Scan barcode
mohmed_safwat's review against another edition
4.0
لو في كاتب عايش حاليا أحب أقابله هيكون الاوستاااذ كوتزي.
manuelamartinez's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
mjhorn's review against another edition
2.0
I found Diary of a Bad Year much more interesting than it was enjoyable.
The structure is fascinating, wonderful really, and raises a lot of questions at times about Coetzee's intention.
It was a book I wanted to talk about with people, wanted to analyse (and did, much more so than usual), but which really I found quite boring. I thought it was actually lazy. He had some interesting ideas, that he couldn't be bothered making into something great, which I'm sure he could have done.
Annoyingly, through the unusual bifurcated narrative structure, Coetzee adresses pretty much every criticism of the book, having one narrative third insult and pick apart another. I thought this was pretty cheap, unconvincing.
If you are interested in the experimental structure, I would say it justifies the read. But as a story, it is pretty dull.
The structure is fascinating, wonderful really, and raises a lot of questions at times about Coetzee's intention.
It was a book I wanted to talk about with people, wanted to analyse (and did, much more so than usual), but which really I found quite boring. I thought it was actually lazy. He had some interesting ideas, that he couldn't be bothered making into something great, which I'm sure he could have done.
Annoyingly, through the unusual bifurcated narrative structure, Coetzee adresses pretty much every criticism of the book, having one narrative third insult and pick apart another. I thought this was pretty cheap, unconvincing.
If you are interested in the experimental structure, I would say it justifies the read. But as a story, it is pretty dull.
lizzycatslibrary's review against another edition
3.0
This book was pretty different from anything I've read in awhile. I think it would be a really good read for a book group as there is a lot in it that could be discussed. In fact, I think it is almost hard to grasp its entirety without really taking the time to analyze it. Yes you can just read it through and take it for what it is worth but I think that would be cheating it of a lot of its meaning. There is a reason that Coetzee writes this story in the way that he does.
It is also a strange reality because though it is a fiction book there are places in it where Coetzee refers to true life, where Senior C becomes Juan and refers to titles such as Waiting for the Barbarians, a book that Coetzee wrote. I think it is meant to keep you in this limbo of not quite knowing whether the things said are truly what the author thinks or whether they are a fictitious representation of a character that he created.
The story itself is quite simple but it is stretched out with a series of essays that Senior C is writing. Strong Opinions. Through his involvement with Anya he eventually writes less about politics and beliefs and more about feelings and ideas.
Layers, lots and lots of layers. That is what this novel has. I would suggest reading it when you have other people to discuss it with. Because like I said, there is a lot that can be digested.
It is also a strange reality because though it is a fiction book there are places in it where Coetzee refers to true life, where Senior C becomes Juan and refers to titles such as Waiting for the Barbarians, a book that Coetzee wrote. I think it is meant to keep you in this limbo of not quite knowing whether the things said are truly what the author thinks or whether they are a fictitious representation of a character that he created.
The story itself is quite simple but it is stretched out with a series of essays that Senior C is writing. Strong Opinions. Through his involvement with Anya he eventually writes less about politics and beliefs and more about feelings and ideas.
Layers, lots and lots of layers. That is what this novel has. I would suggest reading it when you have other people to discuss it with. Because like I said, there is a lot that can be digested.
dembury's review against another edition
1.0
wtf I’m so pissed I even spent money on this book; I had to read it for class and I wish I had rented it so I could return it and never see it again. I’m not even going to bother giving this book a proper review. I wish it was possible to unread something. Don’t read “Diary of a Bad Year” unless you want to HAVE a bad year. This book is annoying- everything from its characters to the writing style to the word choice and the DAMN FORMATTING. The plot is senseless and horny and rambling and poorly constructed. In the past, I’ve only ever had one book I’ve said I “hated” but this book has just joined that list.
ella1801's review against another edition
Interesting structure, but my attention span is not ready for it.
dawn_fox's review against another edition
1.0
Thoroughly disappointed having previously enjoyed Disgrace by the same author. Found the structure distracting and annoying; every page is split into three sections with the larger section given over to the protagonist's essays. This left little room for character development and plot. So ultimately I was totally disengaged and didn't care what happened to the characters. Glad to be finally finished with a book that took me over two months to read (and it's pretty short)!
lesleynr's review against another edition
3.0
I think I may up my rating of this to 3.5, if strictly for ingenuity in form. This is a story told from two points of view at the same time ... but within the context of the story, not temporally simultaneously. Sometimes one narrator's version lasts a little longer than the other's... so the story moves ahead in one track, then pauses or digresses. The two narratives are linked by a series of essays being written by one of the narrators. So it's also sort of a study in the subjectivity of the writer.
And... there's also a little subplot of a fucked up, obsessive relationship... which always endears me to a book.
ANyway, I'm glad to have discovered this Nobel-prize winning author.
And... there's also a little subplot of a fucked up, obsessive relationship... which always endears me to a book.
ANyway, I'm glad to have discovered this Nobel-prize winning author.
danchrist's review against another edition
1.0
I plowed through about a third of this tome, and gave up.
While I may be showing my shallow literary tastes, the book felt more like a writing class exercise gone awry. The form felt like an affectation, and one which either impeded the narrative or allowed it to be played out to a ridiculous degree, far past the short story treatment it deserved.
While I may be showing my shallow literary tastes, the book felt more like a writing class exercise gone awry. The form felt like an affectation, and one which either impeded the narrative or allowed it to be played out to a ridiculous degree, far past the short story treatment it deserved.