Reviews

4 3 2 1, by Paul Auster

flysick's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

1.5

fflaviaa's review against another edition

1.0

É minha primeira critica no Goodreads e pra eu sentir necessidade de falar alguma coisa aqui foi pq esse livro foi um dos PIORES livros que eu já li. Enquanto eu li vi muitos comentários sobre o livro não ser bom, ter se prolongado muito em algumas partes, mas o que me assusta foi ninguém ter falado que esse livro contém homofobia, racismo e incesto, tirando o fato de ser um livro prepotente e desnecessariamente longo. Nao, Paul Auster, eu NAO quero ouvir vc divagando sobre a história dos Estados Unidos aleatoriamente só pra você mostrar que é politizado. Não, Paul Auster, eu não quero ler trechos de você mostrando o quanto você é fluente em francês. Não, Paul Auster, eu não quero saber quantos nomes de atrizes, atores, escritores (quase nunca menciona escritoras) você sabe de cor ai na sua cabecinha. Sinceramente um livro desnecessário e me despertou tanto odio que minha vontade era de jogar o exemplar que tenho no lixo. "Ah mas pq vc terminou?" Pq eu fiz um compromisso cmg mesma de terminar todos os livro não lidos da estante. Unicamente por isso se não eu tinha tacado ele na cabeça do inimigo mais próximos.

Péssimo, fraco e prepotente.

rpar15's review against another edition

4.0

Last 2 pages are so dissapointing.

marta_carvalho's review against another edition

dark emotional informative 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

5.0

anniebartelsollosy's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

canreadgood's review against another edition

2.0

Good god, the book that refused to end.

eliodelio's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

i love sinking my teeth into a really chunky book and this one was a joy to read. i loved the concept and getting to know the character(s) through four different alternate storylines. it's like four coming-of-age books in one (spoiler: one of them is queer). it was also really interesting to learn so much about new york in the 60s, which is where the book is set, especially through such politically and culturally active characters just a couple years younger than me. the social/political situation felt very relatable - society was falling apart, people were divided into political extremes and young leftists were fighting the futile good fight against a system that (still) seems unbeatable.
i did find the ending a bit disappointing but at the same time it made sense. also, shout out to the james baldwin homage <3

lyri_cg's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

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

5.0

jocelynw's review against another edition

4.0

If you, like me, were the kind of kid who laid mental wagers with yourself about the best outcomes when reading Choose Your Own Adventure books and started over until you got a good ending, the much larger amount of time you invest in the storylines here may occasionally result in you yelling "NOOOOOOOOO!"

I love a bildungsroman, so four versions of one is right up my alley. Of course this has elements common to all Auster (New York, Paris, baseball, poetry, translation, film, Columbia, etc.) but I expect to find those things and continue coming by his place to see how he’s rearranged the walls and floors rather than the furniture.

maieatscurdsnacks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

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

3.5