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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
challenging
funny
informative
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Translated beautifully, this book is quirky and fantastical. The characters are shimmery, which I can't explain well, but they are both fully realized, and lightly present.
"A table stands outside the gate to the inner courtyard at Number 16, with a pink plastic box on it. The box is always out there, come rain, come ice, come night. The box contains eggs: ten for two euros. It's a fair price. Ditzsche has good chickens, healthy and well looked after, given special food and the devotion of an outsider. Chickens who smell like proper chickens. They warn Ditzsche of the arrival of a storm or a stranger. They keep quiet when the postman calls" (p. 194).
"A table stands outside the gate to the inner courtyard at Number 16, with a pink plastic box on it. The box is always out there, come rain, come ice, come night. The box contains eggs: ten for two euros. It's a fair price. Ditzsche has good chickens, healthy and well looked after, given special food and the devotion of an outsider. Chickens who smell like proper chickens. They warn Ditzsche of the arrival of a storm or a stranger. They keep quiet when the postman calls" (p. 194).
Das richtige Buch zur falschen Zeit...
Das Geschehen plätschert so dahin und kommt nicht richtig in die Gänge, als Leserin ist man die Fliege an der Wand und schaut den Bewohnern von Fürstenfelde bei ihrem seltsamen Treiben zu. Wie ein anderer Kommentar es so treffend zusammenfasst: "No plot, just vibes".
Daraus folgt, dass 'Vor dem Fest' in längeren Sitzungen gelesen werden will, damit man nicht den Überblick verliert. Und darauf kann ich aktuell nicht.
Sobald ich aber den Kopf frei genug habe, um mich auch mal eine Stunde am Stück aufs Lesen einzulassen, werde ich zu diesem Bich zurückkehren :-)
Das Geschehen plätschert so dahin und kommt nicht richtig in die Gänge, als Leserin ist man die Fliege an der Wand und schaut den Bewohnern von Fürstenfelde bei ihrem seltsamen Treiben zu. Wie ein anderer Kommentar es so treffend zusammenfasst: "No plot, just vibes".
Daraus folgt, dass 'Vor dem Fest' in längeren Sitzungen gelesen werden will, damit man nicht den Überblick verliert. Und darauf kann ich aktuell nicht.
Sobald ich aber den Kopf frei genug habe, um mich auch mal eine Stunde am Stück aufs Lesen einzulassen, werde ich zu diesem Bich zurückkehren :-)
3.5 stars. The language was so lyrical and there was a dry wit to the writing that was amusing. A good read for Fall.
Saša Stanišić crafts a patchwork quilt of stories about the history of Fürstenfelde. Although I expected this to be a quick read, it was anything but. It often felt like I was suspending my need for answers or, at times, a solid plot line. The slow burn of thematic revelation isn’t quite as present as most novels. In fact, it hits a little more like poetry, holding nuggets of truth throughout the book—the kinds of truths that punch you in the gut with a sudden understanding.
Even though I found this structure to hold my attention for extended periods of time, I truly believe that the power of this story is in Stanišić’s choice to tell it this way. He builds readers understanding of this small, quirky town in the way a person would in real life: he introduces us to all of the individuals, the relics, and the stories that create a robust and multifaceted understanding of Fürstenfelde as it really is (or as close as an understanding as we can get) rather than as a two-dimensional place.
The theme that’s still churning in my head afterwards is how connected the present is with the past. I love how Stanišić makes this visible in a way we don’t normally get to see. The reader gets to see all the little pieces that make Fürstenfelde Fürstenfelde, past, present, and future. A call to understand your legacy to understand yourself if there ever was one!
Even though I found this structure to hold my attention for extended periods of time, I truly believe that the power of this story is in Stanišić’s choice to tell it this way. He builds readers understanding of this small, quirky town in the way a person would in real life: he introduces us to all of the individuals, the relics, and the stories that create a robust and multifaceted understanding of Fürstenfelde as it really is (or as close as an understanding as we can get) rather than as a two-dimensional place.
The theme that’s still churning in my head afterwards is how connected the present is with the past. I love how Stanišić makes this visible in a way we don’t normally get to see. The reader gets to see all the little pieces that make Fürstenfelde Fürstenfelde, past, present, and future. A call to understand your legacy to understand yourself if there ever was one!
Nacht voor het feest is a book unlike any other I've read - in a good way. It mixes folklore with modernity, and beauty with ugliness. Its lightness and host of characters and storylines reminded me of Kundera's The Festival of Insignificance, and its humor and local history, its mix of realistic scenes mixed with local history and folklore, told in a light way reminded me of most of Márquez' work. I sometimes get annoyed by reviewers endlessly comparing new authors or books to existing, known ones, but for a book as unique as this, you paradoxically need to compare it to something else you know, in order to catch the essence of it. Or maybe I don't need to, but I just wanted to.
I love the way Stanišić plays with language, the quirkiness of the town of Fürstenfelde and the humor of the novel. Fürstenfelde is a town in an ex-DDR state, with a local historian who gets depressed every spring, her eager young son who is a soon-to-be bell-ringer, one and a half neo nazis, a suicidal ex-colonel, a guy who drove his car into the local lake three times, a ferryman, a mysterious outsider in a tracksuit, an einzelgänger who tends to his chickens, and an 89-year-old painter. I think you get the picture.
I love the way Stanišić plays with language, the quirkiness of the town of Fürstenfelde and the humor of the novel. Fürstenfelde is a town in an ex-DDR state, with a local historian who gets depressed every spring, her eager young son who is a soon-to-be bell-ringer, one and a half neo nazis, a suicidal ex-colonel, a guy who drove his car into the local lake three times, a ferryman, a mysterious outsider in a tracksuit, an einzelgänger who tends to his chickens, and an 89-year-old painter. I think you get the picture.
This book is one of those that are instant cover lover. It is also a good read.
A friend of mine who read the back cover said it sounds like a mixture of British comedy, Shirley Jackson, and Monty Python. (Yes, I know).
He’s not far off.
The witches’ brew works too.
The novel centers on a town in Germany that sits near two lakes. It is an old town with old traditions and old mysteries.
The difficult thing is that it is impossible to write a review without spoilers. The language is wonderful, so odds are the translation is good. The story is told in short chapters. There is the old man who may or may not be attempting to commit suicide. There is the assistant bell ringer. There is the bar owner, though it isn’t really a bar. There is the woman who runs the historic building. There is the egg seller. There is the young woman who is leaving town in some way. There is the vixen.
And there is the narrator.
It is such a lovely novel. It really is. There is magic in it. If you like fairy tales, folklore, ghost stories, vixens,
A friend of mine who read the back cover said it sounds like a mixture of British comedy, Shirley Jackson, and Monty Python. (Yes, I know).
He’s not far off.
The witches’ brew works too.
The novel centers on a town in Germany that sits near two lakes. It is an old town with old traditions and old mysteries.
The difficult thing is that it is impossible to write a review without spoilers. The language is wonderful, so odds are the translation is good. The story is told in short chapters. There is the old man who may or may not be attempting to commit suicide. There is the assistant bell ringer. There is the bar owner, though it isn’t really a bar. There is the woman who runs the historic building. There is the egg seller. There is the young woman who is leaving town in some way. There is the vixen.
And there is the narrator.
It is such a lovely novel. It really is. There is magic in it. If you like fairy tales, folklore, ghost stories, vixens,
This is a relaxed but demanding book. It lacks urgency and enjoys mystery, it wanders and weaves. It is difficult as a modern reader to just let the book tell itself, and so curiosity and desire for closure can undercut the poetry of the vignettes.
It is a beautiful, strange book. Recommend for cold winter nights over hot drinks.
It is a beautiful, strange book. Recommend for cold winter nights over hot drinks.
Quirky crazy book. I listened to the audiobook, read by the author. That was worth the extra star.