Reviews tagging 'War'

2666 by Roberto Bolaño

12 reviews

djnb's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

The book was extremely well written and the overall subplot, themes, and locations that tie the 5 separate works together create an impressive and intriguing puzzle. Its truly like reading every type of novel in one. Sometimes a mystery, sometimes a romance, sometimes almost a horror novel. I will say it can be an incredibly difficult read at times. Not for any other reason than the directness with which it presents violence. At a time where there has been international calls to bring attention to femicide, I am torn between liking this book for relentlessly highlighting the real fears women face every day and hating it for never giving the reader a break from them. Even the less violent sections of the book still carry an unsettling sense of not being quite safe. I think there's maybe one single character in the almost 900 pages whose life choices I could actually stomach, and I believe the author intended to portray most characters in a negative or questionable light.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Murder

Moderate: War

paperknotbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Antisemitism, and War

fschmidt2001's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I loved this book from start to finish, it had so many insane moments that made it an incredibly interesting read from start to finish - my only criticism is that I wish the ending was a little more flushed out, but the author literally died so thats not even valid criticism. One part I REALLY enjoyed was the descriptions of Archimboldis writing style, and how it almost replicates the style 2666 was written in. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

to_ilektraki's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and War

Femicides

andykmcc's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Dementia, Trafficking, Cannibalism, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Dysphoria, War, and Classism

theasdertt's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, and War

Moderate: Mental illness and Racial slurs

getradified's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

The Part About the Crimes is one of the most challenging things I have ever read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Police brutality, Murder, and War

jacobinreads's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

2666 is an immense, effective masterwork. Its difficult subject matter is perfectly embodied in the difficult form the novel takes; especially the middle section, which imposes the terrible, numbing enormity of femicide.

 Bolano writes brilliantly and brutally. Tangled networks of motifs span the novel from beginning to end, and I'm sure I'll be puzzling through them for a while yet, though I will have to take pause before I return to his Santa Teresa. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: War

mmcloe's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

Oh my god

I'm going to have to come back later and review this more fully after I have more time to digest everything. I don't know how to rate something like this.

A diary of total breakdown - academic, personal, artistic, legal, moral, discursive collapse of modern society. There's some respite and hope in huddling together and embracing the small pleasures of the senses, but not a ton. I'm reminded a lot of Delany's Dhalgren and Anzaldua's Borderlands. I'm left facing the ghost of Christmas future; is this a picture of what will be, or what may be? 

Also all the true crime podcast listeners need to read this, especially the part about the crimes (one of the only sections of a novel I had to put down entirely). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Homophobia, Racial slurs, and War

coolbookguy's review against another edition

challenging dark informative 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Torture, Murder, and War