partiatwork's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Okay, so first of all I need to mention that I’m not much into the book awards scene. So the fact this book won the Man booker prize or the fact people think this book didn’t deserve it, doesn’t make much of a difference to me .
Honestly speaking, I’m a sucker for new perspectives. Irl I love to have conversations with people who are doing something very different in life or have been brought up in a way unlike mine. So naturally, I was interested after reading the blurb. The story revolves around a standup comedian, and one of his performances where he starts mentally unravelling. The book also features a (predictable) parallel storyline structure, that takes us to the far history, recent history and the present age of the comic’s life. The style feels very much like the meandering thoughts of an introvert mind, just jumping from a thought to another in quick succession. The central theme of life defining moments, made me introspect further. Until recently I didn’t have an incident I would consider as such, but now that that I do, I’m working on turning it into a positive thing. Also, it gave profound insight into the people I call my loved ones in irl. Alas! Human lives are filled with so much hope, love and heartbreak.
One thing I loved was the complexity of the characters and their flaws. Aren’t we like that in life too, when we worry what wrong we’ve done to a certain friend for him to behave differently, when in reality the person has been going through stuff of their own? Sometimes it so happens that we might not think too much of a person, but every single incident with us could mean the world to the other person. How true. The Judge’s character was acceptable, except I would’ve liked to know his story too, but I can’t decide if that would’ve taken away the focus from the protagonist or not. During the performance, gradually the club empties out, with few people staying until the very end. Isnt that how humanity lives nowadays, by embracing ‘convenient truths’ and rejecting the other uncomfortable ones? We love to stay in the shore rather than experience the depth of the waves. Towards the end, the comic tries to prolong the climax to his story by throwing in more jokes, to which one of the audience members yells at him to just complete the story. Some may argue the author was unnecessarily trying to extend the story, but in my opinion, it all checks out. Just before a breakdown, the mind is at its highest working capacity trying to hold back the ever widening cracks, in a false hope of preventing its inevitable end. The ending in itself I predicted differently, but the impact was the same.
I felt I missed out some chunks in the story as I’m not knowledgeable about Israel and it’s culture. Similarly some jokes were not understood wrt to context. The story takes time to build, which is very much like the comic’s story, building up to a climax. I felt it could’ve been slightly shorter, hence the grand total rating of 3.5 stars. Will now probably go watch the author’s interviews for more context.
Sorry for any errors in this rambling of a review. It’s past my bedtime, but I just couldn’t sleep without putting this to paper/ screen.
Okay, so first of all I need to mention that I’m not much into the book awards scene. So the fact this book won the Man booker prize or the fact people think this book didn’t deserve it, doesn’t make much of a difference to me .
Honestly speaking, I’m a sucker for new perspectives. Irl I love to have conversations with people who are doing something very different in life or have been brought up in a way unlike mine. So naturally, I was interested after reading the blurb. The story revolves around a standup comedian, and one of his performances where he starts mentally unravelling. The book also features a (predictable) parallel storyline structure, that takes us to the far history, recent history and the present age of the comic’s life. The style feels very much like the meandering thoughts of an introvert mind, just jumping from a thought to another in quick succession. The central theme of life defining moments, made me introspect further. Until recently I didn’t have an incident I would consider as such, but now that that I do, I’m working on turning it into a positive thing. Also, it gave profound insight into the people I call my loved ones in irl. Alas! Human lives are filled with so much hope, love and heartbreak.
One thing I loved was the complexity of the characters and their flaws. Aren’t we like that in life too, when we worry what wrong we’ve done to a certain friend for him to behave differently, when in reality the person has been going through stuff of their own? Sometimes it so happens that we might not think too much of a person, but every single incident with us could mean the world to the other person. How true. The Judge’s character was acceptable, except I would’ve liked to know his story too, but I can’t decide if that would’ve taken away the focus from the protagonist or not. During the performance, gradually the club empties out, with few people staying until the very end. Isnt that how humanity lives nowadays, by embracing ‘convenient truths’ and rejecting the other uncomfortable ones? We love to stay in the shore rather than experience the depth of the waves. Towards the end, the comic tries to prolong the climax to his story by throwing in more jokes, to which one of the audience members yells at him to just complete the story. Some may argue the author was unnecessarily trying to extend the story, but in my opinion, it all checks out. Just before a breakdown, the mind is at its highest working capacity trying to hold back the ever widening cracks, in a false hope of preventing its inevitable end. The ending in itself I predicted differently, but the impact was the same.
I felt I missed out some chunks in the story as I’m not knowledgeable about Israel and it’s culture. Similarly some jokes were not understood wrt to context. The story takes time to build, which is very much like the comic’s story, building up to a climax. I felt it could’ve been slightly shorter, hence the grand total rating of 3.5 stars. Will now probably go watch the author’s interviews for more context.
Sorry for any errors in this rambling of a review. It’s past my bedtime, but I just couldn’t sleep without putting this to paper/ screen.
vakardien's review against another edition
4.0
šis bija vareni. īsti emociju amerikāņu kalniņi. sākumā piedzīvoju īstas mocības, dusmojos un gribējās atmest šīs grāmatas lasīšanu, taču jo vairāk centos būt pacietīga attiecībā pret šo darbu, jo vairāk no tā ieguvu. uzplēst dvēseli nav viegli, tajā noskatīties ne tik.
vairāk šeit - https://naktsskapitis.blogspot.com/2019/04/bara-ienak-zirgs-davids-grosmans.html
vairāk šeit - https://naktsskapitis.blogspot.com/2019/04/bara-ienak-zirgs-davids-grosmans.html
sanitakacuba's review against another edition
2.0
Ilgi domāju, kā novērtēt šo grāmatu.
Nebūs īpašs spoileris, ja teikšu - grāmata ir par stand-up komiķi, kurš sniedz sliktu, bet personisku priekšnesumu. Savā ziņā tieši tādas pašas mokas bija šo stāstu lasīt. Gribi mest mieru, bet esi jau investējies, redzi galu, šķiet - ir jāpaliek, jālasa. Bet nelasiet, nevajag, nav vērts.
Līdz divām zvaigznēm izvilkta tikai tāpēc, ka, visticamāk, mokošās lasīšanas dēļ par grāmatu jādomā vēl laiciņu pēc izlasīšanas.
Nebūs īpašs spoileris, ja teikšu - grāmata ir par stand-up komiķi, kurš sniedz sliktu, bet personisku priekšnesumu. Savā ziņā tieši tādas pašas mokas bija šo stāstu lasīt. Gribi mest mieru, bet esi jau investējies, redzi galu, šķiet - ir jāpaliek, jālasa. Bet nelasiet, nevajag, nav vērts.
Līdz divām zvaigznēm izvilkta tikai tāpēc, ka, visticamāk, mokošās lasīšanas dēļ par grāmatu jādomā vēl laiciņu pēc izlasīšanas.
bookchew's review against another edition
4.0
Listened to the audiobook, which is one of the best works of vocal narration I've ever heard. Narrator Joe Barrett delivers a masterful performance throughout.
I can't believe David Grossman has managed to capture humanity in a stand-up set, and a stand-up set in a novel. Every micro expression of both the performer and his audience is so pitch perfect, it's like being in the room, watching the thing unfold. The emotional roller coaster ride that we take in the intimate space of the comedy club is matched only by the intimate space of memory--that of the narrator (Avishai) and the comedian (Dovaleh G)--as the performer painstakingly debases himself before an impatient audience.
This is one of those novels that I wish I had written. It's a masterpiece. I've only knocked off one star because I felt this impossible surge of tension building throughout the book, and was convinced it would land--either as a punchline or a tragic sucker punch. But in the end, the novel ends more quietly than I had expected. It ends with grace, and skill, but just a few steps away from satisfying the expectations that I had built.
Recommendation: listen to this on audiobook, and binge it if possible. Because all of the action takes place in one scene (a basement club in Netanya, Israel), it seems like the tragicomic peaks and valleys of the comic's exhilarating, brutal, dynamic, and exhausting set should be enjoyed in one go, over the course of an evening, just as he's telling it.
I can't believe David Grossman has managed to capture humanity in a stand-up set, and a stand-up set in a novel. Every micro expression of both the performer and his audience is so pitch perfect, it's like being in the room, watching the thing unfold. The emotional roller coaster ride that we take in the intimate space of the comedy club is matched only by the intimate space of memory--that of the narrator (Avishai) and the comedian (Dovaleh G)--as the performer painstakingly debases himself before an impatient audience.
This is one of those novels that I wish I had written. It's a masterpiece. I've only knocked off one star because I felt this impossible surge of tension building throughout the book, and was convinced it would land--either as a punchline or a tragic sucker punch. But in the end, the novel ends more quietly than I had expected. It ends with grace, and skill, but just a few steps away from satisfying the expectations that I had built.
Recommendation: listen to this on audiobook, and binge it if possible. Because all of the action takes place in one scene (a basement club in Netanya, Israel), it seems like the tragicomic peaks and valleys of the comic's exhilarating, brutal, dynamic, and exhausting set should be enjoyed in one go, over the course of an evening, just as he's telling it.
dr_aish's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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? Yes
3.25
adrien's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
grantica's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
nick_jenkins's review against another edition
4.0
A roller-coaster of a book. Elliptical, exaggerated, propulsive, full of a pain that seems headed straight for you the reader but then veers aside at the last second. It is difficult to tell if it is meant to be a kind of national epic or a shaggy dog story or a simple character study. Maybe all three.
tamzy6's review
3.0
Not sure how I feel about this book. I liked the concept of the entire novel revolving around a stand up routine but the Israeli references were a little lost on me.
agmaynard's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Cry from the heart and souls, capably translated by Jessica Cohen.. Put the translator on the cover!