erint251's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Parts 1, 2, and 5 of this novel were gorgeous. The plot is used as a jumping off point for vingettes reflecting on memory and time. The story is surreal and dreamlike in a way that reminded me of a Charlie Kaufman film.
Parts 3 and 4 try to talk about something important — Europe's collective amnesia and slow march back to fascism — but become tedious and repetitive and end up straying from the core idea.
I have to commend Angela Rodel for her translation work. There are a lot of linguistic jokes and observations in this book that can't have been easy to translate between two very different languages, yet she made it work seamlessly.
Parts 3 and 4 try to talk about something important — Europe's collective amnesia and slow march back to fascism — but become tedious and repetitive and end up straying from the core idea.
I have to commend Angela Rodel for her translation work. There are a lot of linguistic jokes and observations in this book that can't have been easy to translate between two very different languages, yet she made it work seamlessly.
readily_reads's review against another edition
Quite hard to follow and didn’t strike me.
e_f_p21's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
rasmussss's review against another edition
3.0
This book is a strange mix between biography and fiction and you don’t really know where one ends and the other begins. It is really interesting!
It is written in a really accessible way, that nonetheless becomes difficult to follow in the last half.
It is written in a really accessible way, that nonetheless becomes difficult to follow in the last half.
payindigo's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
vinnyvince's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
vasi83177's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
asummerdream's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
sangxia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Interesting study about memory, narratives, and the construction of personal and national identities. The earlier parts about fragments of memories from individual patients were well-written and warm. The referendum part I find quite flat and difficult to get through. Certainly bears a strong mark of time, perhaps a bit too much.