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cdebrecz's review
3.0
Glad I picked this one up for quarantine reading. A melancholy journey through the memories, musings and daydreams of a 100-yr-old blind man trapped in his apartment was a good match for my mood these past few days
rachelvb's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, this book is amazing. I'm tempted to just write "That's deep, man", but, obviously, you know. It's not done.
The first movement of the book is a recounting by Ulrich of his life, telling his story now that he lives alone at a 100 years old, has seen life wither around him, and is blind following an accident with a jar of sulphuric acid.
The second movement, on the other hand, is a whole other world, the world in Ulrich's daydreams, a world where the protagonist violinist Boris achieves success in the US, drastically different to the restrained and regulated life under Communism he lived through himself.
It's a great read, and not entirely what I expected out of this book. Probably, I had little to no expectations at all! I picked it up by pure chance: the cover struck my eyes when I walked into a bookshop one time, and a few weeks later, again, the book's spine caught my eyes in the library.
The first movement of the book is a recounting by Ulrich of his life, telling his story now that he lives alone at a 100 years old, has seen life wither around him, and is blind following an accident with a jar of sulphuric acid.
The second movement, on the other hand, is a whole other world, the world in Ulrich's daydreams, a world where the protagonist violinist Boris achieves success in the US, drastically different to the restrained and regulated life under Communism he lived through himself.
It's a great read, and not entirely what I expected out of this book. Probably, I had little to no expectations at all! I picked it up by pure chance: the cover struck my eyes when I walked into a bookshop one time, and a few weeks later, again, the book's spine caught my eyes in the library.
sve100's review
4.0
Rana Dasgupta says in an interview : "I have lived in the US and India for a long time and they are such big countries and so obsessed with themselves and think they are the whole world. I found it interesting to write about a small country."
The book tells a story of a 100-year old Bulgarian. It was published in Bulgarian by "Janet-45" and has a marvellous tranlation.
I am too much connected to this book already to comment extensively, just want to say it is a brave and exciting literary experiment.
Hope more Bulgarians read it and share how they feel...
And Rana Dasgupta is an author to definitely keep an eye on in future :)
Added on 10 May: Here is one review atempt in Bulgarian: http://azcheta.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1000:qq-&catid=3:review&Itemid=27
The book tells a story of a 100-year old Bulgarian. It was published in Bulgarian by "Janet-45" and has a marvellous tranlation.
I am too much connected to this book already to comment extensively, just want to say it is a brave and exciting literary experiment.
Hope more Bulgarians read it and share how they feel...
And Rana Dasgupta is an author to definitely keep an eye on in future :)
Added on 10 May: Here is one review atempt in Bulgarian: http://azcheta.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1000:qq-&catid=3:review&Itemid=27
samidhak's review
4.0
This summer has been a blessing. I have read such amazing books that are actually going to stay with me for life.
One such book is Solo. Initially when I started it I thought it would be another politically-forward book and through politics it'll talk about life but I was so wrong.
Solo is divided into two parts. This man, Ulrich is almost ninety when he decides that he still has a lot to give to the world, that his legacy needs to be out there.
The first part of the book is talking about his own self, parents and the choices that he made that define him today.
The second part, which follows the lives of three other people, is the part that absolutely touched my heart.
Solo is so well written that I had to literally flag every page and underline ever quote.
The beauty of Solo is that the lines that he uses are so specific to the context that you can't use them in any other way.
I have read another one of Rana Dasgupta's books and I liked that one too, but there was something about Solo that I admire in very few books. I am definitely going to re read this again in a couple of months.
A beautiful mirage of music,politics, love, decisions, life and familial relationships. This is everything one needs to read about.
One such book is Solo. Initially when I started it I thought it would be another politically-forward book and through politics it'll talk about life but I was so wrong.
Solo is divided into two parts. This man, Ulrich is almost ninety when he decides that he still has a lot to give to the world, that his legacy needs to be out there.
The first part of the book is talking about his own self, parents and the choices that he made that define him today.
The second part, which follows the lives of three other people, is the part that absolutely touched my heart.
Solo is so well written that I had to literally flag every page and underline ever quote.
The beauty of Solo is that the lines that he uses are so specific to the context that you can't use them in any other way.
I have read another one of Rana Dasgupta's books and I liked that one too, but there was something about Solo that I admire in very few books. I am definitely going to re read this again in a couple of months.
A beautiful mirage of music,politics, love, decisions, life and familial relationships. This is everything one needs to read about.
_pickle_'s review
2.0
First half was quite good, but then when Ulrich was no longer the main character the book felt confused, pointless and a little silly. Very disappointing. There was no flow, and what was charming at the first half was stilted and amateurish and contrived in the second half.
calyssa's review against another edition
4.0
I most enjoyed the subtlety of the dialogue. Each moment it seems as though there is more than one meaning to each sentence, word, gesture; this becomes even more pressing in the second movement of the novel. While there were moments that I felt dragged on longer than necessary, there is astonishing depth to this novel. I particularly liked the history and character of Ulrich, and the history that he was able to witness.
msmegazord's review
2.0
I found a sparse distribution of compelling or enjoyable moments in this novel. However, overall it was too pretentious to follow easily or relate to in any consistent way. It is unrelentingly bleak from beginning to end.
dws405's review
4.0
This book was an interesting read. I learned a little about the history of Bulgaria, chemistry, and gangster criminal life in the Crimea. The underlying story is told through day dreams, real events, and metaphors. This is what I like about good novels....they make you think and along the way you are exposed to different thoughts and ideas.
rieviolet's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I liked the first section of the book definitely more, the story of Ulrich's life intertwined with the history of Bulgaria was interesting to read and I appreciated the writing style, it was a bit strange at first but it flowed well after getting used to it. Still, I did not particularly enjoyed how certain characters and their portrayals were handled and found many scenes quite baffling and unnecessary.
When it comes to the second section, I can honestly say that I did not liked it one bit. I did not care for the characters, I did not enjoyed their stories and how they were developed. At times, I also found the writing style confusing and I just could not understand at all what certain sentences were supposed to mean.
When it comes to the second section, I can honestly say that I did not liked it one bit. I did not care for the characters, I did not enjoyed their stories and how they were developed. At times, I also found the writing style confusing and I just could not understand at all what certain sentences were supposed to mean.
All in all, I liked the first section enough but the second one just ruined the reading experience for me, going through it felt like a slog. One of the few things that really stayed with me is this quote:
40 or 50 years, he thought, were enough for a modern life, for the human frame could not hold up if the world was destroyed too many times and made again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Violence, Sexual content, War, Murder, and Animal death
Moderate: Child death, Antisemitism, Suicide, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Confinement, Abandonment, Trafficking, Torture, Racial slurs, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Blood, Abortion, Fatphobia, Gore, Kidnapping, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Mental illness, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexism
Minor: Vomit, Excrement, Genocide, Infidelity, Cancer, and Medical content
shai_fyi's review
5.0
This is the best book I've read this year. Rana Dasgupta transports you into the world of a 100 year old man in Sofia, Bulgaria. This man was a chemist, so the first half of the book is about his past, divided into chapters called Radium, Magnesium, Barium and so on. While the second half is about the future in the form of his day-dreams that sit somewhere on the edge of reality. Splendid read.