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ojaypm's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A good book driven by a genuinely interesting premise. Very character driven and an interesting style with dialogue not separated from the main text.
The characters are believable, human and fallible. Painful to read in some places describing the loss of loved ones. But I think there will be descriptions and scenes that stay in my head for a while
The characters are believable, human and fallible. Painful to read in some places describing the loss of loved ones. But I think there will be descriptions and scenes that stay in my head for a while
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, and Murder
marnash's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
My memory is shit, so when I kept insisting this is one of my all-time favorite books, it wasn't because I thoroughly remembered what went on in it when I read it waaaay back - I just remember how much I loved it then. "Then" being about 6 years ago, in 2016ish, this book being recommended to me by my ex-boyfriend Yarden. So it was about time for a re-read, and I was itching to get back into it. I remembered absolutely nothing, but as soon as I read the first few pages, I was again reminded why I love Paul Auster so much (and have since 2016 read various other books of his and have fairly definitively declared him as one of my favorite authors). I love this book SO much. It's sad, personal, gentle but also gut-wrenching at time. Auster beautiful describes human pain and grief, but also the potential for human connection and the ability to rediscover one's will to live. His characters are always multi-faceted, complex and so beautifully human. His writing is approachable, poetic and reflective. Despite not having remembered much of the plot, I can clearly see why my first read had left such an impact - this one is a gem.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Suicide, and Child death
hannet's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.5
Such a dense book, two lives told side by side, and it all came out of a third man's brain... Impressive. But still, I kinda felt like I've read this one before, all the instant-and-forever-in-love and sex-with-prostitutes and French literature. Very Paul Auster, I guess. Also wasn't sure about the ending and what the book was trying to tell me. Good entertainment, I guess.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Cursing, and Grief
Minor: Child death, Murder, and Alcoholism
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