Reviews

Somersault by Kenzaburō Ōe

alisonjfields's review

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3.0

Moves pretty quickly for what is a very slow build of a book. It has sort of a lulling, meditative pace and most of the action comes in short bursts around lengthy dialogues that are sometimes sermons and parables and sometimes just read like sermons and parables. My sense is that this book conveys a kind of equivocal philosophical state that I am too unfocused to truly appreciate. Some fine dialogue and shades of Murakami in the weirder moments if you're into that sort of thing.

cronosmu's review against another edition

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1.0

Los más talentosos suelen ser también los responsables de las mayores pifias.

drewbios's review

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750 pages, 650 of which spiralled through gruelling permutations and combinations.
Interesting themes though, perhaps lost in translation.

shintemaster's review

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4.0

I took forever to read this (as a quick reader) and found it terribly frustrating. It's beautiful and I still think of it regularly years later. I think I hate it and would highly recommend.

Hard work in many ways but I'd argue worth the effort.

archer_sloane's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective slow-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

3.75

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