Reviews

The Angel of History by Rabih Alameddine

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tobbled's review against another edition

4.0

I hope that one day I can sit in a room with unlimited time. And I hope that in that room is not only this book, but every other text necessary to re-read, love and truly understand this book.
I know that this isn't possible and that is perhaps my only problem with The Angel of History.

Loved this. It is such a thought provoking, yearning tale. No review I could write would ever do this justice. However, there is one thing I will praise: the structure.
The structure of this book is done so well; it only hit me as I finished it. The Angel of History takes place over the span of a night, as stated in the blurb. So, you go in expecting this faster paced book. And yet it's not. It's slow, it takes the long way around. But this isn't where my praise comes in. It is all about forgetting, remembering, forgetting and remembering again, and that is the genius. As a reader you forget a lot, there is so so much to take in, you physically cannot. But then you remember. It's brought back - until you forget again. One of Satan's interviews in the beginning pages might set up one of Jacob's stories down the line.
Does this sound like I'm just praising foreshadowing? Maybe. But it is so much more than just foreshadowing. Once again, my review cannot do it justice. Read it.

silly_erika20's review

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dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

elnaann1313's review

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3.0

He's an incredibly poetic writer.

discountexorcist's review

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2.0

DNF - page 200

derhindemith's review

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5.0

I have never felt so personally attached to a book. First of all, I had no idea what I was getting into with the book, but the first 10 pages intrigued me, so I read on.
I found I had to constantly remind myself that this was a novel and not a memoir, the characters were so real and relatable.
The structure reminded me of Tristram Shandy mostly because it doesn’t follow the story arc conventions we’ve become accustomed to in novels and I love that. There wasn’t a story arc as much as a story snapshot.