rubywarhol's review
1.0
This was advertised as a feminist book and I really don't see how it is in any way.
The descriptions of people were almost always fatphobic and sexist. I hated all of the characters because they were pretentious, arrogant, and acting creepy.
Aside from that, nothing really happens in this book except
- a man wandering around a stranger's office for no reason and casually cheating on his wife with someone he doesn't even fancy; then insulting the woman he slept with based on her appearance and 'sex skills'
- a woman dating a man she describes as unappealing and reading books from his shelf she's not interested in (the motivation for this is unclear)
- people having bland, stiff conversations
- being rude all the time
- destroying meaningless objects for no reason and with no real consequences.
That is literally it. That's the "story". Nothing significant happens to any of the characters, nothing that makes any sense. There was no logical explanation for their behaviour and views. The atmosphere and excitement level throughout the book was comparable to a maths lesson on a Monday morning.
I kept reading because I was curious how those awful people were all connected. But it made no sense even then. Max - one of the main characters - is just a power-hungry bully without emotions who thinks he's better than everyone else. It isn't further explained why he's interested in a random Italian family or why he enjoys crushing women's self esteem. The whole book is boring, pointless, and terribly written.
I'm not sure if there was some hidden meaning that I didn't get or if it was just a book that has nothing to say. The manuscript that keeps being mentioned means absolutely nothing for the story. It's really not that deep, I was hoping to read more about linguistics or love or philosophy but it was just about how women are bad if they're fat and old.
I don't think I've ever said this about a book before but I hated it.
The descriptions of people were almost always fatphobic and sexist. I hated all of the characters because they were pretentious, arrogant, and acting creepy.
Aside from that, nothing really happens in this book except
- a man wandering around a stranger's office for no reason and casually cheating on his wife with someone he doesn't even fancy; then insulting the woman he slept with based on her appearance and 'sex skills'
- a woman dating a man she describes as unappealing and reading books from his shelf she's not interested in (the motivation for this is unclear)
- people having bland, stiff conversations
- being rude all the time
- destroying meaningless objects for no reason and with no real consequences.
That is literally it. That's the "story". Nothing significant happens to any of the characters, nothing that makes any sense. There was no logical explanation for their behaviour and views. The atmosphere and excitement level throughout the book was comparable to a maths lesson on a Monday morning.
I kept reading because I was curious how those awful people were all connected. But it made no sense even then. Max - one of the main characters - is just a power-hungry bully without emotions who thinks he's better than everyone else. It isn't further explained why he's interested in a random Italian family or why he enjoys crushing women's self esteem. The whole book is boring, pointless, and terribly written.
I'm not sure if there was some hidden meaning that I didn't get or if it was just a book that has nothing to say. The manuscript that keeps being mentioned means absolutely nothing for the story. It's really not that deep, I was hoping to read more about linguistics or love or philosophy but it was just about how women are bad if they're fat and old.
I don't think I've ever said this about a book before but I hated it.
so_tru's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
shelfiequeen's review against another edition
3.0
Es entsteht beim Lesen das Gefühl, dass der Autor dieses Buches ein sehr sexistisches, weißes, überhebliches, männliches Ekel ist... leider ist die Autorin eine Frau. Vielleicht ist mein geistlicher Horizont einfach zu gering und ich habe dieses Buch nicht so verstanden, wie es verstanden werden sollte. Es war mir teilweise zu wieder die Beschreibungen oder Gedankengänge von und über Frauen zu hören. Wenn das Buch eine Darstellung männlichen Abschaums sein sollte, so ist dies gelungen, wobei es größtenteils an einen überzeichneten Film erinnerte.
Zwei Sterne, da die Zusammenführung der drei Handlungsstränge sehr gelungen war.
Zwei Sterne, da die Zusammenführung der drei Handlungsstränge sehr gelungen war.
ursovrmne's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
last section was the best
adarossiwrites's review
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
guuran62's review against another edition
4.0
https://boklaadan.wordpress.com/2017/01/03/de-polyglotta-alskarna/
myliteraryera's review
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.0
tobsi's review
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25