Reviews with content warning for Animal death - La Peste

Overall, the book is very slow paced and feels as if it is dragged on and on with the in depth descriptions and slow moving plot. The book felt very slow at the beginning, then sped up when they named what was happening the plague, but then slow once again when in isolation. But while this was very difficult to keep reading because of this, in hindsight, it makes sense why the book was paced like this. Just like the pandemic that rampaged through Oran, it came on very quickly and then lingered, slowly dragging out. By pacing the story this way, Camus showcases the drawnoutness of the plague and how once it was over, everyone will forget about it and go back to their pre-plague lives. Camus also does an amazing job world building and creating so many characters with in depth descriptions. From the main character Rieux to even the cat spitting man who caught Tarrou's interest. This book also reminded me about the current situation of the world with COVID-19. Camus described how the people only began longing for those they love who they haven't seen in a while due to being forced into isolation. That's the same with what's happening with the world now. There are many connections one can make to this book. Overall, while slow, it was a good read if you can push through it.

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mary_juleyre's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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schwambibambi's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I don't know, I didn't particularly enjoy this book. It was fine I guess but I'll probably forget it in a year.

The main characters confused me quite a bit for a majority of the book. I wasn't sure who was who and mixed them up until the end. I thought the author friends died but he lived in the end so who died besides his doctor friend and the pastor??? I don't know. I do know, however, that none of the characters (remarkably all men) were really likable, so I wasn't exactly invested in their fates.
Though I think this was the right time to read this book, you know since COVID is the a thing after 2 years. The growing apathy you developed over the months of lockdown and no social interaction was exactly how I felt these past years, so that was great. I hope our pandemic ends soon and we can have the kinds of reunion like the people of Oran had in the end. The fear that it'll come back stays though.

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sunnybopeep's review against another edition

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3.75

So, the translation was good. It felt very purposeful, and I liked the translator’s note at the end. In terms of the text itself, what can I say? At face value, it’s a story about a horrible epidemic that is reminiscent of the bubonic plague. Dig a little deeper and it’s a story about a conflict between good and evil. The core of the story relies on the characters and their individual decisions. Will they make the righteous decision? What is a “righteous decision”? Camus has a way of writing that makes me want to agree with everything that he says. This book is deeply philosophical, and it probably touches on just about every subject that is relevant to daily life. Camus talks about human emotion, isolation, relationships, loss, religion, politics, mass hysteria, poverty… the list goes on. I wish I had read this at a time when I was in a better headspace because I found some of the philosophical ramblings (although masterfully written and very convincing) to be difficult to get through. This book was full of such moments, so that brought my enjoyment down.

TLDR; I felt like I was educated against my will, but I’ve come out a better person for it.

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