irenecas's review
3.0
He tenido un poco de debate con este libro. Por una parte, Carmen Martín Gaite escribe maravillosamente bien, cada línea que leía me parecía genial y me mantenía enganchada, pero por otro, no podía evitar “aburrirme” a ratos con la historia. Es muy introspectiva, existencialista y parece que hay ratos en los que no pasa nada, hay mucho monólogo interior. En algunos momentos me encantaba pero en otros me parecía que el lector se pierda y que no cuenta nada, solo frases bonitas una tras otra. No obstante, seguiré leyendo cosas de ella porque tiene un estilo que me ha alucinado
jennyrs01's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
juaco1975's review
5.0
"A mí no me extraña. Es que todo es muy raro, en cuanto te fijas un poco."
"Lo raro es vivir" de Carmen Martín Gaite.
"Lo raro es vivir" de Carmen Martín Gaite.
laninaimantada's review
4.0
Mentre el llegia em feia pena no haver-lo llegit en algun moment en el que estes més connectada mentalment, perque l’hauria gaudit molt més. Un llibre que reflexiona sobre tot sense tractar de res en concret. No m’hauria molestat que expliqués una mica més les trames, però igual aquesta és la gràcia. Igual algun dia hi torno.
soavezefiretto's review
3.0
Picked this up mistakenly thinking it was the book I was reading in 1996 and which I wrote about the journal of that year that I'm re-reading. But then I noticed it actually has an inscription by the author dated 1998, so the one I was writing about in 1996 was most probably Nubosidad Variable, which I don't have at home. Pity.
(I remember buying this and another book by the author at the Madrid Book Fair, standing in line with my friend Laura for the author to sign it. I bought "Negra espalda del tiempo" by Javier Marías that same day, who told me that he actually didn't like Thomas Mann, but then relented and conceded that Doktor Faustus was good.)
I liked this one fine, but not that much. I usually don't like flighty protagonists that are all "oh, I know I'm problematic and all, but that's just the way I am" - I mean, if you know you're hurting people, can't you at least try to change? The one I want to know more about is actually the protagonist in the last scene, which takes place about 2 years after the novel. The one who writes her dissertation in the kitchen nook designed by her husband. In the end, that's why I read novels: I just want to see how people live, and I want to know why they do stuff. Too much plot and crazy stuff happening just distracts from that.
It's definitely not among the best Spanish novels of its generation, and not the best of her author either, I think, but if you *do* like flighty protagonists, and want to get a whiff of a certain atmosphere in Madrid in the nineties, you might want to give it a try. It's certainly charming enough.
(I remember buying this and another book by the author at the Madrid Book Fair, standing in line with my friend Laura for the author to sign it. I bought "Negra espalda del tiempo" by Javier Marías that same day, who told me that he actually didn't like Thomas Mann, but then relented and conceded that Doktor Faustus was good.)
I liked this one fine, but not that much. I usually don't like flighty protagonists that are all "oh, I know I'm problematic and all, but that's just the way I am" - I mean, if you know you're hurting people, can't you at least try to change? The one I want to know more about is actually the protagonist in the last scene, which takes place about 2 years after the novel. The one who writes her dissertation in the kitchen nook designed by her husband. In the end, that's why I read novels: I just want to see how people live, and I want to know why they do stuff. Too much plot and crazy stuff happening just distracts from that.
It's definitely not among the best Spanish novels of its generation, and not the best of her author either, I think, but if you *do* like flighty protagonists, and want to get a whiff of a certain atmosphere in Madrid in the nineties, you might want to give it a try. It's certainly charming enough.
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