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candacesiegle_greedyreader's review
3.0
The backstory of "Innocence"is pretty interesting. Heda Kovaly translated an impressive roster of American novels into Czech, and was especially known for her translations of American Noir fiction.
In "Innocence" she uses the language of Raymond Chandler and applies it to her story of a murder at a movie theater in 1950s Prague. It's interesting but not completely successful. Most of the American noir authors seem to set their dark stories in sunny climates, but there's little light in Kovaly's Prague. For the characters, the most disturbing thing is not so much the murder of a child in the projection booth, it's that they are now on the radar of the authorities. There is rank fear, brought on by their knowledge that anything can happen without cause or explanation. Helena's husband has been sent to prison for giving his secretary directions to their summer house, not knowing that her new boyfriend was West German and that they would be driving past a clandestine military base. Helena's trying to lie low, but now that is over.
Is it that in order for something to work as a noir, there has to be light. Kovaly's story is so dark that the Chandler-style language is discordant. The stakes are too high for her characters. It's an interesting attempt, but not out of tune.
In "Innocence" she uses the language of Raymond Chandler and applies it to her story of a murder at a movie theater in 1950s Prague. It's interesting but not completely successful. Most of the American noir authors seem to set their dark stories in sunny climates, but there's little light in Kovaly's Prague. For the characters, the most disturbing thing is not so much the murder of a child in the projection booth, it's that they are now on the radar of the authorities. There is rank fear, brought on by their knowledge that anything can happen without cause or explanation. Helena's husband has been sent to prison for giving his secretary directions to their summer house, not knowing that her new boyfriend was West German and that they would be driving past a clandestine military base. Helena's trying to lie low, but now that is over.
Is it that in order for something to work as a noir, there has to be light. Kovaly's story is so dark that the Chandler-style language is discordant. The stakes are too high for her characters. It's an interesting attempt, but not out of tune.
cimorene1558's review
3.0
Innocence, otherwise known as “there isn’t much of it”. It’s well-done in its gritty way, but almost everyone is not innocent in the end, which is sad but not unexpected, given the setting.
catlove9's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.0
readerbot_lu's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Did I like it? Yes
Do I recommend it? Yes
Do I recommend it? Yes
victoria_forbes's review
2.0
It was not my least favorite book of all time, but it surely was not great. I found myself not only uninterested, but also lost by the book for at least half of it. This could be due to the fact that the names were quite different and therefore maybe it was hard to keep the characters straight?
All and all it just wasn't my cup of tea.
All and all it just wasn't my cup of tea.
abookishtype's review
3.0
The starting position of the police in 1950s Prague is that everyone is guilty of something. If they can't find evidence of a crime, it just means they're not looking hard enough. It's a wonder that there are enough detectives to investigate actual murders, since so many seem busy trying to catch people committing "political crimes." In Innocence; Or, Murder on Steep Street, by Heda Margoulis Kovály, the novel's protagonist, Helena Nováková, is the unfortunate target of Captain Nedoma—before Nedoma turns up stabbed to death on the street where Helena works...
Read the rest of my reviews at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
Read the rest of my reviews at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
brummelfaoro's review
3.0
It was a little hard to follow all of the characters just because the names are Czech and there are a lot of players. An interesting story.
rachelannekass's review
1.0
I was extremely excited to read this book; however, I was extremely disappointed in it. After about 100 pages I could not even continue reading. Maybe it is just a style issue, but it just did not work for me.
lauraellis's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this book up because of the fascinating bio of the author, and I found this book interesting for its portrayal of life in communist Czechoslovakia at the height (or pit) of the Cold War. Much of it was confusing and even at the end I wasn't sure what happened. Part of it was her style, as she frequently changed points of view and sometimes did not identify characters other than "the woman" or "the fat man."
I think her memoir will be even more fascinating.
I think her memoir will be even more fascinating.