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literaturefaerie's review against another edition
DNF at 10%- I literally could not understand a lick of what was going on. They switch from person to person and have these nicknames where I have no idea who is being discussed. Was Markus on drugs while writing this? I can’t read this any longer.
maia_with_an_i's review against another edition
4.0
Not gonna lie, I thought I was going to DNF this book because I had a difficult time focusing on the story, but I’m so glad I continued. Zusak has a way of writing such beautiful and complex characters. PLUS! I listened to this audiobook, and MARCUS ZUSAK IS THE NARRATOR! SO GOOD!
miathorup's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
kmkasiner's review against another edition
3.0
Mixed feelings on this book. The writing is overwrought, at times over the top and confusing. The central conceit, the bridge, is a big perplexing metaphor. For a lot of the story I didn't know why the characters were doing things, or even what they were doing. I still don't get the thing with Clay's "trainings" and running around getting beat up.
The book would have been improved if the character of Carey Novac was removed. She was adjacent to the main story and just added a bunch of stuff we didn't need for the plot (as much as there was a plot.) Compared to the other characters she was a cardboard cutout and I didn't care about her at all.
That said, some parts of the book were truly heartbreaking. I loved Penelope and Michael's stories, and I cried a few times.
The book would have been improved if the character of Carey Novac was removed. She was adjacent to the main story and just added a bunch of stuff we didn't need for the plot (as much as there was a plot.) Compared to the other characters she was a cardboard cutout and I didn't care about her at all.
That said, some parts of the book were truly heartbreaking. I loved Penelope and Michael's stories, and I cried a few times.
georgiacopeland's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
brandidean's review against another edition
3.0
This was maybe 3.5 stars. I really really wanted to totally love it, because I really liked The Book Thief, and because there were a lot of great things about it. But ...
It was super hard to get into. The syntax took a lot of getting used to. And even after I was into the flow ... there would be sentences that I would reread, then reread the previous paragraphs and pages, and still not know what Zusak was talking about. SOME of that might have been mentions of things that weren't revealed until later. It's hard for me to remember specific examples and say for sure. But even if so, it got really frustrating.
The bigger problem was ... Clay was not particularly endearing to me. Clearly he was supposed to be. He was the Best of the Dunbar Boys! But ... I don't think the story proved that. Sure, he was sensitive. But that doesn't automatically make him lovable. I liked Matthew better.
I cried a fair amount and thought pretty much all the stuff with the parents' back stories and their mom's death was really well done. The stuff with Carey, less so. The romance seemed a little forced or flat, and then adding the extra layer of angst from that for Clay seemed gratuitous. I wasn't expecting it, and then when it was revealed, I was like "really? Do we have to?"
It was super hard to get into. The syntax took a lot of getting used to. And even after I was into the flow ... there would be sentences that I would reread, then reread the previous paragraphs and pages, and still not know what Zusak was talking about. SOME of that might have been mentions of things that weren't revealed until later. It's hard for me to remember specific examples and say for sure. But even if so, it got really frustrating.
The bigger problem was ... Clay was not particularly endearing to me. Clearly he was supposed to be. He was the Best of the Dunbar Boys! But ... I don't think the story proved that. Sure, he was sensitive. But that doesn't automatically make him lovable. I liked Matthew better.
I cried a fair amount and thought pretty much all the stuff with the parents' back stories and their mom's death was really well done. The stuff with Carey, less so. The romance seemed a little forced or flat, and then adding the extra layer of angst from that for Clay seemed gratuitous. I wasn't expecting it, and then when it was revealed, I was like "really? Do we have to?"