nicklindgren's review
4.0
This is the sort of book in which one can curl up in the language and just laze forever, so gorgeous is the prose. Unfortunately, the finale of the book is confusing and/or disappointing, so I can't justify giving it five stars.
evnaturtleduck's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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? Yes
5.0
leitnerkev's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
As is too often a case with me after reading Valente, I honestly couldn't tell you what happened. Her prise is so gorgeous and clearly poetic but I really was lost, really just listened all the way through for the prose and the vibe. With echoes of Erin Morgenstern, Shadow of the Wind, and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Palimpsest is enjoyable for the vibe alone, even though I lost thr plot early and never really regained it.
offbalance80's review
1.0
I tried. I really did. I tried.
But the underlying concept was poorly introduced. The descriptions caused snickers, the characters, a roll of my eyes. The "erotic" passages were downright hilarious.
So, I'm throwing in the towel. Can't finish. Life's too short to read a book you can't stand.
But the underlying concept was poorly introduced. The descriptions caused snickers, the characters, a roll of my eyes. The "erotic" passages were downright hilarious.
So, I'm throwing in the towel. Can't finish. Life's too short to read a book you can't stand.
lynnguistics's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
This was certainly a confusing book. It was hard to follow but in an enjoyable way. The book peels back layers until you understand the world the author has built.
jazzypizzaz's review
5.0
A book to be savored a spoonful at a time, a rich and immersive treat. I want to live in Valente's head (although not necessarily Palmpsest!), to wrap myself up in her wordy descriptions like a plush blanket, to sip from her imagination like hot tea.
I was fully prepared for this book to be a series of fantastical though only aesthetically connected vignettes, but the deeper in I explored (and the experience of reading this feels like an exploration, a process of discovering, in the same way that visiting a new city/culture or getting to know a new person is, with all the side alleys and series of shared moments that entails), the more the overall shape of a richer whole became clear, an uncovering.
Wherever we go, whoever we meet, whatever new social connections we form, we take our personal baggage into that place/experience/relationship with us. Whatever fresh beauty a place holds or transformative magic a story/myth/fantasy has, it's beholden to the context of its history and of all the people that have come in contact with it before your own discovery. This layering is what gives these relationships -- people, places, cultures, histories, myths -- a richer resonance, that feeling of magic that too often feels missing from our mundane day-to-day lives.
I was fully prepared for this book to be a series of fantastical though only aesthetically connected vignettes, but the deeper in I explored (and the experience of reading this feels like an exploration, a process of discovering, in the same way that visiting a new city/culture or getting to know a new person is, with all the side alleys and series of shared moments that entails), the more the overall shape of a richer whole became clear, an uncovering.
Wherever we go, whoever we meet, whatever new social connections we form, we take our personal baggage into that place/experience/relationship with us. Whatever fresh beauty a place holds or transformative magic a story/myth/fantasy has, it's beholden to the context of its history and of all the people that have come in contact with it before your own discovery. This layering is what gives these relationships -- people, places, cultures, histories, myths -- a richer resonance, that feeling of magic that too often feels missing from our mundane day-to-day lives.
lordofdisorder's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Body horror, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Abandonment, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gore, Grief, Murder, War, Drug abuse, Medical content, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Xenophobia, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Kidnapping, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, and Child death