Reviews

Boredom by Angus Davidson, Alberto Moravia, William Weaver

pasinsky's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

Moravia ha un bellissimo stile di scrittura. Questo romanzo è spesso associato a "Gli indifferenti" e si capisce subito il perché: l'atmosfera è simile e entrambi i romanzi affrontano due temi, quello dell'indifferenza e quello della noia, che nel modo in cui sono descritti non sono molto differenti. Ottima lettura.

jferrell526's review against another edition

5.0

Need a laugh?

Joel Spriggs never fails!! With Boredom &Bedlam he gives us another round of Esmy and Jake getting in trouble. Of course, Great-Grandpa Loki is there to pull them out. Get ready to laugh yourself silly!!!

nikolairanko's review against another edition

challenging dark funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

gempoole's review against another edition

2.0

The beginning of this book is amazing. Dino's characterisation is so good and his voice really reminded me of Camus' 'The Outsider'? Also, the way Moravia constructs this idea of boredom and disconnection with reality was really interesting and I was excited to see where it was going to go. However, as soon as Cecelia was introduced and their story began to unfold I just lost interest. Dino is too intense, too creepy and it made me super uncomfortable. Of course i'm taking into account the attitudes of the time but the book was ruined for my by the incessant lusting after a young girl and the repeated attempts of men to 'possess' her and manipulate her into staying with them for their own amusement / psychological development?
The two stars are purely for Moravia's writing, I really loved it and although the characters are pretty awful (besides Cecelia who probably has a lot of emotional trauma), they are written really effectively and I could believe that they were real people, kinda terrible, but well written.

amkclaes's review against another edition

4.25

Moravia's novel draws you in through a character whose self-proclaimed ennui proves to be anything but. As his obsession with his young lover escalates, it throws his discerning eye for other personalities and interpersonal dynamics into sharp relief. Dino's delusion of his own ennui is further emphasized by Cecilia's utter detachment with the world as well as her disinterest in anything but the present moment. Her hyperbolic apathy serves as the perfect foil to Dino's obsessive interrogation and speculation.
One star taken off for the pacing. It was at times tedious to go along with Dino through the same patterns over dozens of pages though the effect paid off.

jscmrc's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

i hated the way the main character talked about the girlfriend

savshu's review

adventurous challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

garleighc's review

4.0

This book was called "the boredom" but it's anything except boring! Adultery, upper-middle-class white people problems, driving really quickly and dramatically down highways... okay, so it doesn't sound super interesting or unique but I love the way that the protagonist, while proclaiming he hates his family's wealth and doesn't care for money, seeks to possess the one thing he can't have, Cecilia. And the more he possesses her sexually the more he realizes he will never possess her fully, even as he throws money at her time after time. And then the book explores this possession's relationship with love, and the inevitability of love leading into boredom in the eyes of the protagonist. This was the first full-length novel I've read in Italian that I fully enjoyed and felt I understood.