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pablopicostco's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lunaseline's review against another edition
5.0
Jag har inte läst en enda årstid. Blev liksom aldrig sugen, hur de än hypades.
Sen kom den här. En s.k. Companion Piece till Smiths serie, med en historia som lät väldigt olockande, på alla sätt. Men som jag ändå blev sugen på att läsa.
Ibland vet jag mitt eget bästa trots allt!
Covid-tjatet är trött, konceptet lite high-strung och karaktärerna lite väl osympatiska.
Men ordglädjen! Bara leken med sociala media-akronymer - som borde kännas riktigt töntig - är värd en stjärna i sig. Och jag, som aldrig varit särskilt intresserad av poesi-anlyser, går igång på dialog-dissektionen av e.e. cummings-dikten. Snyggt!
En bok jag läser och ler, på det där sättet bara ord kan få en att le.
Sen kom den här. En s.k. Companion Piece till Smiths serie, med en historia som lät väldigt olockande, på alla sätt. Men som jag ändå blev sugen på att läsa.
Ibland vet jag mitt eget bästa trots allt!
Covid-tjatet är trött, konceptet lite high-strung och karaktärerna lite väl osympatiska.
Men ordglädjen! Bara leken med sociala media-akronymer - som borde kännas riktigt töntig - är värd en stjärna i sig. Och jag, som aldrig varit särskilt intresserad av poesi-anlyser, går igång på dialog-dissektionen av e.e. cummings-dikten. Snyggt!
En bok jag läser och ler, på det där sättet bara ord kan få en att le.
joanagonzaalez's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
katiep84's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
marjolina's review against another edition
4.0
“Yes. A belief.
A belief was no doubt a companionable thing.
Sometimes just a tune. A song.
The words of a song.
The words of anything, a remembered line, even only half-remembered.”
From: Companion Piece by Ali Smith
So as most of you will know, this is the fifth part of Smith’s Seasonal “quartet” and it has her characteristic beautiful, observant and lyrical writing. It is sensational in its imaginativeness.
I don’t know anything like it.
The way she manages to artfully wield all these current topics, in this case the covid pandemic and the lockdowns, into a story like a collage - although this book has a much more straight structure than the Seasons - is brilliant. And, at times, laugh out loud funny too.
Her presentation of awkward conversations makes me laugh every single time and I WISH I could be as quick-witted as some of her protagonists. I am a sucker for her witty wordplay and the entire chapter on the origins and usage of the word “hello” was delightful.
So: I can’t recommend this book (and the entire series) enough and I will definitely re-read the entire quintet one day.
Or will it be a sextet?
I hope it will be. Feels like it could be
A belief was no doubt a companionable thing.
Sometimes just a tune. A song.
The words of a song.
The words of anything, a remembered line, even only half-remembered.”
From: Companion Piece by Ali Smith
So as most of you will know, this is the fifth part of Smith’s Seasonal “quartet” and it has her characteristic beautiful, observant and lyrical writing. It is sensational in its imaginativeness.
I don’t know anything like it.
The way she manages to artfully wield all these current topics, in this case the covid pandemic and the lockdowns, into a story like a collage - although this book has a much more straight structure than the Seasons - is brilliant. And, at times, laugh out loud funny too.
Her presentation of awkward conversations makes me laugh every single time and I WISH I could be as quick-witted as some of her protagonists. I am a sucker for her witty wordplay and the entire chapter on the origins and usage of the word “hello” was delightful.
So: I can’t recommend this book (and the entire series) enough and I will definitely re-read the entire quintet one day.
Or will it be a sextet?
I hope it will be. Feels like it could be
onleesbaar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
franceselsie's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
the_dawn_chorus's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
4.0
maithewriter's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
My mistake was making this my first Ali Smith novel. I bought this blindly so I didn't realize that this was actually a companion piece to her seasonal quartet (that's why it's called "Companion Piece," duh) and while I enjoyed reading the novel and how cleverly it was written, it just didn't make much sense to me, especially the "Curfew" part. I totally got lost there. Still, I'm giving this 4 stars because that was more of a 'me' problem as this novel was not meant to be a standalone piece.
I might pick up the quartet, and then reread this. I'd probably have more clarity that way.
I might pick up the quartet, and then reread this. I'd probably have more clarity that way.