dianamnr's review against another edition
4.0
It was a nice story just dragged out but it seems purposeful in its writing. That being said... so many long run on sentences. So. Many. Of all the characters I only liked margaretha and Linus (the cat).
(About a guy researching to see if the blind astronomer who predicts an eclipse that no other astronomer agrees with is correct or not. He ends up hearing this astronomers entire life story including his childhood, the creation of his telescope and ofc why he lost his eyes.)
(About a guy researching to see if the blind astronomer who predicts an eclipse that no other astronomer agrees with is correct or not. He ends up hearing this astronomers entire life story including his childhood, the creation of his telescope and ofc why he lost his eyes.)
kfk10's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mattgjohnson's review
Intentionally redundant style. Maybe not as ambitious as it first seems? Logic from the 1600s is kinda annoying too.
Did set up alot of cool motiffs, but oh well.
Did set up alot of cool motiffs, but oh well.
tina_douglas's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
freewaygods's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
shadda's review against another edition
4.0
This book is very hard to categorize. It is, I suppose, a parody of academic writing, an exploration of "sensory perception" and point of "view", and a historical tale about insanity in the "Age of Reason". It's not a particularly hard read, but the quirky humor will definitely be dull to some.
Recommended for people who get all excited about things like "marginalia" and "literary devices" and think things like the narrator having to cite 3 different people ("Indeed," said the character, according to the observer, as reported by the storyteller) or having to paraphrase to the point of absurdity ("That is a very large hat," said the character. The hat was indeed enormous, sir!
[That is to say that the observer confirms the hat seen by the speaker to be quite large]) hilarious.
If that last paragraph sounds obnoxious, skip this one.
Recommended for people who get all excited about things like "marginalia" and "literary devices" and think things like the narrator having to cite 3 different people ("Indeed," said the character, according to the observer, as reported by the storyteller) or having to paraphrase to the point of absurdity ("That is a very large hat," said the character. The hat was indeed enormous, sir!
[That is to say that the observer confirms the hat seen by the speaker to be quite large]) hilarious.
If that last paragraph sounds obnoxious, skip this one.
kbuchanan's review against another edition
3.0
This should theoretically have been just the type of weird that I love - a fantasia on an imaginary conversation between Liebnitz and a blind astronomer that delves into the world of the Hapsburg dynasty, scientific exploration, and more than a dash of eccentric tinkering. But something about the work's pacing was lacking for me. For such a small novel, I found myself feeling like it was taking me a long time to get through it, as I just didn't find myself rushing to pick it back up again.