pak8ed's review against another edition
3.0
Mi calificación: 3.5 estrellas
Este libro fue muy extraño de leer. Había partes en las que pasaba rápidamente una página tras otra y otras en las que perdía mi interés y se me hacían eternas. No sé mucho de esto, pero podría decir que la forma en la que se escribió es muy poética, que es lo que más me gustó de esta obra; no podría decir lo mismo de la historia, siento que le faltó algo más por contar.
Este libro entraría en el tema del “Reading Challenge 2018”: Una ganadora del “Woman’s prize for fiction”. La autora ganó ese premio en 1997.
Subrayé muchas frases que me gustaron, cosa que normalmente no hago, y comparto algunas a continuación:
“Never follow a goat, you'll end up at the edge of a cliff.”
“The truth doesn't care what we think of it."
“Translation is a kind of transubstantiation; one poem becomes another.”
“When you've hardened yourself in certain places, crying is painful, almost as if nature is against it.”
“Happiness is wild and arbitrary, but it's not sudden.”
“Memory dies unless it's given a use.”
“What is the true value of knowledge? That it makes our ignorance more precise.”
Este libro fue muy extraño de leer. Había partes en las que pasaba rápidamente una página tras otra y otras en las que perdía mi interés y se me hacían eternas. No sé mucho de esto, pero podría decir que la forma en la que se escribió es muy poética, que es lo que más me gustó de esta obra; no podría decir lo mismo de la historia, siento que le faltó algo más por contar.
Este libro entraría en el tema del “Reading Challenge 2018”: Una ganadora del “Woman’s prize for fiction”. La autora ganó ese premio en 1997.
Subrayé muchas frases que me gustaron, cosa que normalmente no hago, y comparto algunas a continuación:
“Never follow a goat, you'll end up at the edge of a cliff.”
“The truth doesn't care what we think of it."
“Translation is a kind of transubstantiation; one poem becomes another.”
“When you've hardened yourself in certain places, crying is painful, almost as if nature is against it.”
“Happiness is wild and arbitrary, but it's not sudden.”
“Memory dies unless it's given a use.”
“What is the true value of knowledge? That it makes our ignorance more precise.”
quinlanlj's review against another edition
3.0
Reading this book was a chore for me. I would've given it the lowest mark, but I simply can not deny the fact that Anne Michaels is an artful poet and is capable of writting truly beautiful and creative lines, equal to a landscape painter painting. She explores fascinating themes of memory, trauma, coping and depression, coupled with a tragic but compelling story.
However, the poetic style didn't work for me in this one. I found it unnecessary at times as it spewed metaphor after metaphor seemingly without end, to the point that it felt like it was there just for the sake of it. That in turn made me lose interest in the book altogether as it just didn't feel like I was reading a novel, but rather one overly stretched poem. Not my cup of tea.
However, the poetic style didn't work for me in this one. I found it unnecessary at times as it spewed metaphor after metaphor seemingly without end, to the point that it felt like it was there just for the sake of it. That in turn made me lose interest in the book altogether as it just didn't feel like I was reading a novel, but rather one overly stretched poem. Not my cup of tea.
thepalaceofchallis's review against another edition
3.0
Beautifully written, no real plot, hard to follow sometimes.
If you enjoyed The Book Thief, you may also like this.
If you enjoyed The Book Thief, you may also like this.
harrietthacker85's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
undertheorangetree's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
annrhub's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
softandcrunchy's review against another edition
1.0
Another tediously unoriginal and boringly stylised novel that has all the trappings necessary for the contemporary book club and Hollywood feature.
Let me tick off the elements. Overwritten passages of whimsy and false resonance, the idea of the power of books to save and redeem, and some heavily romanticised and overlaboured notions about history. Oh yeah, let's not forget to include plenty of poor plot devices that give the author the excuse to continuously mention the apparently thin veneer between the living and the dead. Like many other reviewers, I found the metaphors unrelenting, and I have now sworn to never again read a novel about books.
I now know where Markus Zusak got his inspiration for The Book Thief.
Let me tick off the elements. Overwritten passages of whimsy and false resonance, the idea of the power of books to save and redeem, and some heavily romanticised and overlaboured notions about history. Oh yeah, let's not forget to include plenty of poor plot devices that give the author the excuse to continuously mention the apparently thin veneer between the living and the dead. Like many other reviewers, I found the metaphors unrelenting, and I have now sworn to never again read a novel about books.
I now know where Markus Zusak got his inspiration for The Book Thief.
ehmatthews's review against another edition
4.0
This book grew on me...slowly. At first I really couldn't get into it but as Jacob grew up and his memories and experiences became more clearly thought out I really loved it. I also enjoyed the second half of the book once I fully understood the switch in narration.
lisajha's review against another edition
5.0
One of THE. BEST. BOOKS. I've ever read. Michaels' prose left me speechless, her handling of the Holocaust and redemption astounding, and the function of landscape and home (especially as related to love and relationships) really sent it over the top for me. It's not for the faint-hearted--deals with really difficult themes of the Holocaust, emotional scarring/healing, loneliness/homelessness, dysfunctional families, death, etc. Tells the story of Jakob, a young boy living in Warsaw when the Nazis first march into the city to invade. The Nazis kill his entire family, but he survives by accident, and Athos, a Greek man visiting Poland finds, saves, and takes him in as his own son. Jakob later becomes a poet, and the novel follows his story along with another young man whose life later becomes intertwined with Jakob's. The book also includes lush, gorgeous descriptions of Greece and other settings, that if they were filmed, would be quintessential eye candy.
It's just a gorgeous, moving book. Just read it.
It's just a gorgeous, moving book. Just read it.