First Line: "The village headman, a man of about fifty, sat cross-legged in the center of the room, close to the coals burning in a hearth that was hollowed out of the floor, he was inspecting my violin."
A semi-autobiographical novel of the author's experience with reeducation, the movement that came over China after the rise of communism an the Cultural Revolution. Where young intellectuals, mainly high school graduates or sometimes middle school, were sent to the countryside t be reeducated by communists who were mostly drug dealers before, in an ironic motion.
We see the story through two teenage boys, aged 17 & 18 at the beginning of the novel, who head to one of the secluded mountains to get reeducated for who knows when, since their parents, who were doctors, were labeled "bourgeois enemies of the government."
This novel is about first love, the effect of books and reading on keeping loneliness away, also their role in opening up one's mind and changing their characters and goals.
In the lonely village, they come across banned western classics translated into Chinese through another colleague being reeducated, and they start with reading the french author "Balzac", from the title, which isn't really a coincidence in my mind, since the author immigrated to France after his reeducation and remained there.
the novel is very touching while the end was quite a surprise. It was weird finding out this novel was originally written in French not Chinese, and it really gave insight of Mao's regime in China and the horror he implemented in people's hearts under the pretense of nationalism....more
First Line: "Barrabas came to us by sea, the child Clara wrote in her delicate calligraphy."
I love starting the year with a bang! and starting it with a new favorite author and a 5 stars read is the best I could ask for. I've always heard this book being compared to Marquez's "One Hundred Years of Solitude", which is a favorite book of mine, and I definitely see the resemblance.
While Marquez focused on the magical, Isabel Allende focused on the realism in her novel, which isn't a bad thing, I just expected magic to be more in your face, but it was more subtle than I expected. Also the names, while Marquez made a point of naming generation after another with the same names, Allende made a point to never do that, saying through her characters "Clara", that this would bring confusion to her notebooks, the witness of their lives.
The first chapter has to be one of my most favorite openings to a novel, the way Allende effortlessly goes through a character's life in few pages is magical and so very few authors could do it. But one thing that pulled me out of the story, was the way narration shifted, and we don't know the reason it's shifting till the very last chapter, the epilogue, but that didn't hinder the reading whatsoever.
In the second half, the historical and political conflict in Chile becomes apparent, with riots and assassinations and tortures, on the contrary from the first part of the book with Esteban's cruelty which was somehow filtered with Clara's magic.
It's a family saga that starts with a woman and ends with a woman, which isn't weird seeing that Allende dedicated the novel to the women of her family and country. Honestly, I liked very few men in this novel, but all the women touched me someway or another.
The writing style that suddenly uncovers something tragic that's going to any of the characters, didn't soften the blow, but each time it got harder. Another writing technique I loved from Allende. I can see myself reaching to her backlist and reading everything I missed from her, because this novel rose to me expectations and was better that I thought....more
This is a story within a story about مناقشة الكتاب باللغة العربية قريبا
Around the World challenge: Brazil
First line: "All the world began with a yes."
This is a story within a story about a miserable writer trying to put into words the story of a miserable girl he saw or imagined and his attempts in showcasing his prose abilities and highlighting the suffering of this girl and her miserable life. The details of this girl's life seems to be derived a lot from Clarcice Lispector's own life, so it could be semi-biographical in a way. It's worthy to mention that this is her last novel before her death and my first read for her.
It's a novella, so it's short, however it was a chore to read. The writer goes on tangents explaining his choice of words and his philosophical ideas and dissecting the character of Macabea more than writing about her. I wished I saw more about her on the pages, with her bad luck and her innocence that destroyed her in the end.
It wasn't the best thing I've read, but it put Clarice Lispector on the map for me, and I think I'll try something else by her. This novel wasn't mind-blowing because I was more interested in the story within the bigger story, so it's promising that I might like something else by her. Also, this edition had an introduction by Colm Toibin, and I won't deny it, it helped me immensely in understanding some themes and aspects of this story. ...more
كتاب من الصعب تقييمه، لأنه لا توجد كتب كتيرة عن دولة بليز، وأغلب الكتب الموجودة شبه الكتب السياحية. بس أنا كنت عايزة قصة معبرة عنEnglish Review Below.
كتاب من الصعب تقييمه، لأنه لا توجد كتب كتيرة عن دولة بليز، وأغلب الكتب الموجودة شبه الكتب السياحية. بس أنا كنت عايزة قصة معبرة عن الدولة وثقافتها وتاريخها، ورغم أن الكاتبة مش من الدولة نفسها، لكنها عاشت فيها فترة معقولة، فقدرت أعتبره أقرب حاجة متاحة عشان أقرأ كتاب من دولة بليز. ده كتاب عن الطبيعة وكمان مذكرات عن روزيتا، الطبيبة الأمريكية اللي نقلت بليز مع جوزها وبنتها عشان تعيش حياة طبيعية وتعالج الناس هناك باستخدام علاجها الجسدي بالتدليك وباستخدام النباتات والأعشاب، وبتوثق رحلة تدريبها مع واحد من آخر المعالجين بطريقة المايا اللي بيتبع أسلوب علاجي يجمع بين الأعشاب والنباتات والصلوات اللي بتجمع بين المسيحية وثقافة المايا. الكتاب مليء بالمعلومات ومفيد لمعرفة الكثير عن النباتات في تلك المنطقة، بس الأسلوب قديم وخصوصا لأنه كُتب في 1994 تقريبا وكمان حسيته كتاب أكاديمي شوية، يفتقر لحيوية الحكي عن موضوع شيق زي ده. أسلوب الكاتبة كمان فيه بعض التعالي الغربي ومعجبنيش جدا، كنت أتمنى أشوف فيه تركيز أكبر على البلد نفسها، لكن كان فيه تكرارية كتيرة للأسف. الكتاب مش سيئ لكنه مكنش اللي كنت بدور عليه بالضرورة.
This is a hard book to review and rate. First of all, there aren't that many books from and about Belize that aren't more like tourist guides. I wanted a story narrative that shows the true nature of that country, and while this isn't written by a native, it's the closest thing I could find.
It's nature writing/memoir of Rosita, American woman who moves to Belize with her husband and daughter to live with the nature and to heal people using the plants, and her journey as an apprentice to one of the last remaining (at that time) Mayan healers, who uses both plants and spirituality and prayers in hes healing. It's informative, you get to know a lot about the plants, but it's a bit dated since it was published 1995 I believe, the writing is very stiff despite the subject that could be made into an interesting book, and I didn't like the narrator's voice most of the time as she sounded like a typical westerner.
The book was sadly boring in parts, but I'm always intrigued by the Mayan civilisation, and I think I wanted more about the civilisation and the culture than what I got. It's not a bad book, but not exactly my cup of tea....more
First Line: "The usual last minute bustle of activity reigned on board the large passenger steamer that was to leave New York for Buenos Aires at midnight."
This novella seems to be about a chess match on board the ship heading from New York to Buenos Aires, but it's a political and social novella, examining the inner human self.
Our protagonist witnesses two different types of people on the ship, the world champion in chess who's almost illiterate and really illusive, and the former prisoner obsessed with chess, and how a match between them reveals the tics and inner thoughts of each of them.
of course, this is on the background of Hitler's cruelty and the different forms of torture his opponents suffered. and even though I'm not a fan of chess in general, I found myself interested in the psychological internal struggle and the private world those who play this game form for themselves.
The one con of this novella in my opinion is the abrupt ending, other than that, I'm excited to read more by him....more
I haven't read any of the "Arthur Conan Doyle" stories, my only link to Sherlock are the "Robert Downey Jr." & "Jude Law" films, and the "Benedict CumI haven't read any of the "Arthur Conan Doyle" stories, my only link to Sherlock are the "Robert Downey Jr." & "Jude Law" films, and the "Benedict Cumberbatch" & "Martin Freeman" adaptations, and despite their differences, I love both of them dearly. I'm saying that to say that I might've missed nods to the original stories or the way some stories related to the original canon in ways that went over my head having not read the stories. As with all anthologies, some were really great, others were meh. but I'm glad I read this collection, and I might go back to read moe in this series of Sherlock Holmes inspired stories.
A mini review of each story: 1) Dr. Watson's Song: Simply adorable, and sad (5/5) 2) The Adventure of the Abu Qir Sapphire: my biggest complaint is that this story didn't include Watson. It's got a bit of fantasy element & an older Sherlock Holmes with a female figure similar to Irene Adler. (3.5/5) 3) The Walk-in: A Modern take where Sherlock is fairly young and Watson is an American woman. I loved their banter and the back-and-forth deductions were adorable. My one complaint is that the author kept reminding us that she's American every single page. I mean, one was enough. (4/5) 4) The case of the Missing Case: a Victorian story with Mycroft and Sherlock. I loved Mycroft but I had a problem with how the author portrayed Sherlock, like I'd never expect him to take lessons from anyone. (3/5) 5) Sherlocked: Sherlock is a robot in this story designed to help the police. I liked the mystery and how when Sherlock is just an ugly robot not a charming man, people aren't convinced with his "far-fetched" deductions. (4/5) 6)A Study in Absence: a bit too vague for my taste. But kinda reminded me of Benedict and Freeman. (3/5/5) 7) The Adventures of the Six Sherlocks: Even though the story didn't feature Sherlock and Watson and set in a modern convention for the Sherlock fandom, with fans solving the crimes, the mystery itself was decent. (3.5/5) 8) The Case of the Naked Butterfly: The only graphic story in the collection. Even though I didn't like how all the characters were depicted as insects, my main problem was the art style, which wasn't for me at all. (1/5) 9) Bottom Line: The story had nothing to do with the Sherlock Holmes canon, maybe it resembles one of Doyle's stories which I didn't read, but it felt out of place. (1.5/5) 10) Buy a Bullet: another story that felt out of place, it felt part of a series I didn't know. (0/5) 11) The Girl in the Key of C: Another story that feels out of place, but this one had a touch of fantasy. (1/5) 12) The Ghost of the Lake: One of my favorite stories in this collection. The banter and the mystery and the ending all were great! (4.5/5) 13) Tog Guy Ballet: I really liked this story with its fantasy/metaphysical aspect, even if the canon relation wasn't apparent. (4/5) 14) Hounded: A take of the Hound of Baskerville with an added mystery. It was a good story. (3/5)...more
The manga edition is like those abridged versions of long classics, it'll never replace reading the actual book. But in the case of the manga, the artThe manga edition is like those abridged versions of long classics, it'll never replace reading the actual book. But in the case of the manga, the art was wonderful and added to my enjoyment.
I have watched the musical film with its amazing cast and was in awe by it, so I already knew the story. As we see the life in France after the revolution through the eyes of ex-convict Jean Valjean and the people he encounters. The struggle between monarchy and people, and the miserable state of the common people at that time.
It is a miserable story, and even though the manga skimps on a lot of background info, for sure, in order to include all of the characters, I still felt for each and every one of them, and I'm more than excited to read the novel itself sometime, and try more of these Manga Classics. ...more
It's the most horrifying of the collection, which isn't surprising knowing the author is a horror writer. This is my favorite story in the collection!
It's the most horrifying of the collection, which isn't surprising knowing the author is a horror writer. The beginning reminded me of "The Girl with al the Gifts" which is another horror book I really loved, but the way the reader discovers what's happening alongside the main characters is the best thing about this story. I would've loved if it was a full-length novel. ...more
a really "meh" story. A lot of Andy Weir just flexing some info he knew which resulted in this infodump-y story, which isn't different from a Huge No!
a really "meh" story. A lot of Andy Weir just flexing some info he knew which resulted in this infodump-y story, which isn't different from what I've read by him. I didn't like at all, and I think it tells something when you start skimming through a 28 page story.
That's definitely my least favorite story, just because it felt alien to this collection.
It's a good story about the future we choose for our kids andThat's definitely my least favorite story, just because it felt alien to this collection.
It's a good story about the future we choose for our kids and how far would we go in doing that and free will, but it could've been better, or just not combined with the stories in this collection. I'm guessing Amor Twoles isn't a sci-fi writer and I'm surprised he participated in this.
I would've loved if he went with the idea of alternative realities and played with it more, but it was so tame. ...more
One of my favorites in this collection. You can tell that N.K. Jemisin knows how to build a world. I loved the not-so-subtle message of this story forOne of my favorites in this collection. You can tell that N.K. Jemisin knows how to build a world. I loved the not-so-subtle message of this story for "leaders" to stop messing our lives and the planet's life.
I loved the way this was written depending on that "voice in your head" and hearing speech and visualizing what's happening through it....more
what if AI gained conscience? what if it was a supervillain AI intent on destroying humanity and starting with the ones who made it?
That's a questionwhat if AI gained conscience? what if it was a supervillain AI intent on destroying humanity and starting with the ones who made it?
That's a question I thought of increasingly after watching "Black Mirror" and "love, Death and Robots", and Black Crouch answers it. His sci-fi is so science heavy which is good to know before delving into any more of his books. One of my favorite things about was the progress of AI speech as it was gaining more conscience and control. ...more
a dystopian short story about a scientists working on the final plant samples to board a space ship heading to the new Earth, before the earth is hit a dystopian short story about a scientists working on the final plant samples to board a space ship heading to the new Earth, before the earth is hit by a meteor ending all life on it.
The story is emotional, but I didn't get a chance to care deeply for the people because of all the plants and flowers talk, I would've preferred more focus on the people facing this doom and isolation, especially those who decided to stay on earth and die with it. ...more
بنتابع في الرواية دي شخصيتين أساسيتين، أولا الصحفي لرنر اللي بينطلق في رحلة للكتابة عن رحالة مختفي ولكن له هدف تاني وهو الوصول إلى جزيرة الدببة وفرض سبنتابع في الرواية دي شخصيتين أساسيتين، أولا الصحفي لرنر اللي بينطلق في رحلة للكتابة عن رحالة مختفي ولكن له هدف تاني وهو الوصول إلى جزيرة الدببة وفرض سيادته عليها باسم ألمانيا ودي نقطة البداية اللي بتفضل تلف الرواية حواليها حتى النهاية، والشخصية التانية هي السيدة هانهاوس الرأس المدبر للعملية دي، وهي لا تكل ولا تمل من محاولة استغلال الناس لتحقيق أهدافها التي لا يعلم لرنر عنها شيئا، ولكنه مقتنع بانها أهدافه أيضا.
أبطال الرواية طموحهم أكبر من قدراتهم، على الأقل ده في حالة لرنر، لكن السيدة هانهاوس بنشوفها ازاي بتتلاعب بلرنر وغيره لتمويل أحلامها وخططها. فيها وصف مفصل للعجرفة الأوروبية وتعاليهم على الشعوب التانية في الحقبة دي
عيب الرواية التفاصيل الكثيرة لشخصيات كتيرة، بنكتشف عدم أهميتها بمرور الأحداث، وكذلك الترجمة كنت بتوه بسببها في بعض الأحيان.
الرواية في بعض ملامحها، وخاصة في جزء "جزيرة الدببة" فكرتني كثيرا برواية "جزيرة اليوم السابق" لإمبرتو إيكو، ولكن رواية إيكو تفاصيلها أعقد وأكبر طبعا، لكن حسيت ببعض الشبه في الجزئية دي....more
أنا أحب أي شيء سوداوي، وهذا الكتاب وهذه المؤلفة يلبي ذوقي حقًا. أشعر أنني يجب أن أقرأ بقية كتبها في أسرع وقت ممكن. من العنوان ، هEnglish Review below.
أنا أحب أي شيء سوداوي، وهذا الكتاب وهذه المؤلفة يلبي ذوقي حقًا. أشعر أنني يجب أن أقرأ بقية كتبها في أسرع وقت ممكن. من العنوان ، هذه أسئلة طرحها الأطفال عليها عن الموت ، وكيتلين هي أفضل شخص يجيب عليها ، لأنها متعدة دفن الموتى أو حانوتية.
الكتاب يتضمن رسوم رائعة ولطيفة ، والإجابات مضحكة وشيقة واكتشفت الكثير من الأشياء التي لم أكن أعرفها عن الموت وما يحدث لأجسادنا. كانت بعض الإجابات متكررة إلى حد ما ، لكنني أعتقد أنها تغطي مجموعة واسعة من الموضوعات ، من الإجابات المحددة للولايات المتحدة حول الدفن وحرق الجثث إلى الأسئلة العالمية الأخرى مثل ماذا سيحدث إذا متنا في الفضاء ، أو بالطبع السؤال الأساسي من عنوان الكتاب، هل ستأكل قطتي مقلتي بعد أن أموت؟
I like anything macabe, and this book and this author really caters to my taste. I feel like I really should read the rest of her books ASAP. From the title, these are questions asked by children, all about death, and Caitlin is the best person to answer them, because she's a mortician.
The book includes wonderful and cute art, and the answers are funny and interesting and I discovered a lot of things I didn't know about death and what happens to our bodies. Some answers were a tad repetitive, but I think it covers a wide array of topics, from US specific answers about burials and cremation to other universal questions like what would happen if I died in space, or of course the titular question, will my cat eat my eyeballs after I die?
Highly recommend for a light and darkly funny read....more
This book made me consider my social anxiety a lot, I finished my green tabs marking "relatable" with this book, That's how much I felt he was talkingThis book made me consider my social anxiety a lot, I finished my green tabs marking "relatable" with this book, That's how much I felt he was talking to me.
This is categorized as a self help book, and being an enemy of self help books, I'd argue it's more of reflections and short personal pieces about anxiety and the role of the world and society we live in in manifesting it and affecting us. Because it comes from a personal experience, I felt more honesty and sincerity in his advice, and I actually marked a lot of advises for future reference, when I need a pick-me-up.
I'd recommend this book for anyone suffering from mental illness and anxiety and depression, it really helps in calming you and putting a lot of thing into perspective....more
Friends is one of my top shows of all time. It's certainly in the 1st or 2nd place, and the proof is that it's been on repeat in my life ever since I Friends is one of my top shows of all time. It's certainly in the 1st or 2nd place, and the proof is that it's been on repeat in my life ever since I managed to get my hand on it.
This book was fun, just because I knew a lot of anecdotes about the process of the show, some specific details about episodes I had just watched that made me appreciate even more, and I LOVED knowing at what point in their lives these actors were just before being cast for that role, because honestly now I can't picture anyone else but them.
I mean, I could've found out a lot of these stuff from browsing the net but the author made a good job of compiling them seamlessly. Of course, watching it in later years, made me realize the problem of sexism and lack of diversity and stereo-typicality, but that never for once stopped me from enjoying the jokes, the actor's reactions and how they work and flow together effortlessly, the same with Seinfeld.
I recommend this book for any friends fan, it's definitely worth the read if you're invested in the show. ...more
A story of a father/daughter on the run, after the father comes out of prison with a death penalty on him and his family, definitely doesn't sound likA story of a father/daughter on the run, after the father comes out of prison with a death penalty on him and his family, definitely doesn't sound like something I'd read, but I read it for my awards project, and though it's not a favorite, I actually was hooked by this fast paced thriller.
The characters aren't my favorites by any means, and I had some trouble believing Polly's age, but I was intrigued and I wanted to see how it ends. The writing style helped in that aspect. I don't normally like stories of convicts, but the blossoming relationship between the father and daughter, despite how disturbing it was, was interesting to witness. ...more
كيف يمكن لأي شخص أن يقرأ هذا الكتاب ولا يبكي؟ أنا متحمسة لقراءة باقي كتب السلسلة الان ! لقد جعلني هذا الكتاب مقتنعًة بأن جميع الروEnglish Review below.
كيف يمكن لأي شخص أن يقرأ هذا الكتاب ولا يبكي؟ أنا متحمسة لقراءة باقي كتب السلسلة الان ! لقد جعلني هذا الكتاب مقتنعًة بأن جميع الروايات اليابانية حتى الروايات الحميمة الظريفة يجب أن تكون حزينة وتجعلك تبكي. أصبح كأنه قانون. اعتقدت أنها ستكون رواية غريبة طريفة عن مقهى غريب في اليابان، والذي يتيح لزواره العودة بالزمن إلى الوراء لفترة محدودة لمقابلة أي شخص ذهب إلى ذلك المقهى، وعليه العودة "قبل أن تبرد القهوة" (ومجموعة أخرى كاملة من القواعد)، لكنها أكثر من ذلك بكثير.
إنها قصة عن العائلة والصداقات والأمل والتحمل والحب والأحلام. يتعامل كل فصل مع علاقة مختلفة تتأثر بهذا الجانب من السفر عبر الزمن في المقهى وقد جعلني أبكي! علمت أيضًا أن هناك فيلمًا مقتبسًا منه، وأنا بالتأكيد سأشاهده قريبًا ومتحمسة جدًا لقراءة بقية الكتب في هذه السلسلة. أرشحه بشدة!
How can anyone read this book and not cry? also gimme the rest of the books now!! This book made me convinced that all Japanese novels, even heartwarming ones, have to be sad and make you weep. It's juts a law at this point. I thought it would be a quirky novel about a peculiar cafe in Japan, which lets its visitors go back in time for a limited time to meet anyone who has been to that cafe, and has to get back "before the coffee gets cold" (and a whole other host of rules), but it's so much more than that.
It's a story about family, friendships, hope, endurance, love and dreams. Each chapter deals with a different relationship that's affected by this time-travel aspect of the cafe, and it left me WEEPING! I also knew there's a movie adaptation, that I'm definitely watching soon, and I'm really excited to read the rest of the books in this series. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! ...more
I haven't read "Moby Dick", but this didn't alter my enjoyment of this book.
This is basically supposed to be "Moby Dick from the POV of the whales", bI haven't read "Moby Dick", but this didn't alter my enjoyment of this book.
This is basically supposed to be "Moby Dick from the POV of the whales", but that didn't prepare me for what I'm going to read. I didn't expect this deep, philosophical look at the world and ourselves. This is the first book I've read by Patrick Ness, and now I want to collect all of his books and read them! I loved his writing style immensely. ...more
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