wandererzarina's review against another edition
slow-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
3.0
ronanmcd's review against another edition
5.0
I am part-way through. There is a lovely moment I must note down.
The book is a fiction, wound around the details of the author's life. He meets his dead mother and tells her he working on an autobiography.
She advises him not to, he will get it wrong
______
I have now finished it.
It is a wonderful, melodic book. A quiet meditation on the unspoken minutiae of the details in our relationships. There is a gossamer melancholy throughout, a sense of the frailty of life and the bonds we form. But this same feeling is a celebration of these details, of the smaller parts that make instances memorable.
The book is a fiction, wound around the details of the author's life. He meets his dead mother and tells her he working on an autobiography.
She advises him not to, he will get it wrong
______
I have now finished it.
It is a wonderful, melodic book. A quiet meditation on the unspoken minutiae of the details in our relationships. There is a gossamer melancholy throughout, a sense of the frailty of life and the bonds we form. But this same feeling is a celebration of these details, of the smaller parts that make instances memorable.
ell_eden's review against another edition
5.0
"The number of lives that enter our own is incalculable."
This book bled nostalgia and sentimentality. Berger takes you through some of his own memories, some memories of others, some fabrications, and some impossible conversations. There was not a minor character in the book, every person mentioned had time and detail dedicated to them. Berger understands the complexities and beauty of humanity and human connection, and it was a joy to read all 237 pages.
This book bled nostalgia and sentimentality. Berger takes you through some of his own memories, some memories of others, some fabrications, and some impossible conversations. There was not a minor character in the book, every person mentioned had time and detail dedicated to them. Berger understands the complexities and beauty of humanity and human connection, and it was a joy to read all 237 pages.
idamariegr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
melorow's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
jenok's review against another edition
5.0
I wasn't sure whether to give this book a 4 or 5 star review, until it settled on me how much Berger accomplished exactly what he set out to do with this piece of writing. Subtle and beautiful, very much like life, or a life, and one to dip back into, beginning from any page.
"I risk to write nonsense these days.
Just write down what you find.
I'll never know what I've found.
No, you'll never know. All you have to know is whether you're lying or whether you're trying to tell the truth, you can't afford to make a mistake about that distinction any longer..."
"I risk to write nonsense these days.
Just write down what you find.
I'll never know what I've found.
No, you'll never know. All you have to know is whether you're lying or whether you're trying to tell the truth, you can't afford to make a mistake about that distinction any longer..."
mateusjobim's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
josefina's review against another edition
5.0
A study about human perception.
This book challenges literature magnificently, but it's hard to concentrate on that when the stories touch me so personally. One would think it should be impossible to relate this way to an almost autobiographical book, but it's not about the stories themselves as much as the experiences Berger writes.
What do we learn from others? How do we learn it? Who are the others? Does it matter how they are or it's just about how we think they are? Does it matter how we are or it's just about the way others perceive us?
This book challenges literature magnificently, but it's hard to concentrate on that when the stories touch me so personally. One would think it should be impossible to relate this way to an almost autobiographical book, but it's not about the stories themselves as much as the experiences Berger writes.
What do we learn from others? How do we learn it? Who are the others? Does it matter how they are or it's just about how we think they are? Does it matter how we are or it's just about the way others perceive us?
arroweee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Fantastic novel that makes you think.