esther_habs's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
peiman198913's review against another edition
3.0
کتاب در هشت روایت مجزا در دوران پس از سقوط نظام های کمونیستی شرق اروپا از زبان حیواناتی سعی در توصیف حکومت های کمونیستی و دیکتاتورها و اوضاع قبل و بعد فروپاشی اونها داره. به نظر میاد تمام تلاش نویسنده این بوده که روایات بی طرفانه عنوان بشه و با دید تازه ای به این قضایا نگاه کنه. از این جهت نسبتا نویسنده موفق بوده اما از نظر شخصی من روایات اونقدری که باید جذاب نیستن و هر از چند گاهی آدم احساس خستگی می‌کنه و مجبوره چک کنه تا آخر روایت چند صفحه مونده. توضیح زیادی نمیتونم بدم و در کل کتاب از هر نظر متوسط هست. بین ۲/۵ تا ۳ ستاره برای کتاب مناسبه.ه
ivan3571's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
pattricejones's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant: Two books in one. I can't do it justice with a brief Goodreads review, so I'll write a real review and post the link when it's published.
I will say this: Scrolling through other reviews, I see multiple references to Animal Farm. I can't imagine why anyone might suggest that the books are similar except in the most superficial sense that they both critique communist states while deploying animals as protagonists. For the record, Animal Farm is a heavy-handed allegory in which the animal characters are simple stand-ins for people. This book is something else altogether: The stories of various former socialist states told, with one exception, by animals who are animals--not stand-ins for people. This allows Drakulic to write not only about relations among people under various communist regimes but also about human-animal relations and the ways that these two sets of relationships sometimes mirror each other. As I said: Two (or maybe three) books in one.
I will say this: Scrolling through other reviews, I see multiple references to Animal Farm. I can't imagine why anyone might suggest that the books are similar except in the most superficial sense that they both critique communist states while deploying animals as protagonists. For the record, Animal Farm is a heavy-handed allegory in which the animal characters are simple stand-ins for people. This book is something else altogether: The stories of various former socialist states told, with one exception, by animals who are animals--not stand-ins for people. This allows Drakulic to write not only about relations among people under various communist regimes but also about human-animal relations and the ways that these two sets of relationships sometimes mirror each other. As I said: Two (or maybe three) books in one.
carmenghia's review against another edition
2.0
I thought this would be a good way to follow-up on Orwell's [b:Animal Farm|7613|Animal Farm|George Orwell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1276615812s/7613.jpg|2207778], but it was rather dry and boring (fortunately a short read).
The voices between animals (and therefore nationalities) didn't differ enough for me, and the strange format of talking "at" the reader never quite let me settle into the story. The research was evident, yet the narrative was awkward.
The voices between animals (and therefore nationalities) didn't differ enough for me, and the strange format of talking "at" the reader never quite let me settle into the story. The research was evident, yet the narrative was awkward.
catherine_80's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cristyd's review against another edition
4.0
dark, sarcastic, funny - just like the Eastern Europeans I know and lived among.
The story told by the Bulgarian bear was my favorite and I thought best illustrated times and people of recent past and the new generation trying to get a grasp on how the oppression even happened.
The story told by the Bulgarian bear was my favorite and I thought best illustrated times and people of recent past and the new generation trying to get a grasp on how the oppression even happened.
borisignatievich's review
4.0
A series of fables from different animals in different parts of ex-socialist Eastern Europe, this was really good. Each chapter tells the history of a different country, and is used to focus in on an aspect of Communist/socialism as it was manifested in that country, and how the places are dealing with their history. The animals are often symbolic, for example a mouse tells a rat about how meekness of the Czech people helped lead to to the culture where anyone could be an informant, or a Raven witnesses a murder/suicide of a politician (aside, what is it about ravens that make then synonymous with death in pretty much every culture?). I know little to nothing to communism outside of Russia, and found this both informative and interesting. The voices of the characters did tend to merge into one when they were reflecting on how to remember the communist era, but they were distinct enough for the "history" part, and the merging may even have been deliberate in terms of 'Communism thought everyone was identical', I don't know.
I've seen a lot of comparisons with Animal Farm, because you know, animals and communism, but while AF is about how the system can be corrupted, this is more meditative, and mostly focussed on how to remember an era that still has significant influence, but many people don't want to face up to it.
Personal highlight was the mole's understanding of Berlin via bananas.
7.5/10
I've seen a lot of comparisons with Animal Farm, because you know, animals and communism, but while AF is about how the system can be corrupted, this is more meditative, and mostly focussed on how to remember an era that still has significant influence, but many people don't want to face up to it.
Personal highlight was the mole's understanding of Berlin via bananas.
7.5/10
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