Reviews with content warning for Death - Death and the Penguin

Reviews tagging 'Death'

Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov

11 reviews

james1star's review against another edition

tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I really didn’t like this book all that much, wouldn’t recommend personally but there are some merits. The novel follows the mc Viktor, an aspiring writer employed by ‘the chief’ to write the obituaries of high profile people before they’re actually dead. It’s like a crime noir and people are after him, kinda? Ish? I don’t really know to be honest I felt like things did sorta happen but also nothing did. Viktor gets put in charge of a little girl called Sonya, has a pet penguin Misha (who for some reason no one really questions like it’s a normal thing in the middle of Kyiv?? Okay), with a nanny Nina and other characters also coming into the book. I felt the plot was alright at best, it’s slightly intriguing but does feel a bit monotonous with some of the same things happening over and over. I didn’t like the way things went along, Viktor barely ever questions things so it seems just too easy, making it rather unbelievable.

The writing was possibly my main concern, it felt very stop-start and despite not being that long made it a slog to get though. I don’t want to be mean and this comment sounds so but the best part was the joke at the start and since at least page 40 I was bored, irritated and frustrated with this book. It’s possibly an issue with the translation but even then the plot didn’t make up for it. I felt there was a lot more that could’ve happened, specially in regards to having Misha the penguin but things are left unsaid. The ending was up in the air, I know there’s a sequel that I’ll unlikely read but it came about a bit too fast compared with the slow, wordy and slightly disjointed pacing beforehand.

What the book does do well is paint a picture of Kyiv and Ukraine at that time. It includes parts about corruption and gang/mafia crime which is interlinked with the main story. Likewise, issues of poverty, crime, shootings, bad healthcare, and the lack of basic services available which people should be entitled to or at least be provided with within their means without paying over the top amounts. These are decent and I also liked the characters of Sonya, Sergey and Misha enough but the rest were very frustrating and I didn’t care all that much for them. The good doesn’t outweigh the bad and on the whole I don’t understand the point of the book, I wish I’d of DNFd earlier. I may check out Kurkov again but have no real desire to do so soon.

SPOILER notes that ANNOYED me:

Tell Sonya about her dad

Nina only character physically described - ugh

Why hurt her? Half his age ugh I dunno how to feel just doesn’t sit right with me

The fire! Wtf… why?!?!

Who lets their pet be taken away like that, he’s not a dog but a vulnerable penguin

Content Warnings

srm's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

What an absolutely charming and weird (and nearly impossible to describe) little book!

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entropia's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Some would say it’s slow, but personally I enjoyed the pace. I was looking for some post-Soviet Russian literature and this book delivered well. The suspense was a bit confusing at first, but I think it could be on purpose. The book reflected a lot on death. Loved the gloomy atmosphere sprinkled with some dark humour here and there. Great book for some winter reading.

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laurataylor's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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sofialeser's review against another edition

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dark funny 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? N/A

4.0

The rape was unecessary.

Else from that I did enjoy the book.

Content Warnings

ezcousins's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-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? No

4.5

I absolutely loved this book! It had me on the edge of my seat, the pacing kept me interested the whole way through, most of the characters felt very real to me. My only issue is the portrayal of the only named adult female character. She was relatively two dimensional and I didn't like the way she was initially described. It felt very cliché and sexualised. Other than that though I thought the book was fantastically written and translated and the plot was very unique and refreshing. I also found the imagery vivid without being overpowering and flowery, which is fantastic but not necessary in all cases. Finally, I loved the ending. It wasn't too predictable but it also wasn't too outlandish, and it allowed room for the sequel to feel natural without leaving too much open ended.

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