Reviews

at first i was really enjoying this because it had the same atmosphere as a sally rooney novel, where we followed these three siblings navigate their lives, tied together by this string of estrangement between themselves and their mother, as well as the shared feeling of being adrift. however, towards the latter half the interconnectedness that the book prided itself on took a more strange and confusing route. there were passages that i could not understand and i think were there to purport this eerie/close to magical realism aspect in their stories, but it was rather frustrating towards the end, especially when it felt like the author was connecting two random things together for the sake of the 'everything is connected' belief. the blurb also is a little misleading, the triplets don't actually reunite until the last 100ish pages of the book, but i loved their relationship between the distance they created for themselves. i would recommend but beware it is a length and meandering novel.

thebobsphere's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

A System so Magnificent it is Blinding will divide a lot of readers. Not because it is controversial but because it is a quirky book. This a novel that has red herrings, non sequiturs and long twisty time lines.

The protagonists are a set of triplets who have not really spoken to each other and live in three different countries :Sebastian lives in London and studies people neurological problems in a shady institute. Failed journalist, Clara goes to Easter Island to seek out a leader of a cult and Matilda is trying to adapt to her new life as a stepmother. Everything and everyone in the book is connected. There is a lot of talk about how systems are wonderous and the novel functions like a system as well - everything has it's right place.

As for themes there's a lot, ranging from mental health, environment conservation, grief and family values. The story itself is playful and it's fun trying to spot details which reoccur in different sections of the book.

Although I personally like the book but over 500 pages of non stop weirdness may put people off. Despite the myriad of themes one does have to take breaks to soak all the craziness plus not everyone appreciates the type of humor, Saying that the book is highly readable and it does flow.

If you can gel with the overall quirkiness, then I highly recommend it. If not do be wary,

mindthebook's review

Go to review page

4.0

Passar så bra in på kategorin 'people and places' - och Påskön, även om jag inte skapat någon sådan. Delarna därifrån är de jag gillar mest, ändå såg jag någonstans att författaren inte varit där, utan föreställde sig hela miljön utifrån cornwallska klippor och stränder.

Telenovela-artade förvecklingar och sammanträffanden står i (lite för) märklig kontrast till den mycket lärda ansatsen med allt från Alan Turing, Larkin och Auerbach till Thoreau. Uppläsaren får kämpa med Antropocen, klematis, Galway, joie de vivre och Das Unheimliche.

Lämnar den långa romanen med ett rörpostrelaterat och lite filosofiskt fånleende. Årets LOL är för övrigt Hagadelfinen.

juliahjalmarsson's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

martareader's review against another edition

Go to review page

dnf this is pure shit

pianoman543's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

More...