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scherezade's review against another edition
Some of the writing was really beautiful and poetic, but nothing was happening and it felt like a slog. I don't have enough brain power to read a book that's all vibes after a full work day.
lialeahlio's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Violence, and Grief
justnei's review against another edition
If I had to summarise, I'd say this is a book about the development of a bridge in Toronto set in the early 1900s, and also the disappearance of a millionaire? At the point in which I gave up, we had two main characters - one, a Macedonian immigrant working on the bridge, the other a Canadian born man. I was far more interested in the Macedonian immigrant and the experiences of the bridge workers but at the point I had given up, there was not much happening there and we had spent much time with the Canadian man and his weird love affair.
The book had lovely writing, but I had no clue what was happening. It was both very vague in plot I was actually interested in and hyper-specific in ways that I did not enjoy. I got about 33% into the book but I felt I wasn't anywhere different in terms of knowledge than I was at 1%. I was uninterested in finishing the book despite its shortness. I can see the potential, but I don't think it's one for me to explore.
The book had lovely writing, but I had no clue what was happening. It was both very vague in plot I was actually interested in and hyper-specific in ways that I did not enjoy. I got about 33% into the book but I felt I wasn't anywhere different in terms of knowledge than I was at 1%. I was uninterested in finishing the book despite its shortness. I can see the potential, but I don't think it's one for me to explore.
cody240fc's review
3.0
Here we have the familiar fragmented narrative style that has become Ondaatje's calling card. Written a few years before his magnum opus, this novel shows a writer that has not quite blossomed into his full potential. This novel works pretty well and has some pretty imagery (the Swedes skating the river with burning cattails comes to mind) but it doesn't reach the heights of it's more famous sibling.
The other slight issue here is that the story of Patrick's evolution into an anarchist just isn't as interesting as the story of 'The English Patient'. If I could do it over again, I would have read 'In the Skin of a Lion' before reading 'The English Patient'. While you don't need to have read the former to enjoy the latter, 'Skin of a Lion' introduces us to characters such as Caravaggio and Hana and also helps fill in a few blanks in some of the passages in 'English Patient'. A worthy read; strong three stars.
The other slight issue here is that the story of Patrick's evolution into an anarchist just isn't as interesting as the story of 'The English Patient'. If I could do it over again, I would have read 'In the Skin of a Lion' before reading 'The English Patient'. While you don't need to have read the former to enjoy the latter, 'Skin of a Lion' introduces us to characters such as Caravaggio and Hana and also helps fill in a few blanks in some of the passages in 'English Patient'. A worthy read; strong three stars.
marcymurli's review
1.0
This is the first novel I've read by Ondaatje and I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn't get into it. The overall idea of the novel is definitely interesting - exploring the lives of immigrants to Canada who built the city of Toronto. But the characters didn't draw me in and the story didn't do it for me either. There were a couple of enjoyable passages here and there, but that's about all.
hannah_go03's review against another edition
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
3.5
jashegerova's review
3.0
The writing is obviously superb. There’s a couple of lines that make my mouth twist with the bitterness of pure envy.
On the other hand we have the plot, if you can even call it that, which is sometimes so bland i literally had to put the book down on multiple occasions, and thus it has taken me over two weeks to read this.
On the other hand we have the plot, if you can even call it that, which is sometimes so bland i literally had to put the book down on multiple occasions, and thus it has taken me over two weeks to read this.