wunder's review against another edition
4.0
If you won't enjoy jokes about Husserl's philosophy, this might not be for you. But if you are patient and ready for a glimpse of thawed-out life, read it.
irenelpynn's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
mirygilmore's review against another edition
4.0
OPINIÓN: Desde que veía el libro en las librerías, sabía que me iba a gustar. Y no me ha decepcionado en absoluto. La historia es enternecedora, la amistad entre dos personajes tan distintos es asombrosa. El argumento es original. Está narrado de una forma llevadera y con un lenguaje cuidado. Abundan alusiones a obras de la literatura rusa, pero también a programas de la televisión, películas japonesas o cantantes como Eminem. Conforme vas leyendo el libro, comienzas a hacerte cuestiones. Es cierto que la filosofía, la política e incluso la historia están muy presentes en el libro, y todo ello lo hace especial. Con cada página se te escapa una sonrisa, o se te encoge el corazón. Es un libro que si le das el valor que tiene, le cedes una oportunidad y lo lees con detenimiento puede llegar a hacerte pensar y caer en la cuenta en cuestiones como la vida o la muerte, pero sobre todo en que muchas veces desperdiciamos nuestras vidas con aspectos que no deberíamos darles importancia y tal vez dejamos de lado lo que realmente importa.
lethanibooks's review
3.0
3,75/5
Haber terminado esta lectura es como una odisea para mí. La había empezado varias veces, la primera hace tropecientos años y nunca conseguía pasar de las 50 páginas. En este caso, y con la ayuda y motivación de leerlo para una lectura conjunta, superé esas primeras páginas tediosas y por fin puedo decir que ya no está en mi lista de libros pendientes.
Está claro que no es un libro para todos los públicos, de hecho sigo preguntándome cómo ha podido ser best-seller en su época. Me cuesta creer que un lector medio (con esto me refiero al típico lector de otros best-sellers) disfrute de este libro, pero me alegro de que así sea.
Es una lectura que hay que dejar reposar, no vale leerlo del tirón ni mucho menos esperar que la historia enganche. No es una historia propiamente dicha, son una serie de pensamientos, ideas y escenas en principio triviales que envuelven en su mayoría a dos personajes. La que más me gustó a mi, una niña superdotada con unos pensamientos poco propios de su edad. Sin embargo, la que desafortunadamente para mi, se lleva el protagonismo mayor, es una señora de profesión portera del edificio en el que vive la niña mencionada más arriba. Dos personajes muy distintos y parecidos a la vez. Personalmente, me hubiese gustado que la niña entrase más en la historia, su punto de vista me resultó mucho más interesante que el de la portera.
Hay dos puntos que me encantaron de este libro: las reflexiones de carácter filosófico y las referencias a escritores, músicos, artistas, filósofos, etc. Las introspecciones de los personajes están llenas de reflexiones muy interesantes y que merecen la pena, fue lo que hizo que disfrutase del libro. Además, descubrí muchísimos personajes históricos que se mencionan de una forma que te pica la curiosidad y buscas sobre ellos.
Lo que menos me gustó fue el final, no me lo esperaba para nada pero no cumplió mis expectativas, me esperaba algo más de él.
Para terminar, me gustaría recomendárselo a todos aquellos con espíritu de filósofos (me incluyo), así como a los amantes del arte, la lógica y la reflexión. Es una lectura para vosotros.
Haber terminado esta lectura es como una odisea para mí. La había empezado varias veces, la primera hace tropecientos años y nunca conseguía pasar de las 50 páginas. En este caso, y con la ayuda y motivación de leerlo para una lectura conjunta, superé esas primeras páginas tediosas y por fin puedo decir que ya no está en mi lista de libros pendientes.
Está claro que no es un libro para todos los públicos, de hecho sigo preguntándome cómo ha podido ser best-seller en su época. Me cuesta creer que un lector medio (con esto me refiero al típico lector de otros best-sellers) disfrute de este libro, pero me alegro de que así sea.
Es una lectura que hay que dejar reposar, no vale leerlo del tirón ni mucho menos esperar que la historia enganche. No es una historia propiamente dicha, son una serie de pensamientos, ideas y escenas en principio triviales que envuelven en su mayoría a dos personajes. La que más me gustó a mi, una niña superdotada con unos pensamientos poco propios de su edad. Sin embargo, la que desafortunadamente para mi, se lleva el protagonismo mayor, es una señora de profesión portera del edificio en el que vive la niña mencionada más arriba. Dos personajes muy distintos y parecidos a la vez. Personalmente, me hubiese gustado que la niña entrase más en la historia, su punto de vista me resultó mucho más interesante que el de la portera.
Hay dos puntos que me encantaron de este libro: las reflexiones de carácter filosófico y las referencias a escritores, músicos, artistas, filósofos, etc. Las introspecciones de los personajes están llenas de reflexiones muy interesantes y que merecen la pena, fue lo que hizo que disfrutase del libro. Además, descubrí muchísimos personajes históricos que se mencionan de una forma que te pica la curiosidad y buscas sobre ellos.
Lo que menos me gustó fue el final, no me lo esperaba para nada pero no cumplió mis expectativas, me esperaba algo más de él.
Para terminar, me gustaría recomendárselo a todos aquellos con espíritu de filósofos (me incluyo), así como a los amantes del arte, la lógica y la reflexión. Es una lectura para vosotros.
reviews_with_rach's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
2.0
deeacetean's review against another edition
4.0
I started this book and I just powered through the majority of the philosophical parts as I found them hard to follow. However, the story itself if beautiful and unexpected, and I did tear up at the end. This book is definitely not for everyone. Maybe I will revisit it at one point in the future.
ishevlin's review against another edition
2.0
I found this book about 2 years ago at a little local shop and was compelled by the plot (young, intelligent girl contemplating suicide), and by the prospect of reading a current book in translation, but I put it down after the first few chapters because I found the characters oppressively boring, and the thinly veiled philosophical essays seemed like indulgent flights of authorial fancy. In short, the characters' endless twittering about clandestine intellectualism and class immobility seemed woefully outdated and overstated.
Recently a friend asked me why I had hated the book so much, and I picked it back up to double check. Yeah, it turns out the characters are still irritating, and I still don't like them nearly as much as I want to, and it goes on way too long, especially when characters express their beliefs, observations, and "Profound Thoughts". There's not nearly enough humor to balance out the lofty, meandering musings, and it really does seem at times like the author put the characters on the page just to spout her own "Profound Thoughts"
BUT: somewhere in the last 50 or so pages enough pathos and humanity finally emerges to make it worth finishing. I know a lot of people loved this story, and I'm waiting for someone to tell me why they loved it, in the hopes that a different perspective might make me like it a bit more...
For now it gets one star for being finished, and a second for the few, enjoyable passages at the end.
Recently a friend asked me why I had hated the book so much, and I picked it back up to double check. Yeah, it turns out the characters are still irritating, and I still don't like them nearly as much as I want to, and it goes on way too long, especially when characters express their beliefs, observations, and "Profound Thoughts". There's not nearly enough humor to balance out the lofty, meandering musings, and it really does seem at times like the author put the characters on the page just to spout her own "Profound Thoughts"
BUT: somewhere in the last 50 or so pages enough pathos and humanity finally emerges to make it worth finishing. I know a lot of people loved this story, and I'm waiting for someone to tell me why they loved it, in the hopes that a different perspective might make me like it a bit more...
For now it gets one star for being finished, and a second for the few, enjoyable passages at the end.
neelyreads's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I must admit, it was not easy to finish. Muriel Barbery takes a philosophical approach to life, love, and death and it takes time to really indulge her words and let their meanings sink in. The characterization of the two focal characters are wonderful, particularly Renée Michel, whom allows the reader to read her between the lines and discover what a remarkable person she truly is. Paloma Josse, the young suicidal 12 year old, is portrayed as highly intelligent, even prodigal, but she attempts to distant herself so far away from her family and social environment, it often comes across as ungrateful and even selfish. However, both characters undergo a tremendous arch worthy of acknowledgment; the characters presented in the beginning of the book are far less sensitive, timid and naive by the end.
Renée and Paloma are simply fascinating characters; the idea that someone would purposefully conceal qualities of themselves is somewhat absurd, however the book rewards its audience with its reasonings near its end. The book never searches for pity or a kind sympathy, instead it gives us permission to hear and see and hear everything without the blink of an eye; we are the first witnesses to these splendid characters and it is a very interesting journey to read who will have the next privilege to uncover the truth. The other characters in the book are often forgettable, but serve a purpose of a juxtaposition between themselves together with our two narratives. In fact, most of the residents are one-dimension and depicted as high society snobs, but despite this lack of characterization, it works well for the novel which would otherwise get lost in its many various minor individuals.
The writing is very often heavy, it touches on major themes such as life and death (dying is like fireworks suddenly burning out in the sky and everything going black ), but also dwells on the mundane, the everyday interactions between different social hierarchies, the movements of the world, the company of domestic animals and the fulfilling leisure of conversations over a shared pot of tea. What truly strikes a cord with the reader is the idea that people from different social statuses do not mix; Renée is fixated on the idea and cannot comprehend her misjudgment until a friendly yet wealthy Japanese man, Kakuro Ozu, can personally show her otherwise. Other significant theories thought by Renée, such as those over true friendship, beauty and even death, have to be experienced thoroughly before she can trust them. One of the final scenes of Renée and Kakuro enjoying expensive sushi in a replica Ridly Scott styled restaurant is the pivotal point in Renée's life; Kakuro says "We can be anything we want to be" and only then once all these new theories are truly believed, Renée is finally capable of blooming into the camellia that she is.
Here is one of my many favourite passages as a suitable ending:
How I miss you, already....This morning I understand what it means to die:when we disappear, it is the others who die for us, for here I am lying on the cold pavement and it is not the dying I care about; it has no more meaning this morning than it did yesterday. But never again will I see those I love, and if that is what dying is about, then it really is the tragedy they say it is.
Beautiful.
Renée and Paloma are simply fascinating characters; the idea that someone would purposefully conceal qualities of themselves is somewhat absurd, however the book rewards its audience with its reasonings near its end. The book never searches for pity or a kind sympathy, instead it gives us permission to hear and see and hear everything without the blink of an eye; we are the first witnesses to these splendid characters and it is a very interesting journey to read who will have the next privilege to uncover the truth. The other characters in the book are often forgettable, but serve a purpose of a juxtaposition between themselves together with our two narratives. In fact, most of the residents are one-dimension and depicted as high society snobs, but despite this lack of characterization, it works well for the novel which would otherwise get lost in its many various minor individuals.
The writing is very often heavy, it touches on major themes such as life and death (dying is like fireworks suddenly burning out in the sky and everything going black ), but also dwells on the mundane, the everyday interactions between different social hierarchies, the movements of the world, the company of domestic animals and the fulfilling leisure of conversations over a shared pot of tea. What truly strikes a cord with the reader is the idea that people from different social statuses do not mix; Renée is fixated on the idea and cannot comprehend her misjudgment until a friendly yet wealthy Japanese man, Kakuro Ozu, can personally show her otherwise. Other significant theories thought by Renée, such as those over true friendship, beauty and even death, have to be experienced thoroughly before she can trust them. One of the final scenes of Renée and Kakuro enjoying expensive sushi in a replica Ridly Scott styled restaurant is the pivotal point in Renée's life; Kakuro says "We can be anything we want to be" and only then once all these new theories are truly believed, Renée is finally capable of blooming into the camellia that she is.
Here is one of my many favourite passages as a suitable ending:
How I miss you, already....This morning I understand what it means to die:when we disappear, it is the others who die for us, for here I am lying on the cold pavement and it is not the dying I care about; it has no more meaning this morning than it did yesterday. But never again will I see those I love, and if that is what dying is about, then it really is the tragedy they say it is.
Beautiful.
nela4's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.5