" In Nürnberg, the S.S. was proclaimed an army of criminals. It may sound paradoxical, but Kempf may have kept that seal of belonging just because in " In Nürnberg, the S.S. was proclaimed an army of criminals. It may sound paradoxical, but Kempf may have kept that seal of belonging just because in his case there could be no question of real belonging."
It's such a big book in every way: scope, structure, story. The Age of Brass by Slobodan Å najder is a powerful and intricately layered novel that intertwines personal and historical narratives to explore the legacy of war, complex identity, belonging, and memory.
The story spans over 200 years. In 1769 , as a year of famine strikes Germany, Kempf the ancestor, leaves his homeland along with others like him , seeking a better life, a land of prosperity promised by Maria Theresa. Over the years, generations of Germans settle in Slavonia, making it their new home. But as Europe plunges into war by 1940, this minority group, the Volksdeutsche, are summoned to fight for the Reich—a country that has become alien to them. Among them is Georg Kempf, the father of the narrator. Drafted into the Waffen SS against his will as a forced volunteer, Georg deserts after a while, fully aware of the grave risk. At the war's end, he falls in love with Vera, a dedicated partisan but the thing is : had they met earlier, they would have been compelled to kill each other. They are enemies. Can they beat that even at war's end?
It's a really complex, intricate with shifting perspectives, an unusual narrator that's outside the flow of time and covers a really vast region and intersections of various interests, personal conflicts and identities on top of timely questions about how wars are waged and where it leaves innocents. How historical shifts sweep individuals along.
The novel’s structure is non-linear, fragmented and told through shifting perspectives, reflecting the fragmented and often contradictory nature of memory. One of the most unique and intriguing aspects of *The Age of Brass* is its narrator: the protagonist’s unborn son. This choice of narrator adds a layer of distance and reflection to the story, as the unborn child observes and recounts the events leading up to his own conception and birth. The narrator’s position outside the flow of time allows for a broader, more philosophical perspective on the events that unfold, imbuing the narrative with a sense of inevitability, albeit he does sometimes question it and points to alternate ways things might have gone. This narrative voice deepens the exploration of legacy and identity, as the unborn son contemplates unfolding events. The story continues mostly in his voice afterwards,but still shifts to his parents for the briefest time left.
The novel is rich with themes of guilt, complicity, and the burden of history. Å najder skillfully portrays the psychological and emotional toll that the war has taken on his characters, particularly the father. The characters are complex and deeply human,, he presents a nuanced portrait of individuals caught in the tides of history, forced to navigate the treacherous waters of complicity and survival. And hus take really is very broad, taking in the political situation of the entire region, including Poland with all the emotional turmoil.
The Brass Age is an affecting and intellectually stimulating novel that confronts the moral ambiguities of history....more
I love the concept. It's all at once a story about language in a reworking of the Babel story, and how language shapes relations, including those of pI love the concept. It's all at once a story about language in a reworking of the Babel story, and how language shapes relations, including those of power. She shows, rather than tells, the abuses of imperialism. And she's not preachy. And the devil is in the little details. Here she draws on the father-son storyline, in another on the trope of a jilted lover. On top of extensive knowledge and engaging research. Engaging characters too. All the while the book reads like a bit of a steampunk adventure with all the silver working, secret societies, plot twists, drama. It's an engaging read that covers a lot of topics, but with a clear focus, the Babel Tower being a focal point of power. Can there be one language/ unity or is it destined to failure because of power relations where sides usurp higher ground on some vague ideas of superiority ? It's not so much divine intervention but humans that ruin the idea of Babel. The book also explores corrupt, dark academia and that aspect was riveting.
I'll be sure to add this book to my shelves....more
A beautiful love letter to music and the music each of us makes in our lives and how the music affects others, butEveryone in this life joins a band.
A beautiful love letter to music and the music each of us makes in our lives and how the music affects others, but also about connections and bonds and how our kindness affects others and also about coincidences or providences that guide our lives. It's a sweeping story spanning from the protagonist's childhood to his death, through mamy problems and storms he lived through. Does music play to make a career? Does music need anything more than one's passion ? Albom skilfully navigates the trappings of the music business, while offering a look into its history and presenting a soulful story about talent and the change it can bring.
I loved Frankie. I called him stupid at times. I kind of wanted to shake him MANY times. I wept for him and his mother and father.
It's told from the perspective of what music is. Insanely lyrical with mamy perspectives, it's like a song for many voices. I sincerely loved the way the novel was structured. It's completely magical with unique storytelling, rich characters and characterisation. An unforgettable journey. Mitch Albom has the knowledge to write this love letter to music, and I loved how he credited the artists for whom he created fictional lives to insert Frankie Presto. It's a story of pure emotions, lovely and compelling, it speaks to and captures my sentiments thoroughly. I love how he begins each chapter. There's so much reflection on what music is and how are lives are musical. It's touching. So beautifully written.
An instant favourite. This is my kind of book and my kind of story. Put it on my physical shelves.
Everyone joins a band in this life. And what you play always affects someone. Sometimes, it affects the world....more
TW for mention and slight description of male rape.
There's a reviewer here, Lyn, who says everything I have to say about this book and does so beautiTW for mention and slight description of male rape.
There's a reviewer here, Lyn, who says everything I have to say about this book and does so beautifully. Please check out that review.
It's a tale about redemption and love, loyalty, honour and betrayal, about fathers and sons and brothers, Afghanistan but it's also a tale about your roots and how deep they go, about your identity. Can going to another land really erase your past, mistakes? Is it that easy? Not, if you're a decent person and Amir is decent (not good, not virtuous, he's just humane) though it takes a while for him to find his way.
Amir will be hard to like for some but I appreciate that he has to work for redemption, that it's not waiting for him with open arms. there's been too much hurt. Plus, he who is without sin, is only allowed to cast the stone. I'm not without sin. Amir reminds me of that. My sin was wanting to fit in with people, be friends - except I didn't understand you don't get friends with money furtively taken from your brother. You don't sacrifice family for someone who may well not deserve it. I was a child then, I was punished then but only because I did admit it, but I'm glad I did. Amir never faces reality, he runs away from it. It's difficult to forgive him, but he doesn't forgive himself and the narrative doesn't really forgive him either. Instead, he learns. He grows. He matures and becomes more of father hinself.
I loved Hassan, the humility he portrayed, his strength and affection,
I appreciated Baba - he tried hard but perhaps it would have been nice to see more of his internal turmoil. Perhaps a story from his point of view? I think he's a character with a lot of hidden depth, but it was not his story, it was Amir's and perhaps through Amir we know a bit of Baba's story too. I do like the story of loyalty and love and betrayal. I love the stories of fathers and sons. In the end, the lessons Amir learns are also those of fatherhood. I cheer him on in efforts beyond the book, the harder, the better. And Sohrab is a smart boy.
I think Amir follows classic Aristotelian principles. The tragic hero must be neither a villain nor a virtuous man but a “character between these two extremes,…a man who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty". We pity those who are our and of noble intent but feelings of fear are awoken by those who are similar to us.
"For you, thousand times over " is a great refrain that returns in all the right moments It makes me think of Hassan's smile and of Amir's spoiled and cowardly attitude - but also of the reversal of his fortunes. It definitely holds the most power when it's used in the ending. It's one line that will definitely stay with me.
The novel is good, the ending is worthwhile, very balanced towards the whole story and hopeful - I love that. I hope for the best. I cheer Amir on. Those who were takers can become givers if they have something to fight for. And Amir does. I think he really grows by the end. I the way ending is hopeful is just right- it's hope for Sohrab to have a family and hope for Amir to have that too. Bound by a destiny that cannot be unravelled.
I think in the end the only villain is war, greed, mistaken beliefs of people like Assef - he's the real entitled, privileged swine. Not Amir, who struggles with being decent and has so much remorse that in the end, it makes him a very memorable character, thrust in whirls of impossible historical conflicts, of things he couldn't change, either. And while I could blame him for escaping, could blame him for betraying his friend, the characters in the book are nobler than I am - they forgive, they understand and it's thanks to them that Amir can grow and be their hope. Because he also cares, once he understands what he's lost but also what he has. And that what he has is worth fighting for. So very much. So I'm glad he doesn't give up and tries to reach out.
Coincidences in the novel may be too convenient at times, but they don't come as a surprise since they are foreshadowed and it's easy for me to forgive when the novel offers a story that appeals so strongly to my sentiments. I think the use of the first person narration is very effective in this novel too- it's the third one in a row I've read that uses it well. But it does it differently than the others . It makes me dislike the protagonist but then makes me think, if I have the right to judge him.
Amir, Hassan,Baba and Sohrab and the thread of destiny that binds them will stay with me
A more edited review:
"For you, a thousand times over" is an example of how phrases gain a different power and meaning when contexts changes . I loved it about this story. The phrase gained a lot of power in the ending. I loved the ending.
The book should have a TW for me for mention and slight description of male rape.
We follow the story of Amir from his well-provided childhood through historical turbulences,escape, life abroad and return. The first-person narration is very effective here too in that it makes me initially loathe Amir...but he's a very classic character in the sense that as a hero he makes me think of Aristotelian principle that the tragic hero must be neither a villain nor a virtuous man but a “character between these two extremes,…a man who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty". Plus, he's humane. They who ate without sins are welcome to throw stones but I know I'm not so instead I've tried to understand him and accept him.
He is surrounded by people who are loyal to him and who love him. I loved Hassan with his humility and strength and appreciated Baba. Amir makes mistakes and is hard on himself, he's very torn, perhaps just like Baba, his father. But in the end karma returns and Amir ultimately finds out he has things worth fighting for. I cheer him on in efforts beyond the book because the ending is wonderful. And he has grown considerably, slowly becoming a father himself. His is a journey of deliverance.
The coincidences in the novel may be too convenient but it's a novel that appeals to my sentiment, love the story of loyalty and bonds that go deep. Of fathers and sons (and it comes s full circle in a way) It's also a depiction of a culture with it's troubled conflicts, a modern day caste system that talks about bigotry and racism. I will buy this book for my shelves. ....more
Imagine everyone in the world goes blind. It doesn't take a nuclear war for the society to degenerate. In all this, one woman retains her eyesight andImagine everyone in the world goes blind. It doesn't take a nuclear war for the society to degenerate. In all this, one woman retains her eyesight and guides a group of companions. The horrors they experience though... Are chilling and stark. Therevare descriptions of abuse so be warned- but such things are not off radar, circumstances bring what they are and with people panicking.
The character lines are not distinguished from the main text, which gives it a bit of a challenge but fits because they indicate just voices as the world of the blind may be and they don't even have names, because names are not relevant.
The story is rich, thoughtful and riveting like a horror. It explores various meanings of blind and its associations.
The doctor's wife, the guiding light, is the ultimate compassion and for what it's worth her bond with her husband is strong through all this and every atrocity that happens. It's hard not to like her. Same with other characters.
It's a look at what blindness means. Perhaps we are all blind as we are now. Blind when we turn away from others. Blind when we fight. Blind when we wish to persevere. But is full humanity only achieved through suffering?
Great read. Very compelling.
I like it because of the concept, exploration of blindness in its various senses, the riveting part is how they find their way, what happens to them. I think it's an important book.
Edit: I'm reminded of Joseph Conrad's quote. I think I'm getting this from Sarmago's novel.
My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel � it is, before all, to make you see. That � and no more, and it is everything. If I succeed, you shall find there according to your deserts: encouragement, consolation, fear, charm � all you demand; and, perhaps, also that glimpse of truth for which you have forgotten to ask....more
I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I'd like to thank Blackthorn Tours for the opportunity.
One day our grandchildren mighI received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I'd like to thank Blackthorn Tours for the opportunity.
One day our grandchildren might sue us for what we do to Earth. David is nearing 100 years old. He has an AI caretaker and he wants to be euthanised. To do so, however, he must get the the approval of his only living relative. But Lily doesn't want to deal with his death and instead opts to use an alternate path which requires David to go to Climate Court first, where he can present his case as a lot of older people in this world have to do: the case of climate fight and their action or inaction. Our current generation's neglect of climate is basically put on trial in this novel. And David personifies this.
We begin the story as the 96-year old David expresses his desire to be euthanised. His AI claims he needs the consent of his only living relative, Lily. Lily, who has a parallel story of her own, doesn't want to deal with euthanasia, even more so because this is the first she's heard she had a relative. Things go from there as David isn't always very coherent and new facts come to light.
It's a world dealing with the aftermath of what if we don't do enough and the story speculates where things can go wrong. What interests might prevent us from doing it right. The book looks at how decisions on the highest levels may impact generations of the future and how they may judge us for it. And what might reality look like when a disaster that possibly could have been prevented strikes.
Another theme of the book is overreliance on AIs and their various functions and dangerous counter movements.
I Iiked it, it's a fast read with good premise. And I felt it was creative to show this as an actual trial. It makes a case for looking towards the future and making an effort now, rather than looking back and placing blame.
But I did not like everything about the book.
There was room for deeper explorations of David's sense of loss in the new world and for his feeling of guilt. Lily's storyline contributed a take on AIs and how she feels when confronted with the past but I felt there was irrelevant drama and flat characters that diminished the reception for me.
Lily's story wasn't particularly interesting, her sexuality and over reliance on an ex female lover on top of her interest in David's android-like male human attorney were grating to me. Besides, Ava, Lily's friend, felt flat and the insults at the end felt like a nuisance rather than anything worthwhile. I felt her role to be pretty redundant, I didn't feel like these things added anything especially interesting except for one thing: conversations with Matteo the lawyer did expand a bit consideration about the role of AIs.
However, I feel the driving concept is good and it was worth a read to think about our present and what if we find ourselves....in the court of our grandchildren....more
What a journey. I don't even know how to begin collecting all the updates that I shared as I kept reading. This is an absolutely fantastic, delightfulWhat a journey. I don't even know how to begin collecting all the updates that I shared as I kept reading. This is an absolutely fantastic, delightful read. What Cervantes accomplishes here is astonishing and there are several aspects that have absorbed and fascinated me. It's content-rich and a fabulous, amusing journey.
-It offers a great panorama of Spain of the time, along with problems, relations with Moors. It's rich in descriptions of some customs, traditions, like weddings. And more than that, an archive of chivalric romances that didn't last to our times. -Cervantes deals with a lot of tropes common to chivalric romances and he gives them a possibility to be seen within the narratives. We explore various what-ifs, and various fantastic adventures common to chivalric romances are parodied. But it's fascinating how Don Quixote sees one thing, but what really happens is a lot different. There are many fantastic adventures in this novel as a result, things that would make great fantasy if they weren't treated with such lovely biting realism. You will meet giants posed as windmills, enchanted heads, enchanters, flying horses, visions in caves. They are all amusing and what's more, a lot of the adventures are devised by other characters for their own amusement and they cover an amazing range of scenarios: from fights with windmill thought to be giants to sea adventures and sieges of towns.
While they are parodies that laugh at Quixote and knights-errant, they are also a commentary on how fiction can make our lives more colourful. Quixote might be the subject of jokes, not all of them nice, but he is still a sympathetic and lovable character and his belief in the magical is lovely because instead of mundane reality he sees wonders. And I love that. We can also treat his story from the perspective of mental health. There are also stories upon stories of numerous characters, a lot of them love stories that end with various results: some happy (much to my delight), others not so. Cardenio and Luscinda and then the story of the captive captain and then the story of Ana Felix and don Gaspardo are among my favourites I also loved the enchanted talking head (very inventive), the encounter with Knight of Mirrors and White moon, the puppet theatre and the actors....and so many others, I can't even name them! The book is super amusing in its duality: putting down what Cervantes considered absurdities of chivalric romances, but at the same time giving life to them in the imagination of Don Quixote. Those adventures made it possible to explore various what-ifs. What if Sancho was a governor, for instance. Quixote and Sancho ended up being protagonists within the story but also within stories/plots created for them by others - this is magnificent! It's like Q and Sancho become protagonists of a reality show within the story.
-It's fascinating how the characters know they have been the protagonists of a published book and how the story deals with the process of writing. There also some unsettling scenes about censorship and book burning, probably indicative of Cervantes' dislike for chivalric romances.
-Back to characters: there are so many, including shrewd and strong-minded women, Moors, captives, lords, doctors, actors...Cervantes really covered a whole spectrum and for me, it's part of the reason why this book is so priceless!
Also, while I did feel a certain dislike for the bad intentions behind some of the adventures/pranks devised for Quixote (Duke and Duchess, I'm looking at you), I also thought them amusing and this book made me chuckle a lot. And as I say, for me this part was also about how stories we devise may make our lives more interesting, so in the end, I forgive them. I love Quixote and his imagination though, even if I think Cervantes could have been less harsh in places.
The book is incredible. Don Quixote is both sympathetic and lovable but can also be read as a pompous madman, it depends on you, the reader, what you choose to see. His imagination drives him to see reality in a more wonderful way and I think it's wonderful, the adventures are many and all are amusing and interesting! in short, for me, there is a lot of amazing content in this book.
It's been an amazing journey. I read this book over a period of two months. I will miss Quixote and Sancho. And I will definitely reread this gem of a story at some point. Perhaps in a different translation to compare. The Edith Grossman one has been very enjoyable....more
- multiple POVs used with deliberation - overarching storyline involving Greek gods. - World War I romance with two intersecting stories, where one sto- multiple POVs used with deliberation - overarching storyline involving Greek gods. - World War I romance with two intersecting stories, where one story involves a coloured musician soldier and focuses on the treatment of coloured service people. He meets a Belgian singer. The second story involves an English couple, a piano player and a boy who would build things instead of destroying them.
Aphrodite: Of course, almost no one notices me, yet all but the hard-hearted do sense a new mood. Perhaps it’s my perfume. Perhaps it’s something more.
I really liked this half fantasy half historical war romance story which is framed as a trial of Ares and Aphrodite by jealous Haephastus, also featuring Apollo and Hades. As scorned Haephastus puts on trial his wife Aphrodite and her lover Ares, Aphrodite begins telling a story about two WW1 couples. In the process, she calls as her witnesses Ares, Apollo and Hades. They take turns narrating the story, each narrating bits corresponding to their "domain" e.g Hades narrates bits related to death, Ares is most often with the fighting. I really liked this multiple pov used this way. The characters are likeable, The couples meet and fall in love and the bonds are strong but they are all too soon separated by war and prejudices. What trials await? And what of Aphrodite's own trial?
A good war set romance with a bit more relevance to it, I could see this as a movie, if it hasn't yet been made into one. I really think the concept and the narrative were lovely and thought-out. Favourited....more
I'm still not sure what happened here other that it literally transforms the reading experience.
Two simultaneous storylines, one told in footnotes anI'm still not sure what happened here other that it literally transforms the reading experience.
Two simultaneous storylines, one told in footnotes and often taking over the other as the footnotes spill out of control. A man called Zampano wrote a manuscript about a strange house. A house that's way more than just a house. It's all described in great detail, and reads like a piece of found footage that's additionally described and analysed like a piece of academic research. Even reactions, every moment is subject to fictional academic scrutiny and I found it on point as far as academic research can sometimes go! A man called Johnny Truant comments on this narrative. He's pretty wild, engaged in all sorts of danger and lust but the story that unfolds is very dark and towards the end some things within the Zampano story start making perfect sense for Truant.
The whole thing seems to be a product of an unstable mind, a mind riddled with anxiety. But whose? There's so much unreliability, I ended up questioning everything, up to a point of asking - who's actually behind it all?
It's one book you cannot read on a Kindle as the experience would be lost. There is sideways text, upside down text, all reflects the chaos of the moments and I love it. Sometimes extra texts serves to make a noise.
It makes fantastic use of academic discourse, inserts extra material just like Moby Dick, includes poems and fictional references. It makes a great use of the concept of the uncanny and labyrinths and is in general a work covering an astounding breadth of angles. Furthermore, it really is a story that crawls under your skin, and you can't put the book down. The ending is not entirely hopeless though but still brutal. It's all fascinating. I especially love the breadth of styles used.
It's one for rereading, definitely, to see what I missed on the first read, and I'm very happy to put this book on my shelf....more
What I liked: - characters: all strong presences - themes: friendship, fathers and sons, the portrayal of a City - Flats vs point, Mystic River vs theWhat I liked: - characters: all strong presences - themes: friendship, fathers and sons, the portrayal of a City - Flats vs point, Mystic River vs the meaning of the title, Fate and how an event changes lives, what if, the portrayal of judgmentality
"He didn’t know why people were mean to other people. He didn’t understand. He didn’t understand".
It's a solid story. Dennis Lehane manages to create very humane characters that are sympathetic and complex. The novel looks at how an event affects the lives of three characters whose paths first cross when they're children. Dave, Sean, Jimmy spend time together but they all come from very distinct backgrounds and look like they are set to follow completely different paths in life.
And then the thing happens. The thing that leads them to think, even many years later, if things could have been different. Fate puts them all together again, on a major collision course as the daughter of one of them is murdered.
As the investigation is underway, old events are revisited, old questions asked. They all have strong stories going for them, all have strong presences (the movie adaptation makes them even more magnetic with the phenomenal cast choices; i feel like the movie is a good companion to the novel).
I don't care much for the vernacular but it is part of the environment building that gives it a part of its immersion. All three characters are important. Dave ..Dave is particularly interesting and tragic, problematic but sympathetic, strong and weak at the same time. Jimmy and Sean are both strong leader types, and they are opposites in pretty much most things. Friends and rivals with mutual acknowledgement. I really appreciate how this narrative starts from childhood and goes on to show how they turned out to be and what they struggle with and the eternal what if questions...some used as justification.
"glimpses, really of a life that could have been mine if that car hadn't rolled down Gamon street". The problem is, also bad timing and secrets. "Secrets are poison, secrets are walls". taking action instead of thinking through things a little more leads to more regrets.
The question of how something comes back to haunt and affect you. The question of how responses to a tragic event in those around you affect you as well - even years later. The relationship between the three characters has a compelling dynamic that veers between friendship/sympathy and rivrly / contempt. There's loyalty and faith and test of it. And things are messed up, but characters make the most of what they have.
Very good novel with strong characters.
It's got a different appeal than Shutter Island, which I also really loved- the twist there and likeable characters are ones I keep thinking back on. But this story here is more affecting in its examination of various relationships and how, by a stroke of fate, they get on a collision course, their lives intertwine and what emerges from this as well as from the confrontation and reckoning with the past....more
An iconic sci-fi that inspired Tarkovsky's movie with a script by the same authors. developed the concept of a stalker as a guide around abandoned plaAn iconic sci-fi that inspired Tarkovsky's movie with a script by the same authors. developed the concept of a stalker as a guide around abandoned places. A fresh and interesting concept that looks at human behaviour in relation to alien thrash.
Post visitation world. Stalker subculture develops around Visit zones. Stalkers scout and scavenge the zones and guide others. And what is the legendary golden Sphere?
I love the idea that aliens never notice us. This is just a stop, a roadside picnic, but the thrash left behind, however insignificant for aliens becomes something to fight over for the humans.
Engaging and atmospheric. I love Tarkovsky's movie and this book no less....more
I have read this because I enjoy Sci-Fi and am interested in space stories. I have really enjoyed the idea , the structure of the plot, and the passioI have read this because I enjoy Sci-Fi and am interested in space stories. I have really enjoyed the idea , the structure of the plot, and the passion behind it.
This is a good and accessible hard sci-fi (or maybe an adventure novel set in space) that asks to consider the significance of space exploration. It makes use of known, believable technology and the additional text in footnotes and appendices are testimony to the author's passionate interest in the topic and the admirable wish to present the material credibly- that alone is contagious. I cheer on the author's ambition to turn it into a movie; I think it would work very well in the movie format - I could see it as a film while reading.
It's well researched and factual, thoughtful about the whole idea and what we may have at stake and the adventure plot is good but character development is secondary and that has made the story a little less interesting for me.I didn't find the overall writing very compelling, it's competent and informed but somehow a little drier than I like, and so it didn't resonate with me, but the point and focus is to discuss space exploration and the need for it, along with its risks, dangers and possible outcomes. And that, along with the well arranged plot, is achieved very well.
We go on a journey to Saturn here, following a team of six pretty varied individuals. I liked some of them more than others. We follow in great detail the entire journey and I loved that because that gave the story a sense of completeness and progression and I did want to find out what else happens: from the conception of the idea, through preparation, the journey, what happens once they reach it and the journey back, along with some personal developments of the crew, and I liked the ending. Are the prices to pay worth the general outcome? And are we ready for it? There's quite a bit to think about regarding attitudes to space programmes, exploration and what is or isn't out there.
Despite the fact it didn't entirely mesmerise me as I hoped, I've found it to be very interesting and thoughtful, competently told. It leaves a good impression some time after reading, because it has good intentions and I will remember it more fondly than not. Space continues to fascinate me. I'll reread and reassess this one day....more
I absolutely love this book, i love its characters, created with so much tenderness and filled with love and loyalty to their families, their husbandsI absolutely love this book, i love its characters, created with so much tenderness and filled with love and loyalty to their families, their husbands and wives amids a terribly bleak history that tore brothers away from brothers and left families broken, destroyed. It's a story of courage, resilience and love.
The story follows two timelines and has a story within a story: one, the young protagonist Huong who learns about her grandmother and grandmother who tells us more about Vietnam and its harsh, brutal realities, brutality upon brutality, it's a really affecting narrative There are also stories of uncles and aunts. And we cheer for them, to find a happy peace. It's an instant favourite, filled with characters I've come to love, warm and sympathetic characters and a read that sheds light on a country's history of suffering, where the enemy is war, hatred, and indoctrination and where t survive choices had to be made, very difficult choices.
I love its style, I love how it introduced all the phrases that relate to Vietnam's customs, proverbs.....and the ending had a bit of a twist as history came together, and it was wonderful irony. an auspicious irony, as history...should be left in the past and forgiveness and love should be a guiding force. It's absolutely my kind of characters here and a striking story, brutal history, poetically, beautifully told.
The outer story unpacks the inner story and vice versa.
I first read this book as a teen, but I remembered little of it. It was a delight to read as aThe outer story unpacks the inner story and vice versa.
I first read this book as a teen, but I remembered little of it. It was a delight to read as an adult. The overarching story is a road story of a father and son - it's heartwarming and bittersweet and I liked their relationship. The son reads a miniature book along this journey, a story that deals with cards and a fantastical mystery. Cards tell the story of destiny long in the making. The book the boy reads is a story within a story within a story with multiple narrators who add little bits to the solitaire mystery.
I love the imagination in it, the soiltaire concept and the sense of wonder of the boy protagonist, I love the father and son story, the hopefulness, and things working out as they should. There are thouhtful and interestig themse to the story that are enjoyable to think about. For me, the book is ultimately life affirming. Of course, it's also philosophical....more
**spoiler alert** Gothic romantic suspense with great character studies. Mrs Danvers is definitely unforgettable. A young impressionable woman meets a**spoiler alert** Gothic romantic suspense with great character studies. Mrs Danvers is definitely unforgettable. A young impressionable woman meets a widower Maxim de Winter and marries him after a short, happy spell of romance. Little does she know what she's taken on.
Max is a troubled character but not unkind, but there is a wall that separates them. It's not age, it's the shadow of the past. They do not communicate with his young wife and as for her...I can relate to her. She has made so many assumptions and most of all kept second-guessing herself with her inferiority complex - she assumes a lot instead of confronting, has wild imagination and fantasies that she uses to construct her version of the truth but because she doesn't confront it, she deepens her inferiority complex and feelings of inadequacy, and the myth of Rebecca doesn't help, the pressures are mounting. But then I think Max does the sane, worried as he is about his own demons- I find him to be quite agreeable on the whole.
"I wondered how many people there were in the world who suffered, and continued to suffer because they could not break out from their own web of shyness and reserve, and in their blindness and folly built up a great distorted wall in front of them that hid the truth"
Honestly, I relate so much to this and the lessons I draw here is not to second guess yourself, be confident in who you are. And most of all- not to fantasize imagined scenarios, good or bad (not necessarily true in reality) but confront the things you want to know, your doubts so you can stand your ground. I liked how walls crumbled around them in the end and how that relationship transformed into more of a companionship. It's a coming of age story for the protagonist and for the relationship.
"Now that I knew her to have been evil and vicious and rotten I did not hate her any more"
And just when walls crumble and they are ready to face things together, there is indeed a major trial awaiting that more matured bond.
It's a great read, I gave four because even if I relate to the protagonist's anxiety, these kinds of antics get tiresome.
Mrs Danvers is a very interesting character, memorable as is Rebecca whose myth and the protagonist's naive belief in that myth- owing to her own sense of inferiority contributes to the tension. I loved how the myth-of Rebecca crumbled away bit by bit. Faded away. But the initial hold and the tensions it generated was very interesting.
I loved the descriptions of Manderley the opening pages and later evocative imagery. The prose is beautiful.
He had special cultivated flowers, grown for the house alone, in the walled garden. A rose was one of the few flowers, he said, that looked better picked than growing. A bowl of roses in a drawing-room had a depth of colour and scent they had not possessed in the open. There was something rather blowzy about roses in full bloom, something shallow and raucous, like women with untidy hair. In the house, they became mysterious and subtle. He had roses in the house at Manderley for eight months in the year.
I'd read it if you like gothic and a little bit twisty stories, where not everything is as it seems and if you like gorgeous prose.
PS: I don't like the glorification of Rebecca and I really dislike it when shy and awkward female characters are disparaged and called mousy or doormats when shy and awkward male characters are gushed over as adorable. I relate to them a lot and I've seen all too much tiresome negativity about shy and awkward women characters suffering from insecurity and inferiority complex which they are always fighting and struggling against it's they who are the real badasses because they grow stronger mentally and work for it, I take pride and pleasure in seeing such characters grow. It added a lot to the story as I have read it. I loved and cared for the protagonist of Rebecca, she reminded me not to second guess myself, the character has come to mean a lot to me. For that alone, I will most likely put Rebecca on my bookshelf, hopefully in a nice hardcover edition....more
Woah. The twist is everything in this story. I've thoroughly enjoyed the way the narrative carried me to that moment and what it turned out to be. It Woah. The twist is everything in this story. I've thoroughly enjoyed the way the narrative carried me to that moment and what it turned out to be. It really changed perspective and impact of characters and plot events. That's all I'm gonna say. That and characters are likeable. It works as a buddy story of sorts too...more
I didn't like everything about it but it's a fun, entertaining romp for the internet and gamer era. I'm a gamer and reading this did make me feel likeI didn't like everything about it but it's a fun, entertaining romp for the internet and gamer era. I'm a gamer and reading this did make me feel like I was in a game and I enjoyed accompanying the characters on their adventure quest and puzzle solving.
A game maker geek obsessed with the 1980s dies and leaves his fortune to be won in a special quest -hunt. The quest is fun, with lots of varied tasks. A whole movement forms around trying to solve it. And there's an evil antagonist too. Four teenagers are on top of it but they encounter obstacles courtesy of the greedy corporate antagonists.
The references to the 1980s and the details and descriptions of the hunt are really fun. It's written in a casual vernacular that fits the story. I've enjoyed the premise. The character building is not very interesting here though. The four young protagonists felt like typical action movie characters as were the greedy corporate antagonists so I find them forgettable and the story didn't make me feel particularly attached to them. Of course, I still cheered for their success. But I was more fond of Ogden and Kira. I'm not sure who played Wade in the movie version but I pictured Jake Gylenhall while reading it.
We've learned most about Halliday and that was the most fun, also the gamer researches into his story in order to deal with the quest- that central quest alone was a lot of fun.
This book is plot oriented rather than character or reflection oriented, definitely reads like a movie material, but there is something to think about given through this entertaining plot- a virtual reality as an escape from an increasingly dystopian world, and the impact it has on making relationships. Plus the reality of how much info can be gained about you, whether legally or illegally. also made me think of how totally this Oasis world in the book immersed its characters, it was really more like a second reality. A better reality but also one with more threats - and those threats endanger characters in the real world too. I think those parts of the book, along with 1980s reference had the most appeal for me.
A m good, entertaining read that I'm happy I've read....more
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