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bobbo49's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Like other Borges collections, some of the essays and poems are good . . . and some just take my breath away. His ability to vividly capture historical people and events and examine them through a philosopher's lens, or to look at his own life as he evolved, or to find deepest meaning in the ephemeral, is all simply magical. And I loved rereading some things I had read years ago, such as those from The Aleph and Other Stories.
highestiqinfresno's review against another edition
3.0
A mixed bag for me. The best is tremendous. "Death and the Compass", "The South", and "The Aleph" are among the best short stories I have read in many years. Like Lovecraft, Borges is a master of moods. Whether a sun-baked plain, creaking old house, or somber library, his writing is transporting - a wonderful quality during quarantine.
I didn't particularly enjoy the poetry. I'm not sure if it was lost in translated, but none of the poems struck me or made me feel anything.
As a first time Borges reader, I would have liked a more robust foreword that laid out his core themes and ideas. It took me about 100 pages to really understand what he was doing and I had to do some internet sleuthing to better grasp a few of the stories. These stories require attention and more annotation would have helped me appreciate why his work is so singular and beloved.
I didn't particularly enjoy the poetry. I'm not sure if it was lost in translated, but none of the poems struck me or made me feel anything.
As a first time Borges reader, I would have liked a more robust foreword that laid out his core themes and ideas. It took me about 100 pages to really understand what he was doing and I had to do some internet sleuthing to better grasp a few of the stories. These stories require attention and more annotation would have helped me appreciate why his work is so singular and beloved.
radueriel's review against another edition
4.75
unsurprisingly, a labyrinth of mirrors, creation, reduplication, time, and history
h_berry0410's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
sylda's review
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
harry_ord's review against another edition
4.0
Some enjoyable and easy to read short stories and poems while some others felt like they required more attention to fully understand. The translations have a wonderful flow to them and never gave me the impression something was lost in translation. I can't read Spanish but the stories didn't feel like they had any awkward sections of writing.
The dead man, Funes, the memorious, The Aleph and The End were favourites of mine.
The dead man, Funes, the memorious, The Aleph and The End were favourites of mine.
nenshhh's review against another edition
5.0
This makes me feel closer to Borges because he put these stories and poems in this order. Of course that is a GREAT thing.
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