Reviews

The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness

greathornedowl's review against another edition

funny mysterious sad fast-paced

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

3.75

pidgeon05's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

achillesheeled's review

3.0

But that's the trick, you see? The trick that makes eveything survivable. You've got to love somebody
3.5

this was prettily written but i think lacked some sort of substance that kept me from 100% falling in love with it. i enjoyed the retelling of the folktale and thought it was done in a unique way, but it wasnt groundbreaking or anything

rozerin_bozkurt's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

ladybaela's review against another edition

3.0

I'm not quite sure what to say about this book.

It has a beautiful and poetic prose but it is one of the most surreal books I've ever read.

The Crane Wife is a very different read to Mr. Ness's other works but I'm glad that I experienced it as I love his Chaos Walking trilogy.

As for the characters, well I liked George and Kumiko, but I didn't really like Amanda at all. This is partly due to her views on animals in war.

I would recommended this to fans of Patrick Ness and those who enjoy an unusual tale.

kat7890erina's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 stars

If you've read Ness's YA novel Release, you will understand the vibe of The Crane Wife almost immediately. A mythology (largely) of Ness's own making threads itself into the ordinary lives of ordinary people whose very real emotional experiences are laid heartbreakingly bare for our desperate consumption. Beautiful prose. Existential messages.

adeelif's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

jenhurst's review

2.0

I really like Patrick Ness and how different all of his novels are. If you don’t like one there’s a good chance you’ll like another. This is one that unfortunately did not work for me. His writing was as good as always but literary fiction does not really work for me usually. This is one example of this. I liked the retelling aspect of a Japanese folktale and it felt very fresh. But it felt very on the nose and I was just left feeling what was the point of all of this? I’ve read enough about the friend zone and “nice guys” and this didn’t add anything to the conversation for me.
I’m sure that some people will like this, especially if they like literary fiction but it just didn’t work for me.

sam_hartwig's review against another edition

2.0

Not sure what to think of this at the moment. Beautiful writing as per usual to Patrick Ness but the story and characters didn't do anything for me...

klparmley's review against another edition

4.0

The first chapter looked like fantasy. Then, it was straight fiction for a long time. A sweet love story. Then, it changed and the ending was sad and OK. It made me want to buy scissors and paper.