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aljavi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
booksmacked's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
shasha's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Not your average whodunnit, filled with quirky idiosyncrasies that move you through the plot more than the mystery. If you think you know astrology, think again!
jitka_c's review against another edition
3.0
Olga Tokarczuk mi kdysi hrozně sedla do noty svým románem Běguni a tak jsem se nemohla dočkat, až si od ní přečtu něco dalšího. Tak jsem si hned po dočtení Běgunů koupila tuhle ekologickou detektivku, abych ji pak několik let sušila v knihovně. Typický.
Ale letos konečně přišel její čas :)
Kniha vypráví o podivných vraždách, které narušují klid v jinak vcelku nehybném polsko-českém pohraničí. Na příběh nazíráme očima do jisté míry nespolehlivé vypravěčky, která v dané oblasti žije a neustále revoltuje proti světu, který se jí zdá pokřivený a amorální. Ponořena do astrologie a hlubokého spojení s přírodou a všemi živými bytostmi, poněkud excentricky zprostředkovává svůj pohled svět a jeho uspořádání. I nenadálá úmrtí ve svém okolí vnímá touto primárně enviromentalistickou optikou.
Bavil mě jazyk, využívání kapitálek i reference na Williama Blakea.
Přesto pro mě kniha v některých pasážích trochu ztrácela dech a musela jsem se ke čtení nutit. Vypravěčka mi chvílemi přišla posunutá za komfortní hranici vyšinutosti, ale zase ne tak daleko, aby to pro mě bylo samo o obě dostatečně zajímavé. A konec, byť mě překvapil, mě vlastně ve výsledku až tolik neoslovil.
Proto 3/5. Tokarczuk ale pořád drží díky svému zajímavému vypravěčskému stylu čestné místo v seznamu mých autorů a s ohledem na to, že jsem si v posledním měsíci stačila dokoupit další dvě její knihy, věřím, že svou pozici obhájí v další knize silněji.
Ale letos konečně přišel její čas :)
Kniha vypráví o podivných vraždách, které narušují klid v jinak vcelku nehybném polsko-českém pohraničí. Na příběh nazíráme očima do jisté míry nespolehlivé vypravěčky, která v dané oblasti žije a neustále revoltuje proti světu, který se jí zdá pokřivený a amorální. Ponořena do astrologie a hlubokého spojení s přírodou a všemi živými bytostmi, poněkud excentricky zprostředkovává svůj pohled svět a jeho uspořádání. I nenadálá úmrtí ve svém okolí vnímá touto primárně enviromentalistickou optikou.
Bavil mě jazyk, využívání kapitálek i reference na Williama Blakea.
Přesto pro mě kniha v některých pasážích trochu ztrácela dech a musela jsem se ke čtení nutit. Vypravěčka mi chvílemi přišla posunutá za komfortní hranici vyšinutosti, ale zase ne tak daleko, aby to pro mě bylo samo o obě dostatečně zajímavé. A konec, byť mě překvapil, mě vlastně ve výsledku až tolik neoslovil.
Proto 3/5. Tokarczuk ale pořád drží díky svému zajímavému vypravěčskému stylu čestné místo v seznamu mých autorů a s ohledem na to, že jsem si v posledním měsíci stačila dokoupit další dvě její knihy, věřím, že svou pozici obhájí v další knize silněji.
itsnikraines's review against another edition
I won't give the book a rating as I don't believe I am its target audience, but I will share some of my thoughts.
I was intrigued by the title, of course. I enjoy a darker tone in the books I read, and I was excited by the premise: old woman living alone in the middle of nowhere and crimes happen? Sign me up!
Unfortunately, I was disappointed from the beginning.
I could feel my eyes glaze over in many occasions, and I'm not proud to admit that I had to skip over some passages, mostly the ones about astrology.
This was advertised as "mordantly funny", and a "deeply satisfying thriller", but it was neither.
The writing made getting through this book a chore, the culprit was obvious from the start, and the only thrilling bit was me trying to parse through all the nicknames: I understand why the protagonist renamed everyone and everything, but that doesn't mean I liked it.
At some point, I had to look up who the "Little Girls" were because I was sure I had missed something (to be fair, I probably did) and they were mentioned a whole lot.
On the bright side, I did like chapters 15 and 16, as they're where it all unravels and the writing doesn't go on so many astrology-related tangents.
I really don't like musings on astrology, it seems, especially when they're used to put people into boxes.
Still, who am I to say? The author did win a Nobel prize and I am but a simple idiot reading for fun.
I was intrigued by the title, of course. I enjoy a darker tone in the books I read, and I was excited by the premise: old woman living alone in the middle of nowhere and crimes happen? Sign me up!
Unfortunately, I was disappointed from the beginning.
I could feel my eyes glaze over in many occasions, and I'm not proud to admit that I had to skip over some passages, mostly the ones about astrology.
This was advertised as "mordantly funny", and a "deeply satisfying thriller", but it was neither.
The writing made getting through this book a chore, the culprit was obvious from the start, and the only thrilling bit was me trying to parse through all the nicknames: I understand why the protagonist renamed everyone and everything, but that doesn't mean I liked it.
At some point, I had to look up who the "Little Girls" were because I was sure I had missed something (to be fair, I probably did) and they were mentioned a whole lot.
On the bright side, I did like chapters 15 and 16, as they're where it all unravels and the writing doesn't go on so many astrology-related tangents.
I really don't like musings on astrology, it seems, especially when they're used to put people into boxes.
Still, who am I to say? The author did win a Nobel prize and I am but a simple idiot reading for fun.
adazzlinggirl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bradboss's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.5
alyssafraley's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
3.0
dreamingdre's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
karimalloy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0