Reviews

Fliehe weit und schnell by Fred Vargas

meghaha's review against another edition

3.0

I haven't actually read many crime/mystery novels, but I've managed to get exposure to the genre because it composes a fair share of the TV I watch. Have Mercy on Us All by French writer Fred Vargas is procedural with depth -- Vargas' historian background and sharp intelligence shines through, with learned details about the plague and well-turned sentences on display throughout the book. Overall it's an enjoyable crime novel, though I can't say I felt particularly attached to any of the characters, except the kitten.

I feel quite weird about the translation, because the book takes place in Paris and seems to have been originally written in a particularly flavorful type of French. Translator David Bellos' solution is to replace distinctive French phrasing with Briticisms. It makes for an odd reading experience because you never once forget you're reading a book set in France, but everyone speaks like they're British, with phrases like "I'm a dab hand" "a bloody howler" "ha'p'orth" appearing constantly. I suppose this is one of the central dilemmas of translating; that of translating from an original replete in idiomatic or dialect-heavy language, and whether to try to replicate the effect in your own language or settle for a more "bland" but less forced translation. Personally, I think trying to replicate the effect with just as strong dialect/idiomatic expressions in translation actually achieves more of a false note. On the other hand, I did get the sense that Vargas' prose must have a lot of character.

As a close, here's some quotes I liked:

"Politicians don't like people panicking, they only like the people when they keep quiet."

"'Asymmetry is what guarantees the work's status as art, not decoration,' he suggested. 'It signifies that the artist is offering us a reflection on the world and not a wallpaper design. It's the missing piece in the jigsaw, the hole in the wall, the clinamen, the throw of the dice, the perfection of imperfection.'"

"'...At any rate, there are harder bits and softer bits in a cliff, like there are in all living things, like there are in you and me. So you've got a cliff, all right? And as the sea laps at it, and washes it, and splashes over it, the soft bits begin to melt.'
'Melting is not the right word, sir.'
'That's as may be. At any rate, bits drop off and the harder bits start to stick out. And as the sea and the storms go on bashing away at the the cliff, the weaker parts vanish into thin air. When it gets to be an old man, the cliff is all craggy and hollow, like a ruined castle or keep. Like a gaping jaw with a stony bite. What you've got where the softs bits were are gaps, holes, and voids.'
'Yes,sir?'
"Well, I was wondering whether flics-- and heaps of other people exposed to life's stormy seas - don't suffer erosion as well. Lose their soft bits, keep their tough bits, grow hard and craggy and hollow. Basically, fall to pieces. "

elvire's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

stellar22's review against another edition

4.0

Ok so the thing is that this book took me a long time to finish even though it was good. I think it's because it's a book i have to read for school. It's like when you were about to do the dishes by your own choice but then your parent tells you to go do the dishes so now you dont want to anymore. So this book was really interesting especially towards the end but the fact that it was for school made me procrastinate reading it lmao.

spikers's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

silviaamaturo's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

knittingchaos's review against another edition

3.0

This book was okay but I figured it out half way through. Didn't love the main detective. Actually only liked the town crier.

spicypenguin's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

epitome2213's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

clara_m27's review

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.25

shelbydong's review against another edition

2.0

This book had good potential, I enjoyed the actual tracking down the plague culprit, but there was so much other uneeded story that just made the book confusing and boring. There were also wayyyy to many characters and the descriptions of some of the small characters were so unnecessary. I also didn’t love this writing style, partially could be because of the translation. Just an ‘eh’ read for me. Also only read it because of book club and probably wouldn’t have picked it up if it wasn’t a forced read.