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kj_suguitan's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
thepoisonwoodreader's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
cjt64's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bilfy's review against another edition
3.0
i actually dont know whether to give this a 3 or 4 stars. i really did enjoy the stories (especially Orez & Yorrick), but i definitely didnt enjoy the writing style (obviously not my cup of tea).
tau gak rasanya ngobrolin suatu cerita yang ih seru, tapi kenapa ngobrolinnya mesti kaku banget kayak sama siapa aja
tau gak rasanya ngobrolin suatu cerita yang ih seru, tapi kenapa ngobrolinnya mesti kaku banget kayak sama siapa aja
sherlys's review against another edition
5.0
People from Bloomington was written in 1970s in Indonesian entitled “Orang-orang Bloomington” by Budi Darma. He is a senior yet important writer up until today. His writing style is uniquely his, I only read three of his books so far and I still want to read more of his books.
People from Bloomington is a short stories compilation, they are 7 of them. The titles of the short stories are the names of the characters. They are all set in Bloomington, Indiana and the stories were written when the author studied and lived there in the 70s. The stories were written in first POV, with the character “I” that maybe many of you will find it quite strange. As an Indonesian, I think character “I” is what I say typical neighbor in Indonesia, but since the stories are set in the US it’s interesting to put this character there. The writer did not identify the character “I” clearly but I think this person personalities are odd and I feel that “I” is an outsider, character “I” is wild. I is sometimes I feel is our dark ego.
In this book you will meet “the old man with no name” who is an army veteran who lived in your neighbour’s attic, “Joshua Karabish” your ex-roommate with a strange disease who liked writing poetry, “The Family M” is a family who lived in the same apartment with you who you hated the most coz you though their children prank your car, “Orez” is about your beloved son who drives you and your partner crazy, “Yorrick” is your charming roommate who stole your love, “Mrs Elberhart” is about your old neighbor who lives on her own, who you secretly look after but she is a difficult person to be approached, and last but not least “Charles Lebourne” who you believed is your long lost father. Every story will make you face an uncomfortable feeling and that what makes this book so special.
People from Bloomington is a short stories compilation, they are 7 of them. The titles of the short stories are the names of the characters. They are all set in Bloomington, Indiana and the stories were written when the author studied and lived there in the 70s. The stories were written in first POV, with the character “I” that maybe many of you will find it quite strange. As an Indonesian, I think character “I” is what I say typical neighbor in Indonesia, but since the stories are set in the US it’s interesting to put this character there. The writer did not identify the character “I” clearly but I think this person personalities are odd and I feel that “I” is an outsider, character “I” is wild. I is sometimes I feel is our dark ego.
In this book you will meet “the old man with no name” who is an army veteran who lived in your neighbour’s attic, “Joshua Karabish” your ex-roommate with a strange disease who liked writing poetry, “The Family M” is a family who lived in the same apartment with you who you hated the most coz you though their children prank your car, “Orez” is about your beloved son who drives you and your partner crazy, “Yorrick” is your charming roommate who stole your love, “Mrs Elberhart” is about your old neighbor who lives on her own, who you secretly look after but she is a difficult person to be approached, and last but not least “Charles Lebourne” who you believed is your long lost father. Every story will make you face an uncomfortable feeling and that what makes this book so special.
novaturientexplorer's review
4.0
Kafkaesque, sadistic with no actual violence and nauseatingly claustrophobic to read in the most interesting way possible. Reading The foreword by Intan Paramidhitha (another fav author) and the translators note has added deeply into my reading of this book.
yuusasih's review against another edition
5.0
"Coba baca Budi Darma, kamu pasti suka," adalah pesan yang beberapa kali saya dengar dari teman-teman penulis yang dulu sempat membaca karya saya. Sejak saat itu, saya semacam terobsesi untuk mencari karya Budi Darma, terutama Olenka yang sudah termasuk langka. Saya belum bisa mendapatkan Olenka sampai detik ini, tapi karya-karya Budi Darma beberapa diterbitkan ulang oleh Noura. Akhirnya tahun ini saya berhasil membaca salah satunya.
Prediksi teman-teman saya tidak salah. Cerpen-cerpen Budi Darma dalam kumpulan cerpen ini.... luar biasa. Dari semua sastrawan Indonesia yang saya baca, baru Budi Darma yang menurut saya mampu menangkap dengan presisi pergolakan kejiwaan manusia. Tokoh-tokoh dalam cerpen Budi Darma ini mengeksplorasi istilah "common evil", yaitu sikap-sikap tidak terpuji--bukan jahat--yang dapat dilakukan oleh manusia biasa di sekitar kita. Walau tema tiap cerpen mirip, tapi cara eksplorasi dan keputusan terakhir terhadap sikap tidak terpuji ini berbeda-beda, dan ini yang membuat membaca keseluruhan buku ini menyenangkan.
Prediksi teman-teman saya tidak salah. Cerpen-cerpen Budi Darma dalam kumpulan cerpen ini.... luar biasa. Dari semua sastrawan Indonesia yang saya baca, baru Budi Darma yang menurut saya mampu menangkap dengan presisi pergolakan kejiwaan manusia. Tokoh-tokoh dalam cerpen Budi Darma ini mengeksplorasi istilah "common evil", yaitu sikap-sikap tidak terpuji--bukan jahat--yang dapat dilakukan oleh manusia biasa di sekitar kita. Walau tema tiap cerpen mirip, tapi cara eksplorasi dan keputusan terakhir terhadap sikap tidak terpuji ini berbeda-beda, dan ini yang membuat membaca keseluruhan buku ini menyenangkan.
ulyazmh's review against another edition
3.0
Buku ini menarik pada awalnya, namun lama kelamaan terasa membosankan karna banyak kesamaan antara satu cerita dg yang lainnya. Buku ini bercerita tentang tokoh ‘saya’ yang kesal sama teman/tetangganya yang ‘sakit’. Jujur aku bacanya bingung.. ini cerita mau dibawa kemana… Bingung juga sama kelakuan si ‘saya’ yang di luar nalar… sungguh abstrak.
Walaupun membacanya butuh kesabaran, tapi ada sih beberapa cerita yang aku masih bisa nyambung yaitu ‘Joshua Karabish’ dan ‘Charles Lebourne’.
Walaupun membacanya butuh kesabaran, tapi ada sih beberapa cerita yang aku masih bisa nyambung yaitu ‘Joshua Karabish’ dan ‘Charles Lebourne’.