Reviews
The Most Beautiful Book in the World: Eight Novellas by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt, Alison Anderson
suvaznudli's review against another edition
4.0
Nevím, jestli název odráží skutečnost, ale mně se povídky líbily, četly se v podstatě samy. Jediná výhrada byla, že chvílemi je pointa příběhu dost předvídatelná a jednoduchá. Do určité míry to ale vyrovnávají zajímavé postavy, takže co už - příběh nestojí jenom na vyústění.
iuliatr's review against another edition
3.0
This was may first Schmitt book and I admit that I was curious about it, knowing that there's 2 shelves dedicated to him in my workplace, the local bookshop.
He definitely has a talent for writing, it's easy to understand and pretty catchy. The stories were...nice. I wouldn't go as far as calling it "the most beautiful book in the world". Far from it, actually.
I don't know why this man tends to write women as really cold and kind of...bitchy and there were some...problematic sentences but I tried to overlook them.
Odette's story though...must've been the most annoying out of all of them and it made me enjoy this book a lot less because it feels like we are taught that men cheat and we should deal with it, because in the end he will come back home to you. Am I crazy for thinking it shouldn't be like this? The amount of women thinking like this baffled me and I feel like this kind of literature plays a big role for this mentality.
Anyway, I'm not sure if I'll pick another Schmitt book anytime soon but this one wasn't horrible.
3
He definitely has a talent for writing, it's easy to understand and pretty catchy. The stories were...nice. I wouldn't go as far as calling it "the most beautiful book in the world". Far from it, actually.
I don't know why this man tends to write women as really cold and kind of...bitchy and there were some...problematic sentences but I tried to overlook them.
Odette's story though...must've been the most annoying out of all of them and it made me enjoy this book a lot less because it feels like we are taught that men cheat and we should deal with it, because in the end he will come back home to you. Am I crazy for thinking it shouldn't be like this? The amount of women thinking like this baffled me and I feel like this kind of literature plays a big role for this mentality.
Anyway, I'm not sure if I'll pick another Schmitt book anytime soon but this one wasn't horrible.
3
nourhan09's review against another edition
3.0
للأسف رغم بحثي الطويل الى أنني لم اتمكن من ايجاد الكتاب بالكامل ..
وتمكنت فقط من قراءة قصة "أجمل كتاب بالعالم."
أحببت فكرة القصة كثيراً .. عن نساء لا عن أمهات بعيدات عن حياتهن / ازواجهن / والأهم من كل شيء بناتهن.
النساء قادرات على فعل كل شيء الا ان يختصرن الكلام ^^"
لا الومهم, بالفعل من الصعب جداً ان تختصر قصة حياتك بثلاث لفائف من السجائر كيف يمكنك ان ترسل اهم احداث حياتك بكلمات صغيرة قليلة غير قابلة للتصحيح.
مجرد التفكير بذلك قد يثير اعصابك ويبعد عنك كل فكرة مناسبة ..
ولكن في النهاية النساء هن نساء.. يمكن ان يفعلن كل شيء بطريقتهن الخاصة .
فكرة القصة لطيفة للغاية .. تمنيت لو تمكنت من قراءة جميع القصص .
ولكن ربما في المستقبل اتمكن من ذلك.
وتمكنت فقط من قراءة قصة "أجمل كتاب بالعالم."
أحببت فكرة القصة كثيراً .. عن نساء لا عن أمهات بعيدات عن حياتهن / ازواجهن / والأهم من كل شيء بناتهن.
النساء قادرات على فعل كل شيء الا ان يختصرن الكلام ^^"
لا الومهم, بالفعل من الصعب جداً ان تختصر قصة حياتك بثلاث لفائف من السجائر كيف يمكنك ان ترسل اهم احداث حياتك بكلمات صغيرة قليلة غير قابلة للتصحيح.
مجرد التفكير بذلك قد يثير اعصابك ويبعد عنك كل فكرة مناسبة ..
ولكن في النهاية النساء هن نساء.. يمكن ان يفعلن كل شيء بطريقتهن الخاصة .
فكرة القصة لطيفة للغاية .. تمنيت لو تمكنت من قراءة جميع القصص .
ولكن ربما في المستقبل اتمكن من ذلك.
opheliesmurderousscarf's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
J’ai lu ce livre pour la première fois il ya a quelques années, et je pense que Éric Emmanuel schmitt va toujours avoir une place dans mes auteurs de conforts. Je me sens toujours aspiré par ses histoires et il arrive toujours à les tisser avec une douceur et élégance hors du commun, et chacune d’elle inspire tellement d'amour et de chaleur. Des nouvelles très conviviales et adorables qu’on peut lire très rapidement<3
pagesofpins's review against another edition
2.0
These short stories all have a twist at the end, and aren't terribly written, though I suspect they suffer a bit of awkward phrasing due to the translation from French. However, none of the characters are people I care about, and the twists are often a letdown. Chalking this one up to lost in translation. DNF.
littlefoot10's review against another edition
2.0
I just really don't think this collection of short stories was for me. The inside cover says it's about finding happiness after searching for it and realizing that it was there all along right in front of us. OK, great that sounds like it's going to be uplifting, maybe even inspirational. However... most of the women in these stories were horrible. They were mean, manipulative, rude, and just down right horrible people. There were only 2 stories in this that I read and didn't make me want to throw this book across the room. Although the writing was great, and the base of the stories were interesting... the characters are what killed this for me.
phoebedelafaye's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A mix of compelling short stories written in a romantic style. I enjoyed the fable-like quality of the stories and bittersweet truths contained in the text.
ariieesbixx's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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? It's complicated
3.5
okenwillow's review against another edition
5.0
Les huit nouvelles rassemblées ici ont été écrites pendant le tournage du film de Schmitt, Odette Toulemonde. Et la nouvelle du même nom est tirée du film. Ce livre se lit vite, les nouvelles sont courtes, mais quelle poésie et quelle profondeur ! Ces histoires de femmes sont simples et émouvantes, ce sont des portraits aussi divers que variés qui nous laissent la larme à l’œil à la dernière phrase. Schmitt raconte avec beaucoup de sensibilité et de pudeur des histoires plus ou moins tristes, où le temps qui passe et les regrets ont le premier rôle. Bouleverser en si peu de pages est un exploit, c’est une lecture brève mais magnifique.