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silviamichienzi1995's review against another edition
3.0
Il romanzo è lungo, davvero lungo (600 e passa pagine) e si dipana per spazi e tempi molto diversi tra loro. A volte troppo. Mi spiego:è interessante il parallelismo tra schiavismo americano e persecuzione nazista, ma in mezzo ci sono così tante cose che ne risulta un po' un guazzabuglio poco coeso. Basti pensare al personaggio di Sophie, che dovrebbe essere il più curato, ma in realtà è troppo forte la scissione tra Sophie polacca e Sophie americana. Forse per questo non mi ha coinvolta troppo dal punto di vista emotivo, anche se questo rientra tra i fini del romanzo. Styron però è un buon narratore, e la traduzione è abbastanza buona.
sanjana1510's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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
2.0
kimmyp's review against another edition
3.5
I am glad to have read this, and not just because it’s been sitting on my TBR for years. The book is from Stingo’s perspective but is about him, Nathan and Sophie. If the book could have been all about Sophie’s life, which includes Nathan, and we could have left Stingo completely out of it, I would have enjoyed this book much more than I did. Luckily I thought the writing got better as the story went on. At first it was very overwrought and pretentious, which I assume was an intentional choice because it was from Stingo’s perspective, who was a young man with the pretentious assurity of becoming America’s next great novelist. Thematically it worked, but I didn’t enjoy the reading experience. And then beyond that, I just thought he was a bit of a creep for the rest of the book. I did not care about him being a virgin and being self conscious and mad about it and obsessing about it constantly. His views on all that from the 1940s didn’t age well. Sophie’s life story is where the real heart of the novel lies. A tragic figure who endured so many hardships in her life and managed to survive it all, but not unscathed and her demons catch up to her. The portrayal of WWII and the Holocaust was really captivating and moving. Sophie lived with a lot of guilt for the choices she was forced to make. And it was really interesting how her story unfolded. How she tried to hide it from everyone, even herself. Wanda, her friend during the war, was a small but great and inspiring character. I have some sympathy for Nathan. Especially after learning that he was mentally ill. At his best he was charismatic and charming and fun. But he said and did some truly awful things to Sophie. Besides that, I am glad that she was able to find and experience some true and real love and happiness before her end.
mandocal's review
challenging
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
lsaunders685's review
challenging
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thefangirlsdilemma's review
3.0
Very strange book.
Thoroughly human and dark in places. Remarkably mediocre and dull in others. Kind of about the way evil twists the human soul, but mostly about how it’s narrator really wants to get laid?
Thoroughly human and dark in places. Remarkably mediocre and dull in others. Kind of about the way evil twists the human soul, but mostly about how it’s narrator really wants to get laid?
tenderedge's review
Didn't finish--- it got too sad. I know, duh... what did I expect?
alannahjrpurslow's review
5.0
I read 3/4 of this book, not completely finishing as I borrowed it from someone and had to give it back. I will certainly get another copy to finish it though!
This book had me unexpectedly laughing out loud (shout out to the book Stingo recalls reviewing that was particularly humorous: all centering around a man named Willard, his lover and some pretty hefty agricultural instruments)! The descriptions of Stingo’s job at a publishing house are wonderfully funny, including some unexpected light moments with his boss. You really root for Stingo during all of his interactions with his father, who isn’t so approving of his job, or career path choice:
“I found that the creative heat which at eighteen has nearly consumed me with its gorgeous, relentless flame had flickered out to a dim plot light, registering little more than a token glow in my breast, or wherever my hungriest ambitions once resided.”
Styron’s novel also made me swoon! He truly has a gift for incredibly vivid, picturesque descriptions that emotionally invest you in his characters and their surroundings. I think this is one of the quotes that encapsulates this most:
“These illlerate daydreams are an attempt to romanticise what must be a ghastly existence.”
Finally, onto the titular character of Sophie. Styron creates an incredibly elusive atmosphere concerning her past and certain aspects of her personality. He integrates this elusiveness seamlessly into her interactions with the other characters, and when the other characters curiously describe her present life.
In addition to delighting me, making me laugh, and leaving me in constant awe at his seemingly effortless and engaging writing, Styron writes harrowingly at the experiences which Sophie has endured in the Auschwitz camp and the events leading up to her titular “choice”. The recounting of these experiences make you emotional, pensive and curl up with the thought of how anyone could have endured this horrible moment in history.
Overall, I give this five stars and I definitely recommend. It is now one of my favourite novels.
This book had me unexpectedly laughing out loud (shout out to the book Stingo recalls reviewing that was particularly humorous: all centering around a man named Willard, his lover and some pretty hefty agricultural instruments)! The descriptions of Stingo’s job at a publishing house are wonderfully funny, including some unexpected light moments with his boss. You really root for Stingo during all of his interactions with his father, who isn’t so approving of his job, or career path choice:
“I found that the creative heat which at eighteen has nearly consumed me with its gorgeous, relentless flame had flickered out to a dim plot light, registering little more than a token glow in my breast, or wherever my hungriest ambitions once resided.”
Styron’s novel also made me swoon! He truly has a gift for incredibly vivid, picturesque descriptions that emotionally invest you in his characters and their surroundings. I think this is one of the quotes that encapsulates this most:
“These illlerate daydreams are an attempt to romanticise what must be a ghastly existence.”
Finally, onto the titular character of Sophie. Styron creates an incredibly elusive atmosphere concerning her past and certain aspects of her personality. He integrates this elusiveness seamlessly into her interactions with the other characters, and when the other characters curiously describe her present life.
In addition to delighting me, making me laugh, and leaving me in constant awe at his seemingly effortless and engaging writing, Styron writes harrowingly at the experiences which Sophie has endured in the Auschwitz camp and the events leading up to her titular “choice”. The recounting of these experiences make you emotional, pensive and curl up with the thought of how anyone could have endured this horrible moment in history.
Overall, I give this five stars and I definitely recommend. It is now one of my favourite novels.