catandherbooks's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
I almost wanted to DNF this one but I ultimately decided to continue and finish it. The themes it contains are very interesting and I do like the writing, it's just that... I don't know if it is the writing itself or even the structure of the pages of this particular edition (font, spacing, margin size, etc) but it felt so dense?? I'm not sure if I'll remember any of it in a few days but I'm happy I finished it. Hopefully my next Tokarczuk will provide a better reading experience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
savvylit's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The fragmented nature of Flights made it a more difficult, time-consuming read for me than the books I usually gravitate towards. Reading this felt like reading an art piece. I saw Flights described somewhere as a collage and I think that's incredibly accurate. Flights is a collage of short stories, letters, journal entries, maps, and ruminations. Just when you're invested in what happens to the characters in one of the many vignettes, it's over and you find yourself at a paragraph about the validity of guidebooks. The sudden changes of pace often felt jarring and disjointed and were what made Flights a bit of a slog for me.
My favorite thing about the book, though, is how evocative it is of the anonymity of international travel. There were so many segments of this book that took me back to my own travels and the very specific feeling that you belong nowhere and everywhere at once. Transit stations and airports truly have a liminal quality that I've never seen captured as well as Tokarczuk has in Flights.
My least favorite thing about the book was the pages on pages describing plastination. I am just not at all interested in the methods used during / the art form of preserving anatomical specimens. There was a point in my reading where I thought I would go insane if I read one more description detailing the composition of a preserved human body part.
Ultimately, I picked this book to read after Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead became one of my favorite books of 2021. In Flights, Tokarczuk's prose is still as exceptional as I found it to be in DYPOBD. However, the two books could not be more different! Which is perfectly alright, just not what I'd initially hoped for. I think I just really wanted to read another Toakrczuk book that followed a more traditional narrative structure. Alas.
My favorite thing about the book, though, is how evocative it is of the anonymity of international travel. There were so many segments of this book that took me back to my own travels and the very specific feeling that you belong nowhere and everywhere at once. Transit stations and airports truly have a liminal quality that I've never seen captured as well as Tokarczuk has in Flights.
My least favorite thing about the book was the pages on pages describing plastination. I am just not at all interested in the methods used during / the art form of preserving anatomical specimens. There was a point in my reading where I thought I would go insane if I read one more description detailing the composition of a preserved human body part.
Ultimately, I picked this book to read after Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead became one of my favorite books of 2021. In Flights, Tokarczuk's prose is still as exceptional as I found it to be in DYPOBD. However, the two books could not be more different! Which is perfectly alright, just not what I'd initially hoped for. I think I just really wanted to read another Toakrczuk book that followed a more traditional narrative structure. Alas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
lennox's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I listened to the audiobook, which I think was a good idea. I have a feeling that I would have abandoned this book if I had read it traditionally because some of the short stories bored me. By listening to the audiobook, I was able to only half-focus on the less interesting parts while doing something else.
The stories in this book either focused on anatomy or travel, sometimes both. I preferred the anatomy stories, especially the ones with historical settings. This is because the stories focused on travel were often repetitive, although they were all written beautifully.
The stories in this book either focused on anatomy or travel, sometimes both. I preferred the anatomy stories, especially the ones with historical settings. This is because the stories focused on travel were often repetitive, although they were all written beautifully.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Blood, Chronic illness, and Death
hannah_sakura's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Miscarriage
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