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A review by tigertheory
Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
4.25
Kehlmann‘s prose is masterful. Even long, borderline rambling passages about the minutiae of the Thirty Years' War are elevated by subtle humor and a vocabulary that fits the setting without alienating a modern reader.
The book is told from many different points of view, which I personally did not mind as it is clearly part of the larger theme of historiography. It however also makes for a slightly removed reading experience and I could not connect with the story as much as I otherwise would have.
The book is about Till Eulenspiegel as much as it is not; it is about the power of a good story, about who we are when no one is watching and who we become when everyone is.
The book is told from many different points of view, which I personally did not mind as it is clearly part of the larger theme of historiography. It however also makes for a slightly removed reading experience and I could not connect with the story as much as I otherwise would have.
The book is about Till Eulenspiegel as much as it is not; it is about the power of a good story, about who we are when no one is watching and who we become when everyone is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Rape