paulaantonella's review against another edition
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
klaraxck's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
hans_castorp's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
orrantw's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book for a seminar where we went through and analysed different aspects of the book. I thought that I would enjoy this type of experimental novel, but I didn’t. The writing looked a lot like James Joyce, and I’m not a fan of that. The only good thing is that Döblin gave his readers a plot to hold on to while they were thrown through Berlin of the 1920s. It was interesting and a required book, but I don’t think that I’ll ever feel the urge to read it again.
gerbearrr's review against another edition
5.0
Mind = blown. Met this book by chance at a local bookstore, and it has shown me the magic of picking up a book that you know little to nothing about. Will write a more detailed review later, but for now, I highly recommend.
borealis85's review against another edition
3.0
I made the mistake of reading the book in english, whereas it would have been much more lively in german trough the use of Berlin dialect.
You need to survive to approx. page 150 to have the book get traction.
You need to survive to approx. page 150 to have the book get traction.
ghosthardware's review against another edition
4.0
"He can't speak, he thinks: yes, I wanted to go straight. I was straight till the end..."
Fassbinder miniseries next
Fassbinder miniseries next
jjupille's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-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
4.25
Totally fascinating, challenging for me until I gave in to the rhythms.
Just a few quick updates.
1) the modern city. Pretty obvious, but I guess I came across someone saying this is a very early book to capture the shattering dysphonia, the choppy rhythms, the sensory overload, the vast multitude of the modern (i.e., automobile-era) city. I don't know enough to say whether that's true or not, but it certainly captures all of that amazingly.
2) micro-macro. So, clearly, Franz Bieberkopf isn't really in control of his own destiny. Beyond his impulsiveness and lack of rational decisionmaking and planning, he is buffeted by social structures far beyond not only his control, but his very reckoning. There's something Döblin is doing, with the very micro/local focus on FB and Berlin Alexanderplatz, the one little part of the vast city, that I can't quite put my finger on by that is very effective. It's almost Foucauldian in showing how the huge shit goes all the way down to the capillary. He really captures how any other particular/local manifestations would be completely different in their details, because there's just so much arbitrariness going on, while still operating by the same principles that we are all pretty well fucked to deal, in our partial ways, with whatever life imposes on us. So there's a lot of interest structure-agency, macro-micro, gestalt kind of stuff happening here.
Final note: after putting it down, I rated it 3.75. I think I was just a little exhausted, depleted. Here, maybe a week or ten days later, I have upgraded to 4.25. Why? Because the book is still swirling around in my head. I love when that happens, and that's always to the book's credit.
Just a few quick updates.
1) the modern city. Pretty obvious, but I guess I came across someone saying this is a very early book to capture the shattering dysphonia, the choppy rhythms, the sensory overload, the vast multitude of the modern (i.e., automobile-era) city. I don't know enough to say whether that's true or not, but it certainly captures all of that amazingly.
2) micro-macro. So, clearly, Franz Bieberkopf isn't really in control of his own destiny. Beyond his impulsiveness and lack of rational decisionmaking and planning, he is buffeted by social structures far beyond not only his control, but his very reckoning. There's something Döblin is doing, with the very micro/local focus on FB and Berlin Alexanderplatz, the one little part of the vast city, that I can't quite put my finger on by that is very effective. It's almost Foucauldian in showing how the huge shit goes all the way down to the capillary. He really captures how any other particular/local manifestations would be completely different in their details, because there's just so much arbitrariness going on, while still operating by the same principles that we are all pretty well fucked to deal, in our partial ways, with whatever life imposes on us. So there's a lot of interest structure-agency, macro-micro, gestalt kind of stuff happening here.
Final note: after putting it down, I rated it 3.75. I think I was just a little exhausted, depleted. Here, maybe a week or ten days later, I have upgraded to 4.25. Why? Because the book is still swirling around in my head. I love when that happens, and that's always to the book's credit.