Scan barcode
spherocytosis's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.75
i liked this less than kairos. it’s less than half the length but manages to squeeze in what feels like quadruple the number of characters. simply due to the fact that it follows so many generations of characters, it was really difficult to follow (for me). i finally figured out who was related to who by the last 50 pages of the book.
i do really like jenny erpenbeck’s writing style. to me, this book reads like an ap lit assigned reading. not that that’s a bad thing! but the whole time i was reading, i kept thinking, “oh she repeated this line again, must be importantly,” and “this is a really good allusion.” more like ap BRAINROT, am i right guys?? anyways. the writing style was also the reason it took me four months to read a 150-page book.
tldr: jenny erpenbeck is a genius, i have a short attention span.
i do really like jenny erpenbeck’s writing style. to me, this book reads like an ap lit assigned reading. not that that’s a bad thing! but the whole time i was reading, i kept thinking, “oh she repeated this line again, must be importantly,” and “this is a really good allusion.” more like ap BRAINROT, am i right guys?? anyways. the writing style was also the reason it took me four months to read a 150-page book.
tldr: jenny erpenbeck is a genius, i have a short attention span.
benthaddeus's review against another edition
5.0
Compelling, and grudgingly brutal novel, whether it's the sharp horrors of the Second World War or the constant despair felt across East Germany afterward. The entire story is grounded by, and comes back to a single piece of land as the world around it evolves, often for the worst, from the turn of the twentieth century to the modern era. Through this literary device Erpenbeck builds a great tragedy.
Going into this, I didn't know the history of Germany in any great detail. There were likely a few themes I missed just due to that. But amazingly, Visitation imparts a rich, if troubling, view of the country's past, through the overlapping handful of people who passed through this one parcel of land.
Going into this, I didn't know the history of Germany in any great detail. There were likely a few themes I missed just due to that. But amazingly, Visitation imparts a rich, if troubling, view of the country's past, through the overlapping handful of people who passed through this one parcel of land.
etrain's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
juliette_jpg's review against another edition
1.0
Das Setup war suboptimal.
Innerhalb ihres Versuches, so viele Geschichten in einem zu bündeln scheitert Jenny Erpenbeck dabei, eine tatsächliche Geschichte zu entwickeln. Jeder Figur sind insgesamt nicht mehr als 20 Seiten gewidmet, keineswegs genug also, um einen bleibenden Eindruck zu hinterlassen.
Ihr Schreibstil ist anstrengend und pretenziös, das Ganze fühlt sich an wie ein Sachbuch, obwohl es sich angeblich um einen Roman handeln soll.
Immer wieder werden Referenzen zu früheren Kapiteln eingearbeitet, die jedoch im Kontext der wirren Geschichte keinen wirklichen Effekt haben. Auch das Ende hätte ein weitaus ausgearbeitetes Setup gebraucht, um einen Effekt auf den Leser zu haben. Es wurde wenig bis kaum mit Emotionen gearbeitet, obwohl die Geschichten der Figuren eigentlich nur mit Emotionen erklärt werden können. Wieder scheitert die Menschlichkeit dieses Werkes (das von sehr menschlichen Themen und Erfahrungen erzählen möchte) daran, dass die der Figuren zu kurz gekommen ist.
Dieses Buch würde ich niemandem empfehlen, der Spaß am Lesen hat und diesen behalten möchte.
Innerhalb ihres Versuches, so viele Geschichten in einem zu bündeln scheitert Jenny Erpenbeck dabei, eine tatsächliche Geschichte zu entwickeln. Jeder Figur sind insgesamt nicht mehr als 20 Seiten gewidmet, keineswegs genug also, um einen bleibenden Eindruck zu hinterlassen.
Ihr Schreibstil ist anstrengend und pretenziös, das Ganze fühlt sich an wie ein Sachbuch, obwohl es sich angeblich um einen Roman handeln soll.
Immer wieder werden Referenzen zu früheren Kapiteln eingearbeitet, die jedoch im Kontext der wirren Geschichte keinen wirklichen Effekt haben. Auch das Ende hätte ein weitaus ausgearbeitetes Setup gebraucht, um einen Effekt auf den Leser zu haben. Es wurde wenig bis kaum mit Emotionen gearbeitet, obwohl die Geschichten der Figuren eigentlich nur mit Emotionen erklärt werden können. Wieder scheitert die Menschlichkeit dieses Werkes (das von sehr menschlichen Themen und Erfahrungen erzählen möchte) daran, dass die der Figuren zu kurz gekommen ist.
Dieses Buch würde ich niemandem empfehlen, der Spaß am Lesen hat und diesen behalten möchte.
eelsmac's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
piripiw's review against another edition
5.0
Melancholy. Painful. Beautiful.
Impressive translation. A sustained note or chord. Pitched perfectly. Things happen. Trauma, joy, peace, ambivalence, neglect. One review says the sexual violence served no purpose. I think that is the point. None of these events are subjugated to a narrative. "... it strikes him as strange that, independent of what is happening, one day is always followed by another, and to this day he doesn't know what it actually is that is continuing." There is no amount of dramatising or thematising that can make the trauma anything other than it is. So maybe it *is* best to simply present it. To let the land hold it. To let one day follow another.
Impressive translation. A sustained note or chord. Pitched perfectly. Things happen. Trauma, joy, peace, ambivalence, neglect. One review says the sexual violence served no purpose. I think that is the point. None of these events are subjugated to a narrative. "... it strikes him as strange that, independent of what is happening, one day is always followed by another, and to this day he doesn't know what it actually is that is continuing." There is no amount of dramatising or thematising that can make the trauma anything other than it is. So maybe it *is* best to simply present it. To let the land hold it. To let one day follow another.
olgaokhrimenko's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
_lena_874's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
elisabutter's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0