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thebobsphere's review
3.0
Just like the previous book I reviewed, The Life of Insects is also out of print and you can find a copy at abebooks.com. It was also a bit troublesome to attain as I had to wait a month to receive it then it was a bit tatty. To top it all of it’s a 190 page book and it took me a day to finish it.
As such these are tiny gripes, what really matters is if I enjoyed it or not and to tell the truth I’ve got quite a few mixed reactions and I’m still debating on whether I actually enjoyed ‘The Life of Insects’
On one hand the plot is good. There are fragmented chapters which focus on humans morphing into insects and then back again into human form. The thing is that each chapter deals with a philosophical conundrum or criticises modern-day Russia.
Now I don’t mind this at all. I like a good novel which makes me think and some chapters are brilliant, especially the cockroach narrative. The translation is good as well and brings out the issues that Pelevin is dealing with. What is clever is that the characters transformations are not obvious and it takes a couple of paragraphs to figure out what is actually happening.
One the other hand I felt that the book did not really hold together and that it was just simply a novel of ideas. I would like to say that I’m not adverse to this but I did feel that something was definitely lacking and hindering my enjoyment. Also some chapters are much better than others so there is a lot of inconsistencies.
At the moment I guess I can say that I didn’t love the novel but neither did I dislike it. On the whole there’s some good stuff flowing from this brief novel but you ave to wade through some dodgy territory to reach the better chapters.
As such these are tiny gripes, what really matters is if I enjoyed it or not and to tell the truth I’ve got quite a few mixed reactions and I’m still debating on whether I actually enjoyed ‘The Life of Insects’
On one hand the plot is good. There are fragmented chapters which focus on humans morphing into insects and then back again into human form. The thing is that each chapter deals with a philosophical conundrum or criticises modern-day Russia.
Now I don’t mind this at all. I like a good novel which makes me think and some chapters are brilliant, especially the cockroach narrative. The translation is good as well and brings out the issues that Pelevin is dealing with. What is clever is that the characters transformations are not obvious and it takes a couple of paragraphs to figure out what is actually happening.
One the other hand I felt that the book did not really hold together and that it was just simply a novel of ideas. I would like to say that I’m not adverse to this but I did feel that something was definitely lacking and hindering my enjoyment. Also some chapters are much better than others so there is a lot of inconsistencies.
At the moment I guess I can say that I didn’t love the novel but neither did I dislike it. On the whole there’s some good stuff flowing from this brief novel but you ave to wade through some dodgy territory to reach the better chapters.
prelina's review against another edition
5.0
Krievu valodā vēl nejūtos tik ērti, tāpēc šo lasīju latviski un liekas, ka daļa pieredzes ar to tika nozagta. Bet, neskatoties uz to, šis bija brīnišķīgi!
Ja jāsalīdzina ar jau lasītajiem autoriem, es teiktu, ka te ir kaut kas no Kafkas (kukaiņi, protams, bet arī teksta daudzslāņainība) un kaut kas no Vonnegūta (tieši tā, savienots nesavienojamais).
Diezgan sen nebiju skaļi smējusies, lasot grāmatu. Un reizē tik daudz izmantojusi google, lai uzzinātu tekstā nepateikto (drusku būtu prasījušās zemsvītras piezīmes). Un priecājusies par meistarīgi savītajām sižeta detaļām.
Kopumā vairāk aizķēra kā iepriekš lasītā "Generation P", bet varbūt jāpārlasa arī tā.
Ja jāsalīdzina ar jau lasītajiem autoriem, es teiktu, ka te ir kaut kas no Kafkas (kukaiņi, protams, bet arī teksta daudzslāņainība) un kaut kas no Vonnegūta (tieši tā, savienots nesavienojamais).
Diezgan sen nebiju skaļi smējusies, lasot grāmatu. Un reizē tik daudz izmantojusi google, lai uzzinātu tekstā nepateikto (drusku būtu prasījušās zemsvītras piezīmes). Un priecājusies par meistarīgi savītajām sižeta detaļām.
Kopumā vairāk aizķēra kā iepriekš lasītā "Generation P", bet varbūt jāpārlasa arī tā.
pixe1's review against another edition
3.0
A novel/interconnected series of short stories that is very reminiscent of Kafka. Very bleak view of life, did not make me want to live in Russia.
rachelhelps's review against another edition
3.0
Yet another almost-sci-fye Russian satire, only this time no one notices that it's bizarre. Characters are described as insects, yet they perform both human and insect actions. This made reading a little difficult at first, because I was unsure if I should imagine the characters as insects or humans, but I settled for something of both. The satire itself contained commentary not only on the state of Russians but the human condition as well. A surreal, gloomy read.
eleana's review against another edition
im sorry I can't finish this, i can't get into it. the 1/3 I read was very strange and profound and existential tho. this is going into the pile of shame
lisa_mc's review against another edition
1.0
I'm willing to give Pelevin another chance, but this book, ugh.
kingfan30's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the idea of this book, the way the insects had very human lives, and the way the stories connected, however I think that this was supposed to have a deeper meaning which I just couldn't see I;m afraid, maybe because I know very little about Russia. Entertaining none the less.
melanie_reads's review against another edition
1.0
It's rare that I simply cannot finish a book, but this is one of them. There was a lot of heavy metaphor going back and forth - people are like insects, I get it. But a little too much and very confusing.
sarochcka99's review against another edition
challenging
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? It's complicated
5.0
elliemccabe's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this book once I got used to the surrealist setting of everyone being insects and humans at the same time. Some of my favorites were the shorter stories like the cockroach. One thing that bothered me, as an entomologist, is all the mosquitoes were male and in real life male mosquitoes don't feed on blood!!!
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Added another star to my original review, as I keep thinking about this book. Probably because of my relationship with bugs!
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Added another star to my original review, as I keep thinking about this book. Probably because of my relationship with bugs!