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angie_dutton's review against another edition
3.0
Find it hard to know how to even rate this, as I honestly found myself barely enjoying it at all, but on a sheer level of competency of what Hesse is getting across the whole thing is damn near perfect. I would say that maybe it deserves a reread, if it wasn't for the fact that it was so annoying to read in the first place. He sets out this culture where the academics are the most praised and important in the whole of society, and it's entirely about their hubris, their pretension, and their constant snobbishness. It's like a bunch of university students who don't take drugs and never leave university, and get endlessly supported by older students who've climbed up the hierarchy. None of their "knowledge" really serves anyone but themselves, and they just exist in this horrendously lofty and intellectually macho and sexist citadel culture. And one of the great things is that Hesse never fully explains what the Glass Bead Game actually is, how it's played, but it's basically just a bunch of old men rolling marbles in a highly philosophical way.
I might be making it sound great, and it really is great, but on a personal level I would only score it 2 stars... but on a greatness level it's a 5 stars, but I'm going to average it out to a 3. But really don't let my review sway you on this, and I'll be totally honest after the main story I did slightly skim over the appendixes at the end. I just had enough of these Citadel dwellers by the end of it.
Oh, worth mentioning that it has a great IMHO ending to the main story. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
I might be making it sound great, and it really is great, but on a personal level I would only score it 2 stars... but on a greatness level it's a 5 stars, but I'm going to average it out to a 3. But really don't let my review sway you on this, and I'll be totally honest after the main story I did slightly skim over the appendixes at the end. I just had enough of these Citadel dwellers by the end of it.
Oh, worth mentioning that it has a great IMHO ending to the main story. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
milica_nerlovic's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
puddlesmoon's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
rubbersoul413's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-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? No
3.5
kylec97's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cellardoor10's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed a decent amount of it, probably about 4 stars worth, but there was absolutely no way in hell this book needed to drag on this long. Just, why? How interesting could a dude who sits in an intellectual monastic order playing a game somewhere between trivia and chess actually be? For all the superlatives given him, Knecht is mostly pretty boring, and really, REALLY not worth this many pages of fictional biography. I still struggle to figure out how Hesse even filled this many pages? When I think back on what happened, I can't figure out what all that space was even used for.
Not a terrible book, but I was ready for it to make a graceful end and exit about halfway through. No idea why it didn't, other than Hesse liking the sound of his own voice, so to speak. And to have a ton of material after the character's death feels like flogging an already half-decomposed corpse. I do NOT care about his poetry unless it was relevant *during* the story. I don't care about his infantile ideas of other lives he could have lived - they could have easily been summarized to get the point across, rather than torturing an already exhausted reader with of this guy's sheltered life and ideas.
Not a terrible book, but I was ready for it to make a graceful end and exit about halfway through. No idea why it didn't, other than Hesse liking the sound of his own voice, so to speak. And to have a ton of material after the character's death feels like flogging an already half-decomposed corpse. I do NOT care about his poetry unless it was relevant *during* the story. I don't care about his infantile ideas of other lives he could have lived - they could have easily been summarized to get the point across, rather than torturing an already exhausted reader with of this guy's sheltered life and ideas.
dima2800's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
sonitus's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25