Reviews

Rüyalar Sarayı by Ismail Kadare

kumipaul's review against another edition

3.0

Mark-Alem was a naive outsider who, even as he became a highly placed insider, was completely overcome by hundreds of years of history and distrust. Leadership terror turned dreams into reality and reality into a nightmare. Making major decisions about government and public safety based on dream analysis is almost as bizarre as following QAnon conspiracy theories to do the same. Incompetent and insecure leadership who deploys police and military based on such craziness will never serve the public good.

a8bhatia's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.75

zachbrumaire's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

"spare...and quietly terrifying" is how the Wall Street Journal described The Palace Of Dreams. i certainly agree.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Murder, and Torture

andylan's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

smokeyshouse's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

The beginning was slow and tedious at times, but as political intrigue started featuring more and more as the novel progressed, the pace also picked up and led to a satisfactory ending. 

nudautografe's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

michieldecock_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

anti_formalist12's review against another edition

4.0

A strange novel about the way power and influence can have their own baffling momentum, and that the people who control power often have no idea how they got it themselves.

ro_rro's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

hera_nikaa's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0