baurnord's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.5
I loved "Drive your plow over the bones of the dead" by Tokarczuk and I was excited to try a second book by the author. This book was challenging for me, the first half especially didn't grip me and I wasn't particularly pulled in by the characters or the plot. Tokarczuk is a very talented author who writes beautifully and communicates interesting philosophical thought through her novels which was clear in this book. However, without a central plot or characters to connect to it was hard to find a reason to keep reading. The second half picked up but it felt more like a philosophical manifesto than a novel. It's possible I am also not the main intended audience; anyone who feels like travel has a significant impact on their life may get more from this than I did. In the end, I think it was well written and worth reading but it wasn't very gripping and I wouldn't recommend it to most of my friends.
gsroney's review against another edition
3.0
Like with any collection of essays or stories, this was hit or miss, but I found myself thinking that I would enjoy this book more if something like 50% of it were edited away. While some pieces offered interesting perspective, the collection as a whole was somewhat chaotically organized without apparent connection, which made for a less enjoyable reading experience.
clairemariarose's review against another edition
3.0
well this took me all month lol
not sure this rating is quite fair because i’m not in the best ~reading mental space~ right now, but this format didn’t quite work for me. i found it hard to follow, although i can appreciate the experimental nature of it. maybe if i had more brain power to give this book i would have enjoyed it more. :/
olga october was attempted at least lol
not sure this rating is quite fair because i’m not in the best ~reading mental space~ right now, but this format didn’t quite work for me. i found it hard to follow, although i can appreciate the experimental nature of it. maybe if i had more brain power to give this book i would have enjoyed it more. :/
olga october was attempted at least lol
devrwills's review against another edition
The ebook I borrowed from the library stopped working on my device.
mrears0_0's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
moments of greatness, moments of dreariness
ziggy_2112's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
iammandyellen's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
gorecki's review against another edition
3.0
I find it hard to rate this book. While I was really swept by some of the small segments and pieces in this mosaic of mini stories, I was a bit underwhelmed by the end result of the whole book. While the separate parts were incredible, I didn't really feel like they add up to such a great end result. It felt to me that the genius of the small parts got lost in the labyrinth of the book.
panaisbitt's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Very beautiful writing, in a unique and refreshing style. So many little stories, with even one chapter being only a single sentence, but all had a connecting thread to provoke lots of thoughts and reflection on travel, humanity, and the human body. I think you can read and reread this book and take something different away each time.