highfiveasquid's review against another edition
2.0
what. the. hell. is. happening?
This is split into 5 parts -- purportedly five novels the author intended to release separately. No such luck as he died before they were finished.
The first "book" had me. The rest felt confused and meandering and I finally gave up after book 3. Heading over to the Savage Detectives for my Bolaño fix.
This is split into 5 parts -- purportedly five novels the author intended to release separately. No such luck as he died before they were finished.
The first "book" had me. The rest felt confused and meandering and I finally gave up after book 3. Heading over to the Savage Detectives for my Bolaño fix.
ennuithumb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
roemer37's review against another edition
no rating available for this book, because where would you even start. unlike anything i’ve ever read, sometimes felt like verbal masturbation and other times like being allowed a peek into a genius’ mind, maybe both at the same time too, but ultimately it didn’t, doesn’t and probably won’t impact me in the way that it could because there was zero emotional investment in the story and characters for me. a cold and uncaring god gives us a glimpse of his perspective
minna_ekman's review against another edition
I found it boring. The prose was good, but neither the characters, nor the plot grabbed my interest.
fargestift's review against another edition
5.0
First three parts are on par with Savage Detectives, part four is deliberately tedious, and part five is the best thing I've read by Bolaño and it frames this sprawling and rough novel as something that is greater than the sum of its parts. I find it hard to pintpoint exactly what the alure about Bolaño is, but his novels have a pragmatic dimension to them, as his sentences effortlessly connects and difracts, and his particular blend of realism and fantasy takes you through a life well lived, inspiring action both real and imaginary.
tripleslick's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
moneyprinter68's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mkatski's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
williamaustin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0