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somethingarosie's review against another edition
2.0
This could well be your favourite book, but it was my most disappointing read this year. This book is scarcely 100 pages long and it was such a slog to get through. It took me a week to read which, if you know me, is a very long time.
There are some passages that are poignant and gorgeously poetic. However, structurally the story is a mess. The plot of a book should not be so confusing and difficult to discern that it makes the reader feel stupid. I felt dumb reading this. I get building suspense. I get ambiguity. This was just nonsensical to me.
Additionally it is SO BLEAK. So hopeless. Despair piled upon depression piled upon even more despair. There is nothing to cut through the grimness, no hope nor humour. It is suffocating.
Of the Dublin Literary Award shortlist I have read (now 4/6), this one is at the bottom of my list. Thank you for sending me the shortlist.
2⭐️
There are some passages that are poignant and gorgeously poetic. However, structurally the story is a mess. The plot of a book should not be so confusing and difficult to discern that it makes the reader feel stupid. I felt dumb reading this. I get building suspense. I get ambiguity. This was just nonsensical to me.
Additionally it is SO BLEAK. So hopeless. Despair piled upon depression piled upon even more despair. There is nothing to cut through the grimness, no hope nor humour. It is suffocating.
Of the Dublin Literary Award shortlist I have read (now 4/6), this one is at the bottom of my list. Thank you for sending me the shortlist.
2⭐️
jodiecorcoran's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A really beautifully written book but not particularly memorable in my opinion
littlemisselvis's review against another edition
2.0
Only a short book but it felt like a slog. Pretty grim, despairing and hopeless. Some beautiful sentences, but overall too damn depressing for me.
mcglassa's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I found Love Novel to be a depressing read about a couple caught in an unhappy marriage. He is an unemployed Dante scholar trying, and failing, to write a book. She is a former actress who now stays at home caring for their child. Their disappointment with the way their lives have turned out, with the dreams that have not been realised, with their struggles to afford even life’s basic necessities, and with feeling left behind by a capitalist society was palpable. Instead of communicating honestly and supporting each other, they stewed inwardly and resented the other for not understanding and not giving them what they needed. Readers got to experience both their perspectives via their stream of consciousness thoughts, which created a really claustrophobic trapped atmosphere, capturing the way these unnamed characters felt about their lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Mental illness
lauradvb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
nini23's review against another edition
Translated from Croatian by Mima Simić.
Portrait of an unhappy marriage made worse with having children.
Portrait of an unhappy marriage made worse with having children.
paulap's review against another edition
medium-paced
2.5
The narrative used long sentences that reflected the twisty character of the novel. Some of the topics addressed are quite interesting and the novel was not difficult to read. However, it wasn’t memorable either.
lianne_rooney's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Pregnancy