Reviews

Empusion by Olga Tokarczuk

abij's review against another edition

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"Unless he had a fit of breathlessness, he was able to climb quite high up, and then he could see that to call the settlement below a town was a major exaggeration. It was an open space with some houses built on it, where as soon as the sun set (and every day there was visibly less light), piercing cold immediately moved in from somewhere in the mountains, a damp chill the blended with the rather bitter smell of smoke from the chimneys and permanently waterlogged wood. A pan in which a dish unknown to the world was being made."

wrengaia's review against another edition

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4.0

eerie and profound — pretty much exactly what I’d expect from Olga Tokarczuk!

cassiopeia10's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.75

sarahgri's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

tommi's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

coopercodes's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark informative reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Oh so dense!

carie's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

lexybear's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

5.0

gracija's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

5.0

mcr1955's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

5.0

The writing is beautiful.  The narrative is slow for a long time, with very subtle clues about what is going on.  On the surface of the novel certain things are happening, but all along, there is an undercurrent that gets stronger and more visible.  Olga Tokarczuk is a master story teller.  This is my third novel of hers.