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anitaboeira's review
4.0
I was not particularly interested in the plot of this story, but I loved the writing. It’s not often, to me, that a translated book flows so well, but the writing felt magical. It’s truly a masterpiece of the craft. The unreliable narrator? The plot twists? Just beautiful.
janadiebeere's review against another edition
3.25
Ich fand dieses Buch super spannend. Hab es super schnell gelesen weil ich es fertig haben wollte bevor ich zu einer Buchvorstellung des Autors gehe. Es hat mich eigentlich nur die Darstellung von Gewalt (besonders Gewalt gegenüber Frauen und sexuelle Gewalt) gestört. In Abschnitten ging es um wenig anderes. Ich mochte das spielen mit dem Erzähler sehr, sowie auch die Wiederholungen von bestimmten Teilen (die eher wie Gedichte genutzt wurden) Als rauskommt, dass der Erzähler gar nicht der Junge ist sonder Jakub - Crazy. Aber auch das Ende wo sie im Flieger sind und dann doch nicht mitfliegen und er sich endlich an seine Familie erinnert hat mich sehr mitgenommen.
cy_fryzacja's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mkoehn's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
littletaiko's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
wcaleniemary's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
kingarooski's review against another edition
5.0
Jakub Szapiro is tall, dark and handsome. A boxer and a collector of protection fees; he is the king of Warsaw. In 1937, Jakub is powerful and under the protection of the Polish socialist hero, Jan "Kum" Kaplica. The book details their battles with the fascists of Warsaw (including the bourgening Falanga) and their lives in a multicultural city. All the main characters are contradictions: Jan Kaplica is a hero to many poor Varsovians, but he makes his money through extortion of poor shopkeepers and traders. Jakub is powerful, but seems lost and confused without guidance. He has a number of weaknesses which get exposed as the story develops.
This was a brilliant story which had me gripped from the beginning. I wanted to listed to my audiobook (expertly told by Maciej Stuhr) continuously. I loved the pace of Krol, even with the repetitions and pauses in the story.
This was a brilliant story which had me gripped from the beginning. I wanted to listed to my audiobook (expertly told by Maciej Stuhr) continuously. I loved the pace of Krol, even with the repetitions and pauses in the story.