lvrdy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
this was my first Camus and I was really excited about it. Unfortunately I am extremely disappointed. I’m not sure if it was. Perhaps the way it was translated. I found myself extremely unattached to the characters. They did not have a whole lot of depth to them. Even the doctor the main character seemed very one-dimensional. I really wanted to like this book. At times it was so dull that I would skip some pages. It had some incredibly good lines that made me think but that did not change from the overall drag that the plot was. Maybe it was meant to be dull since we all know the boredom, we experience during quarantine and Covid. It reignited some of those feelings in me. I don’t want to give up on Camus, so I will give his work another go but this book is definitely not worth the read.
tonyxsx's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
books_n_bananas's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, I understand why it's a classic. Camus pegs real trends in predictability of human behavior. He found a way to write down pieces of real life.
Living through a pandemic and reading this novel was so interesting in that the behaviors that Camus points out-- at first, frustration, then disillusionment, the people trying to cheat the system out of their denial, the mass depression and anxiety-- it's all there. It's all real.
BUT
this one was hard to get through because the characters just lacked much depth or personality
And honestly, it was overwhelmed how absent any female character was.
As the book is set in Northern Africa, I understand the relevance of this as women are often absent characters, even in every day life, they are submissive to the overwhelming presence of males. But in literature, it's so glaring and so obvious, it was just annoying to read. The only women were only mentioned in brief as objects of the men's obsessions. The only female character that said anything was the doctor's mother.
While this book definitely has it's place among classic literature due to the trends in humanity it so adeptly identifies, it's place should be very low among the ranks due to the uninteresting nature of the character writing and the complete lack of female presence within the novel.
Living through a pandemic and reading this novel was so interesting in that the behaviors that Camus points out-- at first, frustration, then disillusionment, the people trying to cheat the system out of their denial, the mass depression and anxiety-- it's all there. It's all real.
BUT
this one was hard to get through because the characters just lacked much depth or personality
And honestly, it was overwhelmed how absent any female character was.
As the book is set in Northern Africa, I understand the relevance of this as women are often absent characters, even in every day life, they are submissive to the overwhelming presence of males. But in literature, it's so glaring and so obvious, it was just annoying to read. The only women were only mentioned in brief as objects of the men's obsessions. The only female character that said anything was the doctor's mother.
While this book definitely has it's place among classic literature due to the trends in humanity it so adeptly identifies, it's place should be very low among the ranks due to the uninteresting nature of the character writing and the complete lack of female presence within the novel.
gutvorem's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
nihilistmermaid's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
الترجمة لطيفة
بالرغم من طول الرواية وثبات الجو العام بها إلى حد ما، لم أمّل منها إلا في أوقات قليلة عندما كنت أفقد تركيزي.
يحكي الراوي أحداث شهدتها مدينة ما بلسان محايد عن طريق قصّه لهذه الأحداث والمشاعر السائدة أثناءها من خلال **مذكرات** بعض من عاصروا الفترة وذكرياته الشخصية عنها، تطغى نظرته المنطقية على اسلوب السرد إلا في مواضع محددة، عند الإنتهاء عرفت لماذا تنازل عن عقلانيته في تلك المواضع. وكما يتضح من العنوان فالحدث الرئيسي لهذه الفترة، والمسبب لجميع الأحداث التي تلتها هو مرض الطاعون.
تفاعلت مع الرواية وأحببتها، شعرت بالترابط الرمزي بين واقع سكان مدينة الطاعون وواقعنا الذي نعيش فيه جميعنا مهما كان اسم مدينتنا.
أرشحها لأولئك الذين يستمتعون بالرمزية ويحبون اقتباس جمل معبِّرة من قراءاتهم.
الترجمة لطيفة
بالرغم من طول الرواية وثبات الجو العام بها إلى حد ما، لم أمّل منها إلا في أوقات قليلة عندما كنت أفقد تركيزي.
يحكي الراوي أحداث شهدتها مدينة ما بلسان محايد عن طريق قصّه لهذه الأحداث والمشاعر السائدة أثناءها من خلال **مذكرات** بعض من عاصروا الفترة وذكرياته الشخصية عنها، تطغى نظرته المنطقية على اسلوب السرد إلا في مواضع محددة، عند الإنتهاء عرفت لماذا تنازل عن عقلانيته في تلك المواضع. وكما يتضح من العنوان فالحدث الرئيسي لهذه الفترة، والمسبب لجميع الأحداث التي تلتها هو مرض الطاعون.
تفاعلت مع الرواية وأحببتها، شعرت بالترابط الرمزي بين واقع سكان مدينة الطاعون وواقعنا الذي نعيش فيه جميعنا مهما كان اسم مدينتنا.
أرشحها لأولئك الذين يستمتعون بالرمزية ويحبون اقتباس جمل معبِّرة من قراءاتهم.
ame_'s review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
cocoanatomical's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Reading this post-pandemic was wild.
Still incredibly relevant.
Still incredibly relevant.
sunleung_sg's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I should have to re-read this, perhaps another translation.
The parallels with the past couple of years is intriguing.
The parallels with the past couple of years is intriguing.
clstrifes's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Child death, and Animal death
Minor: Mass/school shootings