runsforcoffee's review against another edition
3.0
This is an interesting book. The author does a brilliant job of weaving four stories, centering around a desk, into one novel. I loved the way she described all of the characters, but this book is heavy, and at the end, I felt weighed down by all the grief/regret/loneliness. It was a good book, and very well-written, but I wouldn't say that I loved it.
cheyenneisreading's review against another edition
4.0
Nicole Krauss has very skilfully crafted a novel of lives intertwined. Readers are faced with emotional settings and characters that are deeply sentimental and quite isolated creatures. This makes for a compelling read of individual stories that are ultimately concluded together. Krauss is a writer who seeks out the lonely and the heartbroken with a need to tell their stories no matter if they are fictional. Deeply courageous I really enjoyed the beautiful symmetry of words selected for Great House.
andbarr_'s review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
bookbirder's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of those books that I automatically want to give 4 or 5 stars because it was well written and seemed super deep with a complex plot, but in reality it was so deep that I left feeling unsatisfactorily confused and thinking a little too much.
It was intriguing to have the short stories from different perspectives, times, and locations that all tied in with each other, but for the conclusion didn’t bring everything together to the extent that I had hoped. In fact, there is one story that I have no idea how it relates to the rest of them, and for many I know that they relate but I don’t know exactly how.
I will probably try reading it again at some point now that I know the characters names, and in the meantime will stew over it hoping the dots will suddenly connect.
It was intriguing to have the short stories from different perspectives, times, and locations that all tied in with each other, but for the conclusion didn’t bring everything together to the extent that I had hoped. In fact, there is one story that I have no idea how it relates to the rest of them, and for many I know that they relate but I don’t know exactly how.
I will probably try reading it again at some point now that I know the characters names, and in the meantime will stew over it hoping the dots will suddenly connect.
jenn_stark's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book and was hooked from the first few pages and lapped up every single page that followed. So excellently written, I haven't read a novel this good in a while. The main themes of the story made me think about my own life and mortality in a way that doesn't often happen after reading a piece of fiction. It had just the right amount of mystery to make it interesting, and I genuinely felt for every single character. So so good. I don't see how anyone who loves a well thought out, lyrically written piece of fiction could not love it as much as I did.
giselav's review against another edition
1.0
There's another 2-star review of someone like me who did not get this book and it made me glad to realise I was not the only one. A lot of beautiful sentences but confusing to jump from story to story and I felt like I didn't get what was going on for at least 40% of my reading experience.
annebennett1957's review against another edition
4.0
What a strange book. It felt like I was having a dream as I read it. One of those long dreams where I keep getting interrupted so I have to start the dream again but this time some of the details are changed. And, like those long dreams that never seem to be complete and that I don't really understand, this book leaves me with the same impression. What just happened? But I wake and can't remember enough of the details to piece it all together.
lapantofola83's review against another edition
4.0
Le quattro storie che si intrecciano più o meno strettamente attorno ad una massiccia scrivania fanno riflettere sulle relazioni e sulla comunicazione, su quanto sia difficile amare e condividere a parole esperienze ed emozioni. Ovviamente il libro è permeato di temi ebraici, la Shoah e il suo ricordo occupano un posto importante, ma quel che mi ha davvero colpita è la storia di Lotte e Arthur, per la nitidezza e la potenza evocativa con cui Nicole Krauss riesce a dipingere l’amore fra moglie e marito, dopo una vita passata insieme. Forse sono particolarmente sensibile all’argomento (mi domando spesso come si possa mantenere vivo e vero un sentimento dopo 40 e più anni di vita condivisa), ma resta che le pagine dedicate all’amore di Arthur per Lotte hanno toccato le corde più intime del mio cuore.
Lotte resta in un certo senso bidimensionale, come se non fosse una persona in carne ed ossa, ma solo una statua avvolta dai propri interminabili silenzi. Per contrasto, emerge con forza dall’amore di Arthur, un amore totale ma non totalizzante, immenso ma che proprio nei piccoli gesti meglio si esprime. La drammaticità di questo sentimento sta proprio nella sua quotidianità: Arthur la ama ogni momento, in ogni dettaglio anche insignificante della loro vita, la ama, la protegge e la rispetta, tanto da accettare quel segreto mai rivelato chiuso in un cassetto della sua grande scrivania.
Great House non è solo la storia di Lotte e Arthur, ma anche quella di Nadia, una scrittrice in crisi, di Aaron, un padre anziano con una rapporto conflittuale con il figlio minore, e di Leah e Yoav, due fratelli, figli di un antiquario che non riesce a dimenticare la persecuzione ebraica. In parte, a mio parere, le storie non riescono ad assumere una dimensione corale e il libro potrebbe quasi essere una raccolta di racconti più che un romanzo. Eppure l’insieme in qualche modo convince, probabilmente per la splendida scrittura di Nicole Krauss.
Tratto da La Pantofola Digitale.
Lotte resta in un certo senso bidimensionale, come se non fosse una persona in carne ed ossa, ma solo una statua avvolta dai propri interminabili silenzi. Per contrasto, emerge con forza dall’amore di Arthur, un amore totale ma non totalizzante, immenso ma che proprio nei piccoli gesti meglio si esprime. La drammaticità di questo sentimento sta proprio nella sua quotidianità: Arthur la ama ogni momento, in ogni dettaglio anche insignificante della loro vita, la ama, la protegge e la rispetta, tanto da accettare quel segreto mai rivelato chiuso in un cassetto della sua grande scrivania.
Great House non è solo la storia di Lotte e Arthur, ma anche quella di Nadia, una scrittrice in crisi, di Aaron, un padre anziano con una rapporto conflittuale con il figlio minore, e di Leah e Yoav, due fratelli, figli di un antiquario che non riesce a dimenticare la persecuzione ebraica. In parte, a mio parere, le storie non riescono ad assumere una dimensione corale e il libro potrebbe quasi essere una raccolta di racconti più che un romanzo. Eppure l’insieme in qualche modo convince, probabilmente per la splendida scrittura di Nicole Krauss.
Tratto da La Pantofola Digitale.
kerickertful's review against another edition
4.0
I was excited to read this book based on my love for The History of Love, but it was really quite different in both writing style and theme; I found myself appreciating this more as the book went on. It was a pretty heavy book, and although it probably wasn't the best idea to start it in the dead of winter, I can't imagine reading it during the summer either. I love the way Krauss plays with plot and character. When something big happens, it's unexpected and yet is the only logical conclusion. Beautiful writing, once again.