In my last review I was saying that there are some authors that sound pedantic, that, while reading them, come out as people who seem to think too highly of themselves, and I put a particular group as an example of where you can find many of these authors. Well, I was kind of lying. Because while reading this first volume of "ノルウェイの森" ("Norwegian Wood") by Haruki Murakami, I got the same feeling: that the author thinks he is amazing, his writing amazing and he becomes intoxicated with his own words.
That is not to say that the book is bad or Murakami doesn't know how to write, because he does. But he becomes repetitive in the long soliloquies that many characters in this book say, and in how our 'hero' seems some kind of twisted male fantasy, with so many women relying on him to tell him their life stories. The style is good, dreamy, and there are some quite beautiful moments, but having a random character who we just met deciding to tell Toru all about themselves, reeks a little bit. And it is also kind of creepy.
Let's see how things evolve in the second volume (and yes, I read it around fifteen years ago, but I don't remember anything).
The best: the writing style
The worst: repetitive; all those female characters revolving around our Toru
Further reading: I preferred Murakami's "Sputnik Sweetheart" (I read it when I was way younger, though) or a smaller work like "東京奇譚集"; Shion Miura, Jaume Cabré... are other authors that remind me of him.
5.5/10
(Japanese)
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Ventajas de viajar en tren - Antonio Orejudo
As it just happened to me with the Kjartan Fløgstad's book I read before this, this is one book that left me with the feeling the author is a snob that thinks too much of himself. It may be just me, but normally, when this feeling happens while I am reading a book, it is always a white, middle-aged man (it can be younger or older, but the white man is almost always there). It may be just me, but "Ventajas de viajar en tren" just feels like an ego-trip from someone who thinks they are SO smart.
The story, to call it something because this is one of those stories within stories type, starts with a woman going home in a train. And I will leave just there, because even if I felt the author squandered his opportunity, I don't want to tell more than I already did.
And why didn't I like it? Because, as I said, the writing style felt too full of itself, snobby and posh. And the 'story' per se is not so interesting as Orejudo seems to think it is, repetitive, a little creepy (very, and not in a good way) and not particularly smart. With so many better works out there, it feels pointless to read this.
The best: I have a weakness for the story within story mold
The worst: snobby, repetitive, poor writing style, creepy
Alternatives: well. the obvious one is Jan Potocki's "Manuscrit trouvé à Saragosse"; if you have already read it, you can try...: Kjartan Fløgstad, David Foster Wallace, Virginia Woolf, Karl Ove Knausgård, Margaret Atwood, Shiwon Miura, Kôtarô Isaka, Jaume Cabré...
4/10
(Spanish)
The story, to call it something because this is one of those stories within stories type, starts with a woman going home in a train. And I will leave just there, because even if I felt the author squandered his opportunity, I don't want to tell more than I already did.
And why didn't I like it? Because, as I said, the writing style felt too full of itself, snobby and posh. And the 'story' per se is not so interesting as Orejudo seems to think it is, repetitive, a little creepy (very, and not in a good way) and not particularly smart. With so many better works out there, it feels pointless to read this.
The best: I have a weakness for the story within story mold
The worst: snobby, repetitive, poor writing style, creepy
Alternatives: well. the obvious one is Jan Potocki's "Manuscrit trouvé à Saragosse"; if you have already read it, you can try...: Kjartan Fløgstad, David Foster Wallace, Virginia Woolf, Karl Ove Knausgård, Margaret Atwood, Shiwon Miura, Kôtarô Isaka, Jaume Cabré...
4/10
(Spanish)
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Crimson Hunter - N.D. Jones
This is not a bad book at all. N.D. Jones knows how to write, creating characters, setting and atmosphere with a few strokes, in an engaging style that, even if at the beginning is a little bit difficult to follow what is going on, the author throwing you to a whole new world, is easy on the eye, and good in giving flow to the story. The characters, even if of the cardboard type, are relatable, easy to like (and/or hate) and do not overstay their welcome.
However, I have to say that "Crimson Hunter" left me kind of cold. Because, even with all the metal, witches, and werewolves in another world (or maybe because of that), it has nothing that makes it stand out from the herd of similar novels, nothing new here that you haven't read or seen before, and probably done better. The relationships are stereotypical, the whole plot can be inferred after, like, one third of the book (or less) and, for a book about witches and werewolves, it lacks... how can I say it... oh, yes, magic. Also, I found the constant sexy scenes between Oriana and Marrok pointless and without adding much to the story, the characters or anything at all. Maybe I am a prude, but I need some reason for characters to get naked.
You may not regret reading it. But I think there is better out there.
The best: the style suits the story; the characters are enjoyable
The worst: it is not particularly original; too many 'steamy' moments for my taste
Alternatives: hmmm... Karen Chance, "The Dresden Files"... I haven't read much, actually, of urban fantasy, to which, even if very different, this books reminded me of; Marissa Meyer's "The Lunar Chronicles" is a good option too
5/10
(English)
*Thank you to the author and booksirens for the copy*
However, I have to say that "Crimson Hunter" left me kind of cold. Because, even with all the metal, witches, and werewolves in another world (or maybe because of that), it has nothing that makes it stand out from the herd of similar novels, nothing new here that you haven't read or seen before, and probably done better. The relationships are stereotypical, the whole plot can be inferred after, like, one third of the book (or less) and, for a book about witches and werewolves, it lacks... how can I say it... oh, yes, magic. Also, I found the constant sexy scenes between Oriana and Marrok pointless and without adding much to the story, the characters or anything at all. Maybe I am a prude, but I need some reason for characters to get naked.
You may not regret reading it. But I think there is better out there.
The best: the style suits the story; the characters are enjoyable
The worst: it is not particularly original; too many 'steamy' moments for my taste
Alternatives: hmmm... Karen Chance, "The Dresden Files"... I haven't read much, actually, of urban fantasy, to which, even if very different, this books reminded me of; Marissa Meyer's "The Lunar Chronicles" is a good option too
5/10
(English)
*Thank you to the author and booksirens for the copy*
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Kniven på strupen (Con el cuchillo en la garganta) - Kjartan Fløgstad
In the middle of nowhere (ok, in Norway, in a little industrial city which economy is based on oil, and where 'crazy' capitalism has taken over), some characters' lifes get entangled with surprising consequences.
But who cares about the plot? Because it is pretty clear that Fløgstad doesn't. This is a story that goes from A-ish to somewhere-ish, with simply depicted but full of life characters, whose motivations are a little bit cardboard-y. And that is because Fløgstad cares more about atmosphere, situations, use of language and criticize the modern (and not so modern) capitalist consummerist world.
And how does he fare? He actually does a really good job at it, with a great use of language (smartly translated; I can't read Norwegian), beautiful depicted situations and a clear critique of Norway and the world. At the same time, it is all kind of a mess, the story getting more and more convoluted as it goes along, difficult for the reader to care for the characters and what goes on, and with a couple of situations/comments on society that seem a little bit old fashioned (or they come out that way).
Interesting read but it fizzles a little bit along the way.
The best: Fløgstad knows how to write (and the translation is great); the sarcasm and irony that permeates the text
The worst: it is all kind of a mess; the unnecessary 'physical' moments
Further reading: David Foster Wallace, Virginia Woolf, Karl Ove Knausgård, Margaret Atwood, Shiwon Miura, Kôtarô Isaka, Jaume Cabré...
7/10
(Castilian translation by Kirsti Baggethun & Asunción Lorenzo)
But who cares about the plot? Because it is pretty clear that Fløgstad doesn't. This is a story that goes from A-ish to somewhere-ish, with simply depicted but full of life characters, whose motivations are a little bit cardboard-y. And that is because Fløgstad cares more about atmosphere, situations, use of language and criticize the modern (and not so modern) capitalist consummerist world.
And how does he fare? He actually does a really good job at it, with a great use of language (smartly translated; I can't read Norwegian), beautiful depicted situations and a clear critique of Norway and the world. At the same time, it is all kind of a mess, the story getting more and more convoluted as it goes along, difficult for the reader to care for the characters and what goes on, and with a couple of situations/comments on society that seem a little bit old fashioned (or they come out that way).
Interesting read but it fizzles a little bit along the way.
The best: Fløgstad knows how to write (and the translation is great); the sarcasm and irony that permeates the text
The worst: it is all kind of a mess; the unnecessary 'physical' moments
Further reading: David Foster Wallace, Virginia Woolf, Karl Ove Knausgård, Margaret Atwood, Shiwon Miura, Kôtarô Isaka, Jaume Cabré...
7/10
(Castilian translation by Kirsti Baggethun & Asunción Lorenzo)
Saturday, March 21, 2020
The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
Mary Sue & Gary Sue fall in love in this boring romantic story that ticks all the boxes with only one twist, the fact that both characters are cancer patients, which gives us a lot of cringey moments, as Green doesn't seem to know how to develop a story or characters.
And it all starts well enough, Hazel and Augustus's introduction funny and relatable. However, it is pretty soon that one notices that both characters (their illness apart) are too perfect, handsome, beautiful, smart, already in university even though Hazel is still sixteen and also a writer of poetry... etc., etc., on top of both of them being basically the same character: Augustus and what for Augustus a perfect female would be, a strange wish fulfillment of a male's idea of a female. Even Isaac is basically the same character. And throwing into the mix a random and very cringey character doesn't help the story (view spoiler). And also, Augustus being kind of a sacrificial lamb for Hazel, the prince in a shining armor that comes to bring light to the depressed female, didn't sit very well with me.
Poor romance with a twist that seems to have been put there just to make readers cry, "The Fault in Our Stars" lacks.
The best: the beginning; some humor; the story is easy to follow
The worst: read the first thirty, forty pages and you have already read all character development; the plot is very simple and basic and goes downhill pretty fast; the characters are very poorly drawn; the humor becomes repetitive; I can't believe this love story; the protective male
Alternatives: just read Jane Austen, or Margaret Atwood, or Marian Keyes...
5/10
(English)
And it all starts well enough, Hazel and Augustus's introduction funny and relatable. However, it is pretty soon that one notices that both characters (their illness apart) are too perfect, handsome, beautiful, smart, already in university even though Hazel is still sixteen and also a writer of poetry... etc., etc., on top of both of them being basically the same character: Augustus and what for Augustus a perfect female would be, a strange wish fulfillment of a male's idea of a female. Even Isaac is basically the same character. And throwing into the mix a random and very cringey character doesn't help the story (view spoiler). And also, Augustus being kind of a sacrificial lamb for Hazel, the prince in a shining armor that comes to bring light to the depressed female, didn't sit very well with me.
Poor romance with a twist that seems to have been put there just to make readers cry, "The Fault in Our Stars" lacks.
The best: the beginning; some humor; the story is easy to follow
The worst: read the first thirty, forty pages and you have already read all character development; the plot is very simple and basic and goes downhill pretty fast; the characters are very poorly drawn; the humor becomes repetitive; I can't believe this love story; the protective male
Alternatives: just read Jane Austen, or Margaret Atwood, or Marian Keyes...
5/10
(English)
Immortal Defiance - Laura Maybrooke
Picture me pleasently surprised by "Immortal Defiance", a fantasy book well grounded, that instead of centering on big fights and journeys, decides to center on the relationship between Dulcea, an elven enchantress, and Krath, a vampire.
At the beginning we find Dulcea in danger, betrayed by one of her own warriors and in the hands of her enemies. Enemies that are going to sacrifice her to their god, so she becomes his maid for all of eternity.
But then, out of the blue, Krath appears and saves her. Krath being a vampire and not very willing to let her go back to her war.
What follows is an interesting and enjoyable (and sometimes a little bit worrisome for me, Dulcea too willing to put herself under Krath's influence) story, Dulcea's fears and desires being shaped by her new acquaintance, a vampire that makes her see things in a new way. It is a nice touch that the author has decided to center on the characters and she has a knack to make them relatable and interesting, even if a little bit stereotypical.
The story (this is the first volume of a trilogy) is well developed, even if there are too many flashbacks to tell of what has come before, and sometimes I wished the plot developed faster, but these are minor quibbles. Also, Maybrooke's writing style is perfect for the genre, with a good balance between dialogues, description and a good care into developing the atmosphere and the scenery, the world in which the story happens.
A good fantasy book. And a nice first step into a new world full of mysteries and adventures waiting to happen.
The best: the relationships between the characters are well developed, and they feel alive; that Maybrooke can pull Dulcea and Krath's relationship off
The worst: the relationship between our two heroes sometimes falls into the worrisome, the masculine dominating the femenine (decide whatever you want about this); the plot could go faster
Further reading: this kind of books falls into the David Gemmell or Terry Pratchett (minus the humor) fold: good characters (and maybe not so much plot)
6/10
(English)
*Thank you to the author and booksirens for the copy*
At the beginning we find Dulcea in danger, betrayed by one of her own warriors and in the hands of her enemies. Enemies that are going to sacrifice her to their god, so she becomes his maid for all of eternity.
But then, out of the blue, Krath appears and saves her. Krath being a vampire and not very willing to let her go back to her war.
What follows is an interesting and enjoyable (and sometimes a little bit worrisome for me, Dulcea too willing to put herself under Krath's influence) story, Dulcea's fears and desires being shaped by her new acquaintance, a vampire that makes her see things in a new way. It is a nice touch that the author has decided to center on the characters and she has a knack to make them relatable and interesting, even if a little bit stereotypical.
The story (this is the first volume of a trilogy) is well developed, even if there are too many flashbacks to tell of what has come before, and sometimes I wished the plot developed faster, but these are minor quibbles. Also, Maybrooke's writing style is perfect for the genre, with a good balance between dialogues, description and a good care into developing the atmosphere and the scenery, the world in which the story happens.
A good fantasy book. And a nice first step into a new world full of mysteries and adventures waiting to happen.
The best: the relationships between the characters are well developed, and they feel alive; that Maybrooke can pull Dulcea and Krath's relationship off
The worst: the relationship between our two heroes sometimes falls into the worrisome, the masculine dominating the femenine (decide whatever you want about this); the plot could go faster
Further reading: this kind of books falls into the David Gemmell or Terry Pratchett (minus the humor) fold: good characters (and maybe not so much plot)
6/10
(English)
*Thank you to the author and booksirens for the copy*
Normal People - Sally Rooney
A horrible book about a sick relationship between two toxic people, a relationship that never feels real, between two characters that are as cardboard-ish as they come, with zero arc and non-relatable at all, "Normal People" is a failure on all levels, a novel that is boring as they come and that could be summarized in: we like each other but we will make each other and people around us miserable; wash, rise and repeat.
Connell and Marianne are both studying at the same high school, but while Connell, even if from a poor family, is a good student and also good at soccer, Marianne comes from a rich family (for whom Connell's mother works as a cleaning person), nerdy and anti-social (and bullied). The book centers on these two despicable (because they are) characters and drags us for almost three hundred (million) pages through their lame, superficial, boring and stereotypical lives, till... Well, I will not spoil the ending.
Poorly written, with an unclear and unfocused writing style, and zero ideas on where to take the story, Rooney fails on all levels in making the story interesting at all, or of giving us an insight to the lives of these broken people. Instead of understanding them, we will end up hating them, and finding their behavior just plain boring.
Not worth your time.
The best: a couple of surprisingly well written paragraphs (maybe because all the rest is so rubbishy)
The worst: boring, horribly repetitive, despicable and toxic characters
Alternatives: Jonathan Coe, Shiwon Miura, Margaret Atwood, Jaume Cabré... if you want a touching and well written look on humans there are many good options, way better than this book
2/10
(English)
Connell and Marianne are both studying at the same high school, but while Connell, even if from a poor family, is a good student and also good at soccer, Marianne comes from a rich family (for whom Connell's mother works as a cleaning person), nerdy and anti-social (and bullied). The book centers on these two despicable (because they are) characters and drags us for almost three hundred (million) pages through their lame, superficial, boring and stereotypical lives, till... Well, I will not spoil the ending.
Poorly written, with an unclear and unfocused writing style, and zero ideas on where to take the story, Rooney fails on all levels in making the story interesting at all, or of giving us an insight to the lives of these broken people. Instead of understanding them, we will end up hating them, and finding their behavior just plain boring.
Not worth your time.
The best: a couple of surprisingly well written paragraphs (maybe because all the rest is so rubbishy)
The worst: boring, horribly repetitive, despicable and toxic characters
Alternatives: Jonathan Coe, Shiwon Miura, Margaret Atwood, Jaume Cabré... if you want a touching and well written look on humans there are many good options, way better than this book
2/10
(English)
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