Reviews with content warning for Violence - Mis Últimos 10 Minutos y 38 Segundos en este Extraño Mundo

As striking and vivid as some of the imagery was, I unfortunately found this book disappointing 🥺 I think it had such an incredible concept (e.g. someone passing away and seeing parts of their life flash before their eyes) but it wasn’t well executed. I felt that Elif Shafak was rushing through some vital parts and slowing down some others. I am intrigued by Shafak’s walk of life and might venture to try her other books, but am not rushing to do it 🥲 Overall, I gave it a 2.5 out of 5 stars ✨

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sydneyjn's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

What a beautifully written, stunning book. I loved the structure of the novel, with Leila remembering her friends and how they all met, and then the second half being her friends coming together. The idea that, after you die, you're still remembering and piecing your life together - I loved it.

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ruthmoog's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

This has some very challenging topics but nonetheless I really enjoyed it. I will surely reread this, it's a brilliant idea to recount Leila's life you could say flashing Infront of her eyes. It's funny and approachable. Set in the drama of Istanbul and even, of course, a cat.

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notthatcosta's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This now being my third Elif Shafak read, her voice and point of view as a writer is becoming increasingly clear and singular in my head. I see the word 'empathetic' often used in reference to her writing style, and I think that really sums it up.

The way she took a stereotypically 'tragic' character and fleshed her out to be so much more, by giving her a sense of agency, capturing her dreams, mentioning her flaws alongside her strengths, celebrating how she was loved and how she mattered whilst not shying away from the way the wider society didn't think she did. I was moved almost to tears several times, and remain moved when I think about the first two-thirds of this book.

However, I will say that the last third detracts from the magic of the rest for me - it veers into wacky/goofy territory a bit too much. Although it adds levity, I was very much here for the heaviness that was handled so delicately in the first part. It ends strong in the final pages by reverting back to the original style of prose towards the very end.

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moonchildjuli's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world fortunately proves to be a better elif shafak read for me than my previous, thwarted effort. this book is abt those on the fringes of society, but also abt istanbul and turkey at large.

aided by an interesting, intriguing structure, the novel's first part reads like snapshots from the main character leila's life. while initially very slow going - the pace making me actually put down the book for 2 weeks - things start to pick up once we get out of leila's hometown, leila thrusted into the wider world - for better and for worse - while also gradually learning abt the five friends she so treasures.

i rly enjoy reading abt istanbul thru the POVs of characters marginalized by society, seeing the city thru a different, less sanitized perspective, yet a sense of love for the city, interestingly, still pervades. shafak spotlights those rarely seen or heard in the mainstream, let alone humanely, in this novel, be it those who are turkish and arent, esp the more recent and pressing refugees. the book's period of upheaval also serves as a revealing, rollicking - though at times painful - historical archive.

what i love most abt this book is perhaps the relationship between leila and her 5 friends, both individually and as a group. theirs is a bond deeper and closer than those of their respectively wretched families, and it's surprisingly touching. in a society that shuns them and wrongs go unpunished, they band tgt to survive, find joy and stand up for themselves.

this is an enjoyable book thats as much abt the characters as the city of istanbul they live in, in all its glory and misery. though i personally think there's too much exposition, some parts could be trimmed, and the initial pace too slow, i dont merely feel but also learn a lot from this book, and thats always a good reading experience in my book.

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hevs_'s review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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