by a close friend who defined it as his favourite book of the year. I found it dull and the ending was predictable. I wouldn't recommend this book but not because it was "bad" or poorly written; it was exceptionally written, but because it was dull and not my kind of book. Sorry Mike!
I think I missed the hook of this book. I understood the points it was making about animal cruelty and our definitions of insanity and the hypocrisy of religious hunting and so forth. I just wasn't interested in anything that was happening. I'm not a big fan of books that waffle and this was very waffley which is unfortunate as it was recommended to me by a close friend who defined it as his favourite book of the year. I found it dull and the ending was predictable. I wouldn't recommend this book but not because it was "bad" or poorly written; it was exceptionally written, but because it was dull and not my kind of book. Sorry Mike!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
Moderate: Animal death, Chronic illness, and Murder