imabrunette23's review against another edition
3.0
Weird book, but once I got interested, it got better
kiramke's review against another edition
2.0
I've come across dozens of novels about young American men floundering for identity in Prague, and when I read them it's with deep reservations. These are the very people I avoided at all cost in their bookstore and bagel shop, with their trust funds and Lit degrees, treating a whole nation like the backdrop for their personal success story. Of course there's the draw, the backstory of someone I gave directions to, bought a book from, carefully shepherded out of a bar they were too drunk to realize they weren't welcome in.
This particular book is so amazingly typical with every trope of this specific genre, but it's also something else. The story is centered in Tee's inner life, and could really take place anywhere. That aspect is interesting, sometimes well-written, and kept me reading. The story of Prague feels like an overlay of every expat, and frankly I'd rather hear stories from the very real people of Karlín who lost so much, or the people who suffered in the floods of '97 and '99, or the astounding tale of the evacuated zoo, or the scientists and activists working to revitalize the Vltava and restore the floodplain to stop these ever-increasing "100-year floods."
Where does that leave me? I know, there's no zealot like a convert, but I still feel protective of Czechs' opportunities to tell their own stories. So as a 20-something American man's coming of age, this is quite good; as a book of Prague, it's depressingly familiar.
This particular book is so amazingly typical with every trope of this specific genre, but it's also something else. The story is centered in Tee's inner life, and could really take place anywhere. That aspect is interesting, sometimes well-written, and kept me reading. The story of Prague feels like an overlay of every expat, and frankly I'd rather hear stories from the very real people of Karlín who lost so much, or the people who suffered in the floods of '97 and '99, or the astounding tale of the evacuated zoo, or the scientists and activists working to revitalize the Vltava and restore the floodplain to stop these ever-increasing "100-year floods."
Where does that leave me? I know, there's no zealot like a convert, but I still feel protective of Czechs' opportunities to tell their own stories. So as a 20-something American man's coming of age, this is quite good; as a book of Prague, it's depressingly familiar.
mazza57's review against another edition
3.0
Lots of threads to this tale which at first are difficult to untangle but overall a good read
graciefl's review against another edition
5.0
Much like the flood Tee experiences in the novel, Salesses prose flows throughout the book, pulling the reader further into the depths of Tee's story and his emotional journey. Salesses is able to completely engulf the reader in the repeated retellings, making the numerous stories feel like their own series of folk legends.
drsdon's review
4.0
Some books you read, and its an immediate page turner - it grabs you from the first page and off you go. Others, never grab your attention and you struggle to the end. Some, nothing grabs you immediately until you become invested in a character due to the author's development of said character. The Hundred-Year Flood feels like a combination of the first and third of these - as during the first quarter of the book I thought I wasn't going to like it, but then it continues to build its characters and plot so that the entire experience is to intense and powerful to put the book down.
The book is set shortly after September 11, 2001 and the attacks on the World Trade Center. The primary character, Tee (Thomas), is of Korean descent and was adopted by an American couple. At the beginning of the novel, Tee's uncle has committed suicide, seemingly in response to an affair between his wife (Tee's Aunt) and Tee's father. In response, Tee travels to Prague, seeking to find himself and his place in the world. Once in Prague, he becomes entwined with Pavel, an artist who is at least somewhat famous for his role in the Velvet Revolution of 1989, Pavel's wife Katka, and their friend Rockefeller.
Early in the book, I thought I might put the book down. Not because of the writing, which truly is beautiful. But Tee was downright annoying at times. This is perhaps an unfair criticism to lay on a character who, as a college student, is still just a kid trying to figure things out - but Tee's self-obsession about his past, his identity, and how it warps how he views those around him, gets a tad annoying.
But I'm glad I kept reading. Its not that Tee undergoes any fundamental change (whether Tee experiences this change, or is on the path, I think is one of the great questions posed by the novel). Its the question of whether Tee's self-obsession and inability to deal with the past will lead to tragedy or some other outcome. And that question rests on his passion and relationship with Katka. Without any spoilers, suffice to say that the dynamic between Tee and Katka, and their action and inaction with response to the pending flood in Prague, makes this novel, for lack of a better word, captivating; it gives it purpose and substance, and makes you yearn for more, and makes you have to know how it all ends.
Because of the small set of characters (really 4 throughout the bulk of the novel with some small ancillary characters throughout), the novel is personal, almost intimate. The author's writing is striking throughout, and shows the inner dimensions and unique depths of each of the primary characters. More than anything, The Hundred-Year Flood will be a book one will be glad they read.
The book is set shortly after September 11, 2001 and the attacks on the World Trade Center. The primary character, Tee (Thomas), is of Korean descent and was adopted by an American couple. At the beginning of the novel, Tee's uncle has committed suicide, seemingly in response to an affair between his wife (Tee's Aunt) and Tee's father. In response, Tee travels to Prague, seeking to find himself and his place in the world. Once in Prague, he becomes entwined with Pavel, an artist who is at least somewhat famous for his role in the Velvet Revolution of 1989, Pavel's wife Katka, and their friend Rockefeller.
Early in the book, I thought I might put the book down. Not because of the writing, which truly is beautiful. But Tee was downright annoying at times. This is perhaps an unfair criticism to lay on a character who, as a college student, is still just a kid trying to figure things out - but Tee's self-obsession about his past, his identity, and how it warps how he views those around him, gets a tad annoying.
But I'm glad I kept reading. Its not that Tee undergoes any fundamental change (whether Tee experiences this change, or is on the path, I think is one of the great questions posed by the novel). Its the question of whether Tee's self-obsession and inability to deal with the past will lead to tragedy or some other outcome. And that question rests on his passion and relationship with Katka. Without any spoilers, suffice to say that the dynamic between Tee and Katka, and their action and inaction with response to the pending flood in Prague, makes this novel, for lack of a better word, captivating; it gives it purpose and substance, and makes you yearn for more, and makes you have to know how it all ends.
Because of the small set of characters (really 4 throughout the bulk of the novel with some small ancillary characters throughout), the novel is personal, almost intimate. The author's writing is striking throughout, and shows the inner dimensions and unique depths of each of the primary characters. More than anything, The Hundred-Year Flood will be a book one will be glad they read.
kyleblackwood's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
_kiratune's review
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
The story is extremely character driven and very, very specific to the main characters situation. Little relatability, very self-indulgent and it depends on whether you enjoy this style or not. I didn’t very much, and I absolutely hate the desiring the older muse woman trope. It’s a very male-gazey book.