Scan barcode
paigeweb's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Abstract, obscure and enthralling. The Apple in the Dark went from being my least favorite Clarice book in the first half to ranking among my favorites during the second and third parts. Somewhere around the midway point, something clicked... As Clarice would say, in her signature phrasing, "something had happened"; as a reader, I "awoke."
In The Apple in the Dark, Clarice deconstructs a man down to his basest elements before setting about the laborious process of his incremental psychological resurrection. As his mental landscape evolves, so does the clarity of the writing; it is as if, with the character of Martim as surrogate, Clarice is giving birth to herself in a dual act of self-creation on part of both author and protagonist (comparisons to A Breath of Life would be interesting on this point). The catalyst for Martim's metamorphosis? A crime that is at once central and peripheral to the story. Its particulars are of small importance to the plot, yet its consequence is a profound existentialist meditation on what it means to be and to communicate, and the cost of individuality.
"Are we bad?", he wondered perplexed as if he'd never lived. What dark thing is it that we need, what greedy thing is this existence that makes a hand grasp like a claw? and yet that greedy wanting is our strength and our clever and helpless children are born from our darkness and inherit it, and beauty is in this dirty wanting, wanting, wanting -- oh body and soul, how to judge you if we love you?
In The Apple in the Dark, Clarice deconstructs a man down to his basest elements before setting about the laborious process of his incremental psychological resurrection. As his mental landscape evolves, so does the clarity of the writing; it is as if, with the character of Martim as surrogate, Clarice is giving birth to herself in a dual act of self-creation on part of both author and protagonist (comparisons to A Breath of Life would be interesting on this point). The catalyst for Martim's metamorphosis? A crime that is at once central and peripheral to the story. Its particulars are of small importance to the plot, yet its consequence is a profound existentialist meditation on what it means to be and to communicate, and the cost of individuality.
"Are we bad?", he wondered perplexed as if he'd never lived. What dark thing is it that we need, what greedy thing is this existence that makes a hand grasp like a claw? and yet that greedy wanting is our strength and our clever and helpless children are born from our darkness and inherit it, and beauty is in this dirty wanting, wanting, wanting -- oh body and soul, how to judge you if we love you?
joshbushey's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mirrortower's review against another edition
3.5
there were pieces and passages that i REALLY liked. i understand lispector's sentiment about this novel being her most conventionally structured, but even so, at times it felt like a chore to get through, which is never something i want from my favorite author. towards the end, though, i started to like it more.
dragonfiddler's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Racism
isabellanin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
readingweird's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
greesman's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read the translation by Benjamin Moser.
I really enjoyed this book. Portions of Martim’s transformation I found difficult to (completely) understand. However, this was the point: being uncertainty or not understanding yet proceeding anyway. I found that I had to overcome some of the emotional obstacles Martim endured in order to complete the book, that I was undergoing some transformation in parallel with Martim.
I really enjoyed this book. Portions of Martim’s transformation I found difficult to (completely) understand. However, this was the point: being uncertainty or not understanding yet proceeding anyway. I found that I had to overcome some of the emotional obstacles Martim endured in order to complete the book, that I was undergoing some transformation in parallel with Martim.
socorrobaptista's review against another edition
5.0
Estonteante! Acho que esta é a palavra que melhor descreve este livro, narrado no melhor estilo de fluxo de consciência que já li. É preciso ler com calma, para não se perder nos devaneios dos personagens, em especial do protagonista, de quem mal sabemos o nome. Muito desafiador, mostrando, de forma inequívoca, o gigantesco talento de uma de nossas maiores escritoras. Viva Lispector!
rouge_red's review against another edition
Paused. It's a little more involved than I want my reading to be atm.