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mightymeep's review against another edition
5.0
I don't normally review books here on Goodreads but having finished this book I am compelled to write something. I found the writing in this short book to be exceptional in its beauty and clarity. Somehow, Andre Makine seems to be able to conjure up people and situations, in a place and time that is quite alien to me, and make them seem exceptionally vivid and real. I'm so glad I've read this beautiful book.
peterp's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
shumska's review against another edition
4.0
jako mi se dopao ovaj pisac s kojim se prvi put susrećem. kroz osam kratkih priča, naizgled međusobno nepovezanih - a onda posljednjom samo zaokruži cijelu priču natrag s prvom - vodi nas kroz svoje dječačke i mladenačke uspomene i vuče nas da se sjetimo kako i zašto smo se zaljubljivali u ona davna vremena kad smo bili mali/mladi. fin je, baš fin... o najdubljim ljudskim emocijama piše nepretenciozno, kao da šapće, u divnim slikama.
već se veselim ponovnom susretu s njim💜
već se veselim ponovnom susretu s njim💜
oliviall's review against another edition
5.0
I don't normally review books here on Goodreads but having finished this book I am compelled to write something. I found the writing in this short book to be exceptional in its beauty and clarity. Somehow, Andre Makine seems to be able to conjure up people and situations, in a place and time that is quite alien to me, and make them seem exceptionally vivid and real. I'm so glad I've read this beautiful book.
hbrigham's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Stories of a Russian man's experiences with love and revolution
arirang's review
4.0
A beautiful tribute to love and happiness- not as found in long relationships, and certainly not as found via political ideologies - neither communism nor capitalism. But rather the joy of fleeting moments and brief encounters, and the joy of simply living in the moment, enjoying nature and companionship.
Looking back on his life, the narrator opines that:
"The fatal mistake we make is looking for a paradise that endures....The obsession with what lasts causes us to overlook many a fleeting paradise, the only kind we can aspire to in the course of our lightening journey through this vale of tears. These often makes their dazzling appearance in places so humble and ephemeral that we refuse to linger there".
The book is told as the narrator recalling such moments and the theme is perhaps best expressed by an episode in the middle of the book.
As a teenager, a female friend challenges the narrators view of happiness being the creation of an ideal fraternal society:
"A doctrine? What for? We're happy here, admit it. We're happy because the air smells of snow and spring. Because the sun's been warming the planks, because...Yes, because we're together"
Indeed the narrator suggests that this form of "serenity indifferent to the ugliness and coarseness of the world" is a more effective form of resistance to the regime than the usual dissident and intellectual circles.
Andrei Makine writes some of the most lyrical prose in modern European literature, and this is a fine addition to an impressively accumulating body of work.
Looking back on his life, the narrator opines that:
"The fatal mistake we make is looking for a paradise that endures....The obsession with what lasts causes us to overlook many a fleeting paradise, the only kind we can aspire to in the course of our lightening journey through this vale of tears. These often makes their dazzling appearance in places so humble and ephemeral that we refuse to linger there".
The book is told as the narrator recalling such moments and the theme is perhaps best expressed by an episode in the middle of the book.
As a teenager, a female friend challenges the narrators view of happiness being the creation of an ideal fraternal society:
"A doctrine? What for? We're happy here, admit it. We're happy because the air smells of snow and spring. Because the sun's been warming the planks, because...Yes, because we're together"
Indeed the narrator suggests that this form of "serenity indifferent to the ugliness and coarseness of the world" is a more effective form of resistance to the regime than the usual dissident and intellectual circles.
Andrei Makine writes some of the most lyrical prose in modern European literature, and this is a fine addition to an impressively accumulating body of work.
heleneliza's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
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