Reviews

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

thegillbird's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

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

3.25

alalex's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

rach260's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Who is Duszejko? This is almost as propulsive a story line as the murders that are occurring in a remote Polish town. As the crumbs are dropped I was repeatedly surprised by the sometimes contradictory aspects of our narrator’s life and personality. I loved it and shall seek out more of Tokarczuk’s work. One of her translators released a book this year called The Extinction of Irena Ray that I may shift up the TBR pile after reading this. 

stephibabes's review against another edition

5.0

I had to take a few days before reviewing this book. I was just so utterly spellbound by this book. Tokarczuk created a character in Janina that is very unlike so many others I have read. Our protagonist is possibly the most relatable character in literature I have come across. I am at pains to add, not in all ways! But her passionate passages about the relationship of humans towards animals I found so fortifying as a vegan.

Tokarczuk's characterisation of this older woman is both a the most idiosyncratic and (almost) admirable. Her passion put her at odds with the norms of the society she lives in. It was this I found a real connection to. Particularly her view of animals. Her solitary lifestyle means her circle of contacts and friends is very small and letting people get close is difficult. I liked the smallness and intimacy of this, even if at times it felt claustrophobic or at the other end lonely.

I kinda don't get the whole "mysterious thriller" label, and I am sure fans of that genre would maybe find this quite odd. The mystery for me wasn't really central.

There is so much more about this book and this strong feminist character I could say, but I think testament is that, although I try to keep my consumption low and light, borrow books or purchase second hand, when I was in my local independent bookshop I saw this just a couple of days after finishing it, and knew I would want to read it again and instantly purchased it.

howl13's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

lorikan64's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

robyn1998's review against another edition

challenging funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was so different from what I expected it to be! I was thinking it'd be very gloomy and wide-ranging from the title. Instead it was odd, funny at times, with an intriguing main character who felt so real. I loved Janina's takes on the world despite not agreeing with a lot of her strange ideas. And I appreciated that Olga Tokarczuk presented lots of different viewpoints without necessarily directing us to one or the other

. I would've liked to have found out how Janina got rid of Father Rustle though.

Also, I am so interested in why Otessa Moshfegh wrote an extremely similar story just 2 years after the translation of Drive Your Plow in English was published. Kind of makes me want to reread Death In Her Hands but I didn't particularly enjoy it so I probably won't get around to it.

dengekimo's review against another edition

emotional tense 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

3.25

Listen to this for a book club. It was aggressively not for me, but I can understand why it was well received. I found it tedious at many points, as the main character would go on rants about things that ultimately didn't matter. 

mihye's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.5

lgiery's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is the most moving (and effective) argument for adopting a vegetarian diet and a cruelty-free life. (This is coming from a non-vegetarian). Well deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize, and an easy 5.0 star book.