Reviews

The Chandelier by Clarice Lispector

ericfheiman's review against another edition

3.0

Lispector certainly has a style and syntax all her own. This book was a fever-dream of a reading experience. But does it ultimately add up to literature as transcendent as likeminded authors like Woolf, Faulkner, or Joyce (to start)? I’m not so sure...(or my patience for such literature has been eroded in my old age.)

opmemoeder's review against another edition

2.0

Soooo hard to get into I’m still going to give another book of hers a chance as I do think she has an unique writing style and can see the talent but this one … I’m happy it’s finally done.

wildgurl's review against another edition

4.0

The Chadelier
By Clarice Lispector
1946
New Directions Book

This was not an easy read. It takes a certain focus to get through....it takes the reader not just into the lives of the characters, but into their psyche and thinking processes, and their daily mental escape, exhausted from living. Do many amazing and profound paragraphs. I'm sure many will give up on this because of the focus it takes, but for those that do read and finish it, this book will knock you over and leave you breathless. The ending will blow your mind.

This is the first time the book has been translated to English and published in th USA.

agneix's review against another edition

4.0

"She would be fluid through her whole life" it starts Virginia's journey. The fluidity of the narrative depends on our main character's decision: by the time she decides one thing, the narrative takes a turn so that later on there's another decision to be made. There is no such thing as bad writing for Clarice, but this was very hard to go through. Very dense and sometimes slow paced, we follow (mostly) Virginia's thinking process; sometimes we get a look into other carachters' mind and there never is a slight change in the narrative. It's all fluid.

convoswithkara's review against another edition

5.0

it’s like if you told virginia woolf to write an elena ferrante novel. absolutely bizarre and absolutely gorgeous. women going insane remains my fav genre

thestoryofaz's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

5.0

Clarice Lispector is, undoubtedly, an untouchable idiosyncratic. To read and appreciate her work, one must challenge, break, and throw out all preconceived notions about literature and life in general out of the window. Her works are a window to the very soul, especially the feminine consciousness, and her daring second novel is a mind-bending, wildly experimental, and meticulous exploration of it. By any chance, was Lispector inspired by George Eliot's The Mill on the Floss while writing this? 

pizzledmilk's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

casskrug's review

3.0

very mixed feelings on this one! not sure if it was me or the book itself but this one felt a lot clunkier than her other work to me. the parts that had more clarity were great but they were split up by chunks that kept losing me. took me a super long time to get through because of that and the length of it - i think her shorter works hit the sweet spot for me

flobi's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

gracija's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

5.0