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libraryforspooky's review
2.0
Thank you NetGalley for the story arc in return for an honest review.
The Lake is a coming of age novel originally written in Lithuanian. It’s set in a dystopian society. This is a grim story that lacked depth to me. The writing style is a bit more on edge than what I originally expected, I’m not sure if this was a translation issue or if that’s just the culture that the author is in.
Nami is the protagonist who is traumatized and goes from one bad situation to the other. I didn’t get any on the conclusions I needed for his path. No one is nice, society as a whole is just terrible. It’s very dark and I didn’t really care for the plot line – it didn’t really make sense to me.
Nonetheless, Nami embarks on his journey of trying to find his role in life. He decides he has to sail across and walk around the lake until he finally dives to the bottom. I thought the lake was a much more surreal narrative – from my understanding the lake represents the dead and the harsh living that this society has experience. It reminded me a lot about the coming of age novels I read as a kid, with Nami’s hardships. It was nostalgic. It’s not the story I pictured when reading the synopsis and judging the book by its cover.
I rated this book 2 stars - it just wasn't the right fit for me.
The Lake is a coming of age novel originally written in Lithuanian. It’s set in a dystopian society. This is a grim story that lacked depth to me. The writing style is a bit more on edge than what I originally expected, I’m not sure if this was a translation issue or if that’s just the culture that the author is in.
Nami is the protagonist who is traumatized and goes from one bad situation to the other. I didn’t get any on the conclusions I needed for his path. No one is nice, society as a whole is just terrible. It’s very dark and I didn’t really care for the plot line – it didn’t really make sense to me.
Nonetheless, Nami embarks on his journey of trying to find his role in life. He decides he has to sail across and walk around the lake until he finally dives to the bottom. I thought the lake was a much more surreal narrative – from my understanding the lake represents the dead and the harsh living that this society has experience. It reminded me a lot about the coming of age novels I read as a kid, with Nami’s hardships. It was nostalgic. It’s not the story I pictured when reading the synopsis and judging the book by its cover.
I rated this book 2 stars - it just wasn't the right fit for me.
sarkamatty's review against another edition
5.0
Vůbec nevím, jak bych měla tohle hodnotit. Sama bych si kvůli tématu Jezero asi nikdy nevybrala, ale oborový čtenářský klub mě přesvědčil, abych to zkusila. A rozhodně Jezero překvapilo čtivostí, lehkostí dialogu i přes vážná témata a ironickým podtónem, který prostupuje vyprávěním.
Vlastně mám trochu pocit, že mě na té knížce nic nezajímalo. V jednotlivých epizodách Namiho života mi málokdo opravdu přirostl k srdci a ani samotný Nami mě nijak neuchvátil, mám skoro pocit, že jsem ho za celou dobu nestihla poznat.
A přesto, přesto má ta knížka něco, co mi nedovolí jí dát nízké hodnocení. Nemůžu přijít na to, čím to je, ale jsem si jistá, že tohle je dobrá kniha. Důležitá kniha. Akorát nedokážu určit, co mě k tomu vede.
Možná to byla zvědavost, taková ta zvrácená zvědavost, kdy víte, že to, co se bude dít, nebude hezké, ale o to víc potřebujete obracet stránky. A ta se střídala s niterným nutkáním tu knihu zaklapnout a dělat, že se takovéhle věci nedějí a neděly a dít nebudou. Jenže zároveň víte, že právě kvůli těmhle pocitům to musíte přečíst a že by si to kvůli nim možná měli přečíst úplně všichni. Jen tak...pro jistotu.
Vlastně mám trochu pocit, že mě na té knížce nic nezajímalo. V jednotlivých epizodách Namiho života mi málokdo opravdu přirostl k srdci a ani samotný Nami mě nijak neuchvátil, mám skoro pocit, že jsem ho za celou dobu nestihla poznat.
A přesto, přesto má ta knížka něco, co mi nedovolí jí dát nízké hodnocení. Nemůžu přijít na to, čím to je, ale jsem si jistá, že tohle je dobrá kniha. Důležitá kniha. Akorát nedokážu určit, co mě k tomu vede.
Možná to byla zvědavost, taková ta zvrácená zvědavost, kdy víte, že to, co se bude dít, nebude hezké, ale o to víc potřebujete obracet stránky. A ta se střídala s niterným nutkáním tu knihu zaklapnout a dělat, že se takovéhle věci nedějí a neděly a dít nebudou. Jenže zároveň víte, že právě kvůli těmhle pocitům to musíte přečíst a že by si to kvůli nim možná měli přečíst úplně všichni. Jen tak...pro jistotu.
knittyreader's review
4.0
This book is an intense and bleak coming of age-story. In a way it is just the way I like my books, but then it sometimes is too straight-forward even for me. I also think I would have liked it even better if it was written from Zaza's perspective. That all insults seemed to be sexualised cheapened the reading experience a bit too - I am sure Bellová could have come with something better than 'I slept with ... (your mom/your wife/your girlfriend/your whomever). No I did not, she was too ugly.', right? Despite this, the grittiness of the story really got to me and I started rooting for Nami from the moment his granddad threw him into the lake on a hot summer day.
I received a free copy through Netgally. The opinions portrayed in this review are my own.
I received a free copy through Netgally. The opinions portrayed in this review are my own.
aliteracja's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Rape
charlottethebookharlot's review
4.0
The Lake is a dystopian story about a small fishing village and one young boy Nami's story of growing up there.
This was a particularly tough read even though it was beautifully written. Although at times very bleak there was a dark humour there too. A novel that stayed with me long after I'd finished reading.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest revi
This was a particularly tough read even though it was beautifully written. Although at times very bleak there was a dark humour there too. A novel that stayed with me long after I'd finished reading.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest revi
matylo's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
itsemilyshafer's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? No
3.5
verabera's review against another edition
3.0
smíšené pocity, moc zajímavý námět, ale provedení nebylo přímo pro mě:(( první a poslední kapitola byla skvělá!! jednou bych si ji chtěla přečíst znova
eminadiscobra's review
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0