kipahni's review against another edition
2.0
I just spent the last minute clicking the 2 star and then changing it to the 3 star then returning to the 2 choice where my rating has met it's finally resting place. really the problem is more with me then with it (haha it's like I am trying to break up a realationship "Really, it's not you it's me...")
For starters this book requires intense fidelity. There is no reading other side lighter flings in chic lit or childrens lit. And definately no flittering with those medical journals or science text books or russian novels. This book needs intense monogamous relationship. There are multiple timelines a plethora of characters and don't even get me started on the uniques way Mr.Crowley writes.
Unfourtunately I am a polygomous reader, and a speed reader at that (2600 words a minute, yes I acutally took an elective in speed reading) Wham bam, that is how I read my books, life is too short and I have other books to conquer.
THis book needs you to sit and read. No distractions. In fact I had to actually read some of these sentences out loud in order to really get it. I think that is because this is a book that reads like prose. Which is really beautiful but also really confusing.
I wanted to love this book and there are parts that I do love. But reading this book was like looking into those once popular posters that on first glance it just looks a vommited painting of various psychidelic colors all zig zaggy, but when you choose a focal point and stare at it for a few minutes the background recedes and a there is some person usually doing an action like bouncing a ball or a hand with a peace sign. THose pictures always give me headaches.
I made a list of things I did like about the book
He uses the word Akimbo... love that word
He sometimes rhymes in the sentence which gives the book a whimsy feel
His characters have a wonderfully distinct voice, like this is the first book I have ever read that I felt I could hear how each character talks (ex; the puerto rican accent, the drunkard...)
Really beautifully written but my hang up is you can use beautiful words but if the reader doesn't understand then what is the point?
Things I didn't like
It was REALLY vague, If you were to ask me what this book was about all I could tell you was that 1 the further in you go the bigger it gets, 2 it's about journeys
I still don't know what time period it was set in and it wasn't till near the end of the book I realized it was set in america!
Finally the clencher for why I choose 2 instead of three, because a three star I would want to read again, I don't know I would want to read this behemoth book again.
For starters this book requires intense fidelity. There is no reading other side lighter flings in chic lit or childrens lit. And definately no flittering with those medical journals or science text books or russian novels. This book needs intense monogamous relationship. There are multiple timelines a plethora of characters and don't even get me started on the uniques way Mr.Crowley writes.
Unfourtunately I am a polygomous reader, and a speed reader at that (2600 words a minute, yes I acutally took an elective in speed reading) Wham bam, that is how I read my books, life is too short and I have other books to conquer.
THis book needs you to sit and read. No distractions. In fact I had to actually read some of these sentences out loud in order to really get it. I think that is because this is a book that reads like prose. Which is really beautiful but also really confusing.
I wanted to love this book and there are parts that I do love. But reading this book was like looking into those once popular posters that on first glance it just looks a vommited painting of various psychidelic colors all zig zaggy, but when you choose a focal point and stare at it for a few minutes the background recedes and a there is some person usually doing an action like bouncing a ball or a hand with a peace sign. THose pictures always give me headaches.
I made a list of things I did like about the book
He uses the word Akimbo... love that word
He sometimes rhymes in the sentence which gives the book a whimsy feel
His characters have a wonderfully distinct voice, like this is the first book I have ever read that I felt I could hear how each character talks (ex; the puerto rican accent, the drunkard...)
Really beautifully written but my hang up is you can use beautiful words but if the reader doesn't understand then what is the point?
Things I didn't like
It was REALLY vague, If you were to ask me what this book was about all I could tell you was that 1 the further in you go the bigger it gets, 2 it's about journeys
I still don't know what time period it was set in and it wasn't till near the end of the book I realized it was set in america!
Finally the clencher for why I choose 2 instead of three, because a three star I would want to read again, I don't know I would want to read this behemoth book again.
spadeano's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
allisonjpmiller's review against another edition
4.0
More than the sum of its parts—but then, that's the very point it's trying to make, isn't it? The individual events of a person's life (and this book) on their own, taken singly, don't seem qualified to add up to some grand, all-encompassing Tale: and yet they do.
This is a breathtakingly intricate novel. While I didn't love it as thoroughly as I did [b:Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr|34466930|Ka Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr|John Crowley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508662187l/34466930._SX50_.jpg|55587006], it's still every inch the masterwork its devoted fanbase makes it out to be (even if, at points, it is so obviously the work of a younger Crowley more prone to overindulgence). It's the kind of book that does something to you while you're reading it; it's alive and acting on you, almost always. And it manages a rare feat—that of perfectly mirroring its subject matter in structure, content, and form.
Well worth the trust I placed in it.
This is a breathtakingly intricate novel. While I didn't love it as thoroughly as I did [b:Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr|34466930|Ka Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr|John Crowley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508662187l/34466930._SX50_.jpg|55587006], it's still every inch the masterwork its devoted fanbase makes it out to be (even if, at points, it is so obviously the work of a younger Crowley more prone to overindulgence). It's the kind of book that does something to you while you're reading it; it's alive and acting on you, almost always. And it manages a rare feat—that of perfectly mirroring its subject matter in structure, content, and form.
Well worth the trust I placed in it.
wviellevoye's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
varmint3's review against another edition
5.0
Dense and slow-paced but SO worth it! The characters -especially the children - were exquisitely written.
scarylions's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lisa_berrones's review against another edition
1.0
I don't give up on books. I'm giving up on this one. I cannot stand the writing, although I'm sure there's someone who loves it... Not for me. Moving on.
celeste_williams's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Prose of this book is enchanting!