seaswift14's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
a_sheepskin_tinsel's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
n_mai's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
rochelles_reading_journal's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jay_catsby's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lucyblack's review
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I don’t like people very much and I find social situations pretty hard but I do find people really interesting. This is a deep look into the life of a man. Born in poverty, lives in an abusive foster home, has a short window of happy life and then loses it. There’s war, there’s snow, lots of hard work. I can’t say I enjoyed this, it’s not fun but it’s not too bleak either. It was interesting because people are interesting.
ilseoo's review
4.0
A Whole Life is a quiet story of a life which is probably not more or less remarkable than that of the average person. However, the short, evocative prose, the beauty and harshness of the natural scenery, and the theme of living through change in a time which has both seen life when people drove in carriages and fast modernisation, made it an interesting and worthwhile read for me. Quiet books set in a remote, natural environment which cover the life of one or multiple central characters always draw me in.
Considering that the book covers the events of one man’s fairly long life, it is rather short. I think the shortness of both the book itself and the sentences was effective in supporting the personality of the main character, who is described as more practical than thoughtful and as a man of few words. All events in the life of this man receive more or less equal coverage in terms of length, which is not very much. A downside is that the events which would have stood out, like his time in a Russian war-prison, felt underdeveloped. I probably would have enjoyed the book more if the author would have elaborated more on them. On the other hand, the short coverage did ensure that often the one or two main emotions or impressions that the main character associated with a certain event or period in his life immediately stood out and became the overarching feeling of the passage.
The shortness of the book combined with the continuous narrative makes this an ideal book to read in one sitting. There are no chapters which break up the narrative, only some blanks where the plot jumps backwards or forwards in time. Reading this book in one sitting would probably enhance the overall, emotional, impression it leaves you with.
Considering that the book covers the events of one man’s fairly long life, it is rather short. I think the shortness of both the book itself and the sentences was effective in supporting the personality of the main character, who is described as more practical than thoughtful and as a man of few words. All events in the life of this man receive more or less equal coverage in terms of length, which is not very much. A downside is that the events which would have stood out, like his time in a Russian war-prison, felt underdeveloped. I probably would have enjoyed the book more if the author would have elaborated more on them. On the other hand, the short coverage did ensure that often the one or two main emotions or impressions that the main character associated with a certain event or period in his life immediately stood out and became the overarching feeling of the passage.
The shortness of the book combined with the continuous narrative makes this an ideal book to read in one sitting. There are no chapters which break up the narrative, only some blanks where the plot jumps backwards or forwards in time. Reading this book in one sitting would probably enhance the overall, emotional, impression it leaves you with.
silverlines1's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
classicapricot's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0