jsimpson's review
5.0
The aesthetics of cruelty.
Art for art's sake.
The triumph of style.
Pertinent for these sequestered times - poetic and haunting.
My favourite decadent novel ive read so far!
Art for art's sake.
The triumph of style.
Pertinent for these sequestered times - poetic and haunting.
My favourite decadent novel ive read so far!
gracesbookss's review against another edition
2.0
1.5 Stars/5
I'm not going to tell everyone that they need to read this book, however, if you are a fan of The Picture of Dorian Gray, you might find Huysmans' novel Against Nature and interesting read. I spent my entire senior year of university writing a thesis on Dorian Gray so it was only natural that I would eventually pick up the novel that inspired Wilde's flamboyant character.
Now for the real stuff...this shit was boring. And depressing. You cant be depressing AND boring for me to give higher than 2 stars and HONESTLY, i am being nice with the rating.
I liked the imagery and the writing style but GOD this dude really did nothing the entire damn time like give us a break we are bored. It took me almost a MONTH to read this book which says a lot about how much I wanted to spend my time reading it.
I'm not going to tell everyone that they need to read this book, however, if you are a fan of The Picture of Dorian Gray, you might find Huysmans' novel Against Nature and interesting read. I spent my entire senior year of university writing a thesis on Dorian Gray so it was only natural that I would eventually pick up the novel that inspired Wilde's flamboyant character.
Now for the real stuff...this shit was boring. And depressing. You cant be depressing AND boring for me to give higher than 2 stars and HONESTLY, i am being nice with the rating.
I liked the imagery and the writing style but GOD this dude really did nothing the entire damn time like give us a break we are bored. It took me almost a MONTH to read this book which says a lot about how much I wanted to spend my time reading it.
rvandenboomgaard's review against another edition
5.0
Jean des Esseintes is the result of the combination of a sharp intellect and a keen aesthetic sense; pure distinctive capacity ensues. Pure distinctive capacity, without any substance to ground it on, embody it in, or apply it to. It removes the meaning from the activity.
I thoroughly enjoyed the observations of aesthetic topics that were made, up to a certain point. Then, the emptiness started to hit me. The utter void of Des Esseintes’ soul, dissected to a point where no whole can be imagined anymore, due to his own relentless intellectual analyses, and the exhaustion of his body through the overexertion of his senses.
Great piece of literature, but definitely a proper warning sign.
Glad to leave the decadence behind in this year.
I thoroughly enjoyed the observations of aesthetic topics that were made, up to a certain point. Then, the emptiness started to hit me. The utter void of Des Esseintes’ soul, dissected to a point where no whole can be imagined anymore, due to his own relentless intellectual analyses, and the exhaustion of his body through the overexertion of his senses.
Great piece of literature, but definitely a proper warning sign.
Glad to leave the decadence behind in this year.
cynpath's review
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kirstenfindlay's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
laurette26's review against another edition
challenging
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
raincorbyn's review
4.0
Decadent softboi rails against Romanticism, normie media consumption, and the color orange.
pancakeplant's review
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0