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kirshach's reviews
11 reviews
White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky
emotional
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin by Yevgeny Zamyatin
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-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? No
3.5
While it started as an interesting political statement, scarily well predicting the trajectory of the author’s home country’s history, and a story of a personal psychological struggle, I felt like in the middle of the book it devolved into a somewhat shallow adventure story. Alternatively, I just didn’t get it. In any case, I liked the first half of the book, but was underwhelmed by the second one
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Masterfully written, I just wish it wasn’t
The Counterfeiters by André Gide
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-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? Yes
3.75
This book was a beautiful read.
I was fascinated by the writing style of the author, really enjoyed the characters, which were very well defined (well... at least all of the male ones), and followed their evolution with great curiosity.
Well, then why just 3.75 stars, you may ask?
The reason is - there wasn't too much of a plot. There were events happening, and the characters changed with them, but there was not a single story line you could say this book revolved around. There were so many of them, that the one which was particularly gripping to me (of someone who should probably be considered one of the two main characters of the novel), got lost in all of the others. In the middle of the book, when that particular story line stalled, I felt somewhat bored.
In the words of the author:
"And ... the subject of this novel?"
"It hasn't got one," answered Edouard brusquely, "and perhaps that's the most astonishing thing about it. My novel hasn't got a subject. Yes, I know, it sounds stupid. Let's say, if you prefer it, it hasn't got one subject ... 'a slice of life,' the naturalist school said. The great defect of that school is that it always cuts its slice in the same direction; in time, lengthwise. Why not in breadth? Or in depth? As for me I should like not to cut at all. Please understand; I should like to put everything into my novel. I don't want any cut of the scissors to limit its substance at one point rather than at another. For more than a year now that I have been working at it, nothing happens to me that I don't put into it — everything I see, everything I know, everything that other people's lives and my own teach me. . . ."
So, I guess, what I didn't like about the novel is not to be considered its bug, but a feature. However, I still think that I would've enjoyed it more, was a little more focused. Maybe I'm just too simple-minded to enjoy it the way its author intended it to be.
Do I recommend reading it though? I do.
I was fascinated by the writing style of the author, really enjoyed the characters, which were very well defined (well... at least all of the male ones), and followed their evolution with great curiosity.
Well, then why just 3.75 stars, you may ask?
The reason is - there wasn't too much of a plot. There were events happening, and the characters changed with them, but there was not a single story line you could say this book revolved around. There were so many of them, that the one which was particularly gripping to me (of someone who should probably be considered one of the two main characters of the novel), got lost in all of the others. In the middle of the book, when that particular story line stalled, I felt somewhat bored.
In the words of the author:
"And ... the subject of this novel?"
"It hasn't got one," answered Edouard brusquely, "and perhaps that's the most astonishing thing about it. My novel hasn't got a subject. Yes, I know, it sounds stupid. Let's say, if you prefer it, it hasn't got one subject ... 'a slice of life,' the naturalist school said. The great defect of that school is that it always cuts its slice in the same direction; in time, lengthwise. Why not in breadth? Or in depth? As for me I should like not to cut at all. Please understand; I should like to put everything into my novel. I don't want any cut of the scissors to limit its substance at one point rather than at another. For more than a year now that I have been working at it, nothing happens to me that I don't put into it — everything I see, everything I know, everything that other people's lives and my own teach me. . . ."
So, I guess, what I didn't like about the novel is not to be considered its bug, but a feature. However, I still think that I would've enjoyed it more, was a little more focused. Maybe I'm just too simple-minded to enjoy it the way its author intended it to be.
Do I recommend reading it though? I do.
The Wrath & the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
The best thing about this book for me as a male reader is it made me think about how many ugly tropes about love and the opposite gender women may find in male-authored books.
The plot of the novel is incredibly banal and predictable, the writing is coarse, and the book itself permeates toxic ideals by shamelessly romanticising power, abuse and cheating
The plot of the novel is incredibly banal and predictable, the writing is coarse, and the book itself permeates toxic ideals by shamelessly romanticising power, abuse and cheating
The Magic Skin (La Peau de Chagrin) by Honoré de Balzac
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
3.25
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Poor Folk by Fyodor Dostoevsky
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25