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lmrising's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
nhcfriedman's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
peixinhodeprata's review against another edition
3.0
My first experience with this author, and it was worth it. A difficult book to read and keep track, nonetheless is filled with meaning and an innovative style. It sure made me want to grab is more acclaimed book, and see what fruits this experiment of a book bore.
blankgarden's review against another edition
4.0
My review: https://theblankgarden.com/2019/01/11/review-intimate-ties-robert-musil-vereinigungen/
blankgarden's review
4.0
My review: https://theblankgarden.com/2019/01/11/review-intimate-ties-robert-musil-vereinigungen/
brynhammond's review
3.0
Hard to rate, hard to understand. My first Musil, and a self-confessed experiment that baffled people who had received other work well. From the translator's Afterword: 'What started out as an attempt to quickly whip off a text to placate an eager publisher stretched into a soul-searching experiment in the course of which, as he wrote in his journal, "I almost drove myself out of my mind".'
'Two erotic novellas': Modernist, stream-of-consciousness erotica, eventually. Intimate Distance was the translator's alternate choice for a title, and seems to me to better suit stories where women -- the POVs -- are disengaged from men, even in the first story's apparent passionate marriage. She reminisces on her loose years before marriage and drifts towards an under-motivated infidelity. Great cover. The second story has a beast obsession and a near(?) sexual encounter with a dog, so that explains that.
I can't comment on the translation -- unless/until I try the other translations available in [b:Five Women|191939|Five Women|Robert Musil|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347406508s/191939.jpg|836294]. The translator says he has to imitate Musil's dead ends, unfinished thoughts and ill successes, and he was glad when it was over.
Verdict: Interesting.
ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.
'Two erotic novellas': Modernist, stream-of-consciousness erotica, eventually. Intimate Distance was the translator's alternate choice for a title, and seems to me to better suit stories where women -- the POVs -- are disengaged from men, even in the first story's apparent passionate marriage. She reminisces on her loose years before marriage and drifts towards an under-motivated infidelity. Great cover. The second story has a beast obsession and a near(?) sexual encounter with a dog, so that explains that.
I can't comment on the translation -- unless/until I try the other translations available in [b:Five Women|191939|Five Women|Robert Musil|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347406508s/191939.jpg|836294]. The translator says he has to imitate Musil's dead ends, unfinished thoughts and ill successes, and he was glad when it was over.
Verdict: Interesting.
ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.
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