Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov

8 reviews

samsearle's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad slow-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? N/A

3.75

Content Warnings

znvisser's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced

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

2.25

This book managed to utterly intrigue and completely bore me at the same time. The narrator (or dare I say author?) uses fiction to explore some interesting ideas about the loss of memory and time, but it takes its time doing so. Well into the first part I was desperately starting to wonder if it was going to lead us somewhere, hoping the other four parts would be different, but unfortunately, insufficiently so. I loved the premise of this book but sadly most of this stays in the 'ideas' realm; the main character lacks any character and while history and philosophy are applied in an interesting way, the plot isn't rich enough to keep me in it either. Very dry. Not unhappy to have read this, but definitely happy it's done.

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tigger89's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

This was a very interesting book. As an American, I know I'm not getting the same experience out of it that I would if I were Bulgarian, or even European. Even so, I can't help but see the parallels between Gospodinov's referendums to return to the past and movements such as MAGA in my own country, even down to the sharp observations about how we construct idealized versions of the past. If this sounds like a heavy topic, believe me: it is. But the author approaches it with a dry sense of humor that helps to keep the tone lighter, observational rather than horrifying even as events take a dark turn.

The narration in this book is somewhat twisty and turny, not always easy to read. I had the most success once I managed to secure a narrative voice in my mind, but even so I frequently found myself re-reading passages to ensure I was following them correctly, particularly toward the beginning and end of the book. It can be challenging for sure, but I believe it's worth attempting if you're someone who wonders about themes such as nostalgia, the fallibility of memory, and the inherent discomfort of new experiences.

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective 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

What to say about Time Shelter, winner of this years International Booker Prize, that hasn’t already been said? For me it wasn’t a story to sink into. Plot and character are not the main focus. Rather it is a book about ideas - especially time and memory at both the personal and national levels. What started as a story about a new way of helping people with Alzheimers - rooms replicating different historical eras so people could be immersed in whichever era they felt safest and most comfortable in - changed into a book dealing with European history, nationalism, patriotism, and the problems with nostalgia, with looking back to the past with rose-tinted glasses, particularly at a national and societal level. What might be good for dementia patients is anything but for society as a whole. At times I didn’t feel clever enough to read it, and I know I would discover more if I were to reread it.
It’s a book with plenty of layers and real depth, rich with intellectual meat and philosophical musings, and very timely given Brexit, MAGA and the like. A very worthy Booker winner.

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abisnail564's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective tense slow-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

3.5

Content Warnings

ruthie_the_librarian's review against another edition

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challenging slow-paced

1.0

Well for a lot of this book I didn't really know what was happening so there's that. I did enjoy one part, where there is an old spy who has dementia and has forgotten his life, and so another spy who used to tail him comes to talk to him each day about their lives. But otherwise it was a bit chaotic and not really my thing.

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emmoon's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

Content Warnings

ps_ivana's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Loveable characters? No

3.75

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