miss_banana's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Antisemitism, Domestic abuse, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Drug use
tyyne's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
What a beautifully written book, truly a masterpiece in the way it describes a place and feeling. Just wish it didn’t play so strongly into Finnish stereotypes about Russia.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, and Violence
sweetbeetle's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
sonjaloviisa's review against another edition
2.0
Wait this won a Finlandia prize? Wait this was just made into a movie? How on earth…
Hytti nro 6 confirms my suspicion that Finnish literature and I, just don’t click. This was a dirty, cold, repetitive book, that I don’t think should even be called a book. This was more of a vignette, a snippet of a memory and place, that could have been harshly edited to form a powerful essay.
There’s some golden nuggets in terms of wordplay and sentences, but they lose their shine in all the muck.
One of my favorite quotes, however:
”Nainen katsoi tyttöä pää hieman kenossa.
- En ole avioliitossa, koska viihdyn ihmisten kanssa… Jos rakastat yksinäisyyttä, mene naimisiin.”
Hytti nro 6 confirms my suspicion that Finnish literature and I, just don’t click. This was a dirty, cold, repetitive book, that I don’t think should even be called a book. This was more of a vignette, a snippet of a memory and place, that could have been harshly edited to form a powerful essay.
There’s some golden nuggets in terms of wordplay and sentences, but they lose their shine in all the muck.
One of my favorite quotes, however:
”Nainen katsoi tyttöä pää hieman kenossa.
- En ole avioliitossa, koska viihdyn ihmisten kanssa… Jos rakastat yksinäisyyttä, mene naimisiin.”
svetlanasterlin's review against another edition
3.0
"I knew everything about life when I was five, and I spent the next forty years trying to understand it."
2.5 stars
I saw the film adaptation earlier this year and fell in love with the characters and the nostalgic approach to the Soviet setting. I was really looking forward to reading the novel, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. To be fair, the film is only a loose adaptation (I believe the changes were made for the better), and the book's English translation may not always be accurate.
I couldn't help but feel like the whole book was basically one long description. To this end, some descriptions are lovely and unique, but others simply don't make sense (I read a review that questioned if the author is colourblind, lol). Even though it's a short book, it feels overly repetitive because of the recycled descriptions of clouds, stars, and smells (which could be intentional to place the reader in the characters' experiences in the long train ride). Similarly, the dialogue gets tedious and doesn't do anything to help the reader warm up to the characters. The girl almost never speaks, and when she does, it's through indirect speech and not actual dialogue. We learn a lot more about the man than we do the girl, thanks to his many lewd recollections, but for some reason, he's rarely referred to by name. The girl, on the other hand, remains an enigma right up until the end. In fact, the last sentence or two wrap up her arc in a way that feels unearned and rushed, even after her long journey (both literal and metaphorical) on the train. I think - for me, at least - it's because we don't get enough insight into her internal life/thoughts.
Again, a lot of these drawbacks could be attributed to the translation. As someone of Russian background, I understood many of the humorous cultural references and the words that were left untranslated, but I wonder how non-Russian people interpret these sections. Overall, I thought Compartment No. 6 was incredibly accurate in its descriptions of Soviet Russia, the country's natural landscapes, and all of its contradictions.
2.5 stars
I saw the film adaptation earlier this year and fell in love with the characters and the nostalgic approach to the Soviet setting. I was really looking forward to reading the novel, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. To be fair, the film is only a loose adaptation (I believe the changes were made for the better), and the book's English translation may not always be accurate.
I couldn't help but feel like the whole book was basically one long description. To this end, some descriptions are lovely and unique, but others simply don't make sense (I read a review that questioned if the author is colourblind, lol). Even though it's a short book, it feels overly repetitive because of the recycled descriptions of clouds, stars, and smells (which could be intentional to place the reader in the characters' experiences in the long train ride). Similarly, the dialogue gets tedious and doesn't do anything to help the reader warm up to the characters. The girl almost never speaks, and when she does, it's through indirect speech and not actual dialogue. We learn a lot more about the man than we do the girl, thanks to his many lewd recollections, but for some reason, he's rarely referred to by name. The girl, on the other hand, remains an enigma right up until the end. In fact, the last sentence or two wrap up her arc in a way that feels unearned and rushed, even after her long journey (both literal and metaphorical) on the train. I think - for me, at least - it's because we don't get enough insight into her internal life/thoughts.
Again, a lot of these drawbacks could be attributed to the translation. As someone of Russian background, I understood many of the humorous cultural references and the words that were left untranslated, but I wonder how non-Russian people interpret these sections. Overall, I thought Compartment No. 6 was incredibly accurate in its descriptions of Soviet Russia, the country's natural landscapes, and all of its contradictions.
tuuly's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
vilmavanilja's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
cogsofencouragement's review against another edition
1.0
I read this quickly because I wanted it to be over.
katariinatoivanen's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25