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piper_may's review against another edition
4.5
“It’s not possible to live on earth without lying, because life and lies are synonymous; we’ll, here we’ll tell the truth for fun.” enjoyed greatly
ataylor67's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
lisa_6754's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
tijana_b's review against another edition
3.0
UPDATE:
I’ve been thinking about this book and I think I rated it too high. Like it is a good, quick read and everything but it just wasn’t giving me the same type of feeling and love that I feel when I rate books this high so for that reason I am lowering my rating to a 3.5. Also, although the plot IS good and interesting, I have read better
4.5/5
This was a very short book but nonetheless it was enjoyable and it amused me: it made me chuckle. I loved the point of view that it was written from, his monologues very much made me laugh. It just had that “amusing” tone. The actual concept of the book was so cool. The protagonist, who was at the cemetery at the time, was listening to the conversations of the dead people. These people were from all different classes and by the end they were having conversations about being 100% truthful about their life, the things they did, the things they want etc. However, when the protagonist sneezed, all conversation ended and he could no longer hear anything, with him stating “I can only conclude that they must after all have some secret, unknown to us mortals, which they carefully conceal from every mortal”. The way I interpreted it was, that even after death, there isn’t much change to the human nature and even to a person. That maybe death isn’t as deep as people think it is, that if we DO go somewhere, it isn’t going to change us and our philosophy’s, beliefs and values. I think this book shows that despite the death of these characters and their pact to tell the truth, they still can’t fully be trusted.
“And, first of all, gentlemen, what sort of general is he here? It’s there he was a general, but here he’s a mere nothing!”
I’ve been thinking about this book and I think I rated it too high. Like it is a good, quick read and everything but it just wasn’t giving me the same type of feeling and love that I feel when I rate books this high so for that reason I am lowering my rating to a 3.5. Also, although the plot IS good and interesting, I have read better
4.5/5
This was a very short book but nonetheless it was enjoyable and it amused me: it made me chuckle. I loved the point of view that it was written from, his monologues very much made me laugh. It just had that “amusing” tone. The actual concept of the book was so cool. The protagonist, who was at the cemetery at the time, was listening to the conversations of the dead people. These people were from all different classes and by the end they were having conversations about being 100% truthful about their life, the things they did, the things they want etc. However, when the protagonist sneezed, all conversation ended and he could no longer hear anything, with him stating “I can only conclude that they must after all have some secret, unknown to us mortals, which they carefully conceal from every mortal”. The way I interpreted it was, that even after death, there isn’t much change to the human nature and even to a person. That maybe death isn’t as deep as people think it is, that if we DO go somewhere, it isn’t going to change us and our philosophy’s, beliefs and values. I think this book shows that despite the death of these characters and their pact to tell the truth, they still can’t fully be trusted.
“And, first of all, gentlemen, what sort of general is he here? It’s there he was a general, but here he’s a mere nothing!”
cris_redondoo's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
While I loved white nights, and could see the full potential that Dostoevsky has, I think it didn't translate well into this book. The narrative was too flamboyant for me, as the story fell to flat when comparing the two. I couldn't really find interest in the story, and it didn't seemed that well developed. We should also take into account that these types of themes are not my go-to, so I don't tend to enjoy this types of stories. I'll try to read longer works from him, as I think that in those he excels.
awais_shafaq's review
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
lexi2009's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5