A review by yongen22
Le Scaphandre et le Papillon, by Jean-Dominique Bauby

dark emotional informative sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

At first this was very captivating and heartbreaking, but after the midway point it starts to cross over into wallowing. Bauby is a very witty writer and some of it sparkles with an ironic tone. Please be warned that some of his descriptions especially of Asian and Middle-Eastern people and places, are a little outdated; not in a hateful way, just a bit exoticising. Might still be worth checking out if you just want to marvel at how this was even written; that curiosity drew me to the book in the first place and was definitely sated. Overall not the most pleasant read even though the writing is clever. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings