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logarithm's review against another edition
3.0
more like 2.5 stars. not awful but not really interesting either imo
topdragon's review against another edition
2.0
I'm afraid you'll have to count me among those who just didn't "get" this one. That is not to say that there are no redeeming qualities here. The prose, for example. I have never encountered prose quite so elegant that it is really, in fact, poetry. Reading this novel is like reading a dream. Vivid moments connected by strange and surreal images. My experience was with the audio format which was beautifully done, the narrator having done a fine job. But I got lost so many times I really struggled to continue with it. For me there was no sense of waiting to find out what would happen next because I couldn't really sort out what was happening now or had just happened.
If you like straight forward stories, plot twists, a plot that build towards a climax, etc. then you'll have to look elsewhere. If you're up for an experimental reading experience then by all means give this one a try.
If you like straight forward stories, plot twists, a plot that build towards a climax, etc. then you'll have to look elsewhere. If you're up for an experimental reading experience then by all means give this one a try.
astrochoreo's review against another edition
5.0
Proof that I can give fiction 5 stars for all my friends who are haters 😂
I can’t recall the last time I finished a fiction book and was already looking forward to reading it again. The prose is gorgeously visual, the characters are flawed yet lovable, the world built in the story is one that both horrified and enthralled me.
Really interesting plot overlapping and connecting throughout. Brings up issues like immigration, war, family trauma, that could feel very heavy but don’t weigh down the story. A lot of mythology, astrology, tarot references and getting creative with them.
A sexually transmitted city that tattoos you with a part of the map? Yeah, definitely won’t read anything like this ever again.
I can’t recall the last time I finished a fiction book and was already looking forward to reading it again. The prose is gorgeously visual, the characters are flawed yet lovable, the world built in the story is one that both horrified and enthralled me.
Really interesting plot overlapping and connecting throughout. Brings up issues like immigration, war, family trauma, that could feel very heavy but don’t weigh down the story. A lot of mythology, astrology, tarot references and getting creative with them.
A sexually transmitted city that tattoos you with a part of the map? Yeah, definitely won’t read anything like this ever again.
seanache's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
fairytalesfolkloreandfantasy's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
sairina's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
grumblepug's review against another edition
5.0
Seductive, erotic, depressing, uplifting, bizarre. Filled with rich language. A book that meshes mythology from all cultures in a new enticing way. Fantastic, but not for the squeamish.
lucardus's review against another edition
4.0
Poetisch, kryptisch, einfallsreich aber zur allerhöchsten Wertung fehlt etwas: Echte Nähe zu den Progatonisten, die ebenso kryptisch und fremd sind wie Palimpsest und es bleiben.
macthekat's review against another edition
Yeah, I have now tried twice and this book is not for me
lines__lines's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
3.5
The city of Palimpsest is breathtaking in its imaginative scope - truly a world made of some of the weirder parts of dreams, while still working as a functional place. Reading this book feels like dreaming at times, and it is slow to gather its threads of plot together between the four main characters, but there is weight and substance within the dreamy strides of the narrative. It ends up giving a lot of thought to borders and how we patrol them, both personal and national. For a book about a sexually transmitted city, this is a relatively un-sexy book, since the sex becomes a means to an end, and there's certainly some questionable choices about pairings and a lot of unhealthy behaviors overall. This is the kind of book that might benefit from a re-read to pick up on what I suspect are some more symbolic choices in settings and such. I'm not sure it was quite compelling enough, for me, though to want to read it again, and I'm not sure that it quite figures out exactly what its own theme is, though it plays with many ideas from addiction to immigration. I will certainly seek out some more of Valente's work, though.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1c0l2wy/fif_book_club_palimpsest_midway_discussion/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1cbzmkg/fif_book_club_palimpsest_final_discussion/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1c0l2wy/fif_book_club_palimpsest_midway_discussion/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1cbzmkg/fif_book_club_palimpsest_final_discussion/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button