Wow, I really, really loved this book! Although I’ve been in a bad reading slump for months, whenever I came back to this book I was reminded why I loWow, I really, really loved this book! Although I’ve been in a bad reading slump for months, whenever I came back to this book I was reminded why I love reading so much! It made me feel so many emotions and the parallels to our world when It comes to bigotry really did hit me hard at times. There were so many powerful quotes and moments that moved me; more so than any other book I’ve ever read! The characters also need to be protected at all costs! ...more
This is my first ever review so forgive me if this seems a bit all over the place, I just have a lot feelings!
I was really hesitant to start reading This is my first ever review so forgive me if this seems a bit all over the place, I just have a lot feelings!
I was really hesitant to start reading this, mainly because of the length and the warnings about the many tangents Hugo makes throughout , but I’m so glad I decided to. I admit that I struggled with a few of the tangents and it does start off a bit slow, but it is definitely worth persevering through those kind of moments because this book is a masterpiece.
I’m not sure how it compares to other translations ,but I read Christine Donougher’s translation. I highly recommend it to those who are intimidated by the book’s length ,as I found this version relatively easy to read due to it being more modernised.
Not only is it an incredible story ,with well written characters, it is also very thought provoking and delves deep into societal problems such as poverty and inequality etc.
In addition, Hugo does tend to talk a lot about french politics around that time, and although much of it went over my head, I still found it interesting to learn more about what life was like back then.
As a fan of the musical , I had a rough idea of what I was getting myself into, but nothing could really prepare me for how much this book would affect me.
*Warning Spoilers ahead*
Without meaning to sound too dramatic, this book absolutely destroyed me.I honestly thought that after seeing the musical I was prepared to read about the deaths of my favourite characters, but I was so, so wrong. Not only were some of their deaths even more heartbreaking, I had also grown attached to many other characters, who either played a small part in the musical, or were cut out completely, and I had to deal with many of their deaths too. *Cough cough Monsieur Mabeuf *
It is impossible to narrow down everything that I loved about this book, because I would literally be here all day, but for me, the characters are probably the main reason I fell in love with it. Hugo seems to treat almost every character as important , even many of them who only play a minor role are well developed and memorable.
I had already pretty much fallen in love with Les Amis prior to reading this book, but this helped me to understand more about their characters and their individual personalities. I was dreading having to read their deaths and it took me some time to get through it ( classic denial- if i stop reading, then it doesn’t happen) Jehan’s death hit me especially hard, as well as Grantaire and Enjolras ( will never be over them dying holding hands). If I were to change any part of this book, I would have liked there to have been more scenes with these guys in.
I was also able to understand a great deal more about Gavroche’s character and I found myself growing a lot more attached to him because of this. One of my favourite scenes was when he looked after those two children. For someone who had so little, it is remarkable how he still shared everything he had. It took me about a day to prepare myself for his death ( I delayed it for as long as I could).
Before reading this book, I was pretty indifferent about Javert as a character but I found myself sympathising with him much more in this and felt saddened when he could not see any other way out other than suicide. Quite often, he is thought of as being the villain in the story, and the truth is much more complex than that. He is a man who sees things in black and white and is incapable of seeing beyond the confines of the law. His entire life essentially revolves around these set ideals and he is unable to cope with anything that goes against that.
I found the decline of Monsiuer Mabeuf particularly upsetting. This kind old man was reduced to selling everything he owned, including his main source of happiness ( his books). It hit me hard when he sold his last book and as for everything else that came after...
I know that so far I have mainly touched upon the sad parts of the book ( which granted, is a large part of it), but I also need to add that I found myself laughing so much more than I expected, some of the most notable moments include:
Marius being tragic and sniffing jvj’s handkerchief. Grantaire’s seemingly never ending rants, especially when he is comparing Matelote to a gargoyle and talking about Mere Houcheloup’s facial hair. “ the oysters are off , the servants are ugly. I hate the human race” The entire fauchelevant and jvj coffin scene. Gavroche calling Enjolras “ beardless boy” Jvj calling Marius a booby Marius being dramatic and standing with his forehead pressed to a tree in despair for literal hours “Would you like my hat?”
I honestly don’t think I have ever been so equally devastated and captivated by a book. Towards the end ,I found myself torn between not wanting to keep reading to save myself further pain, and struggling to put it down. The last few pages in which Jean Valjean’s story reaches its conclusion were heartbreaking and left me feeling almost drained. You experience such substantial growth with this character throughout the book and he is without a doubt, one of the most well written characters I have ever read.
Finally, I know I’m probably going to forget a lot of them, but here is a short list of other characters that I haven’t mentioned yet, who I really appreciate:
Fantine ( deserved better) Sister Simplice Monsieur Gillenormand ( his character development was one of my favourites) Fauchelevant Bishop Myriel Éponine ( I found her character tragic in the musical but even more so in the book. Also deserved better)...more
I pretty much decided that this was going to be a 5 star read within the first 100 pages. In fact , I think I even knew from the first page, when therI pretty much decided that this was going to be a 5 star read within the first 100 pages. In fact , I think I even knew from the first page, when there was talk of people shitting themselves when they died, that this would be my kind of book (not entirely sure what kind of person that makes me). I just love it when authors don’t shy away from that kind of thing, for me it just makes everything more realistic. Graphic content? Bad language? Sign me up!
It was definitely a different kind of writing style than what I was used to, but once I got used to it, I really enjoyed it. I know that some people found the footnotes a bit distracting, but they didn’t bother me. I felt like it gave the reader the ability to learn more about the world without it seeming too info-dumpy. If people didn’t care for the information, it didn’t necessarily force you to read about it. I also loved the humour and sarcasm in the footnotes and I particularly liked the story detailing Alfi the sand kraken’s revenge.
I did find myself confused at some points, especially in regards to things like the three suns and the turnings, but many things became a lot clearer as the story went along.
I honestly can’t put into words just how much I adored this book. I loved almost everything about it , from the intricate world-building, the compelling plot and most of all, the memorable characters.
Ok so I’m now going to take a moment to enthuse about the characters because many of them were just so well written. I had to keep reminding myself that they were all killers and I probably shouldn’t have loved them as much as I did.😂 I’m not going to talk about every character that I liked though, because I would probably be here all day!
*Warning this part may contain spoilers*
The story was predominantly centred around a girl called Mia who was seeking to avenge her family by joining a school of assassins. She was a brilliant and complex main character and I enjoyed getting to know more about her backstory as the plot progressed. There were many times when she struggled with her moral compass, and other times when she was damn right brutal (that moment with Diamo though😱)
I don’t know why but I was immediately drawn to Hush. He didn’t play the biggest role in the plot but the moments he did have were interesting , especially that moment with the notebook. The small glimpse into his backstory made me empathise with him a lot and I hope I get to know more about him in the next book.
I loved Tric a lot ok? I felt attached to him right from the beginning during his interactions with Mia. His backstory made me so angry and I just wanted to hug him. He deserved so much better 😭
Another character I liked was Ashlinn. Her humour and interactions with other characters were some of my favourites. I genuinely wasn’t expecting the direction her story went in and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with her character in the next book. (I also kind of shipped her with Mia)
All of the Shahiids were fascinating and I would really like to know more about each of their backstories and what led them down this path. Mouser was probably my favourite as I like characters that don’t take themselves too seriously. Spiderkiller was kind of terrifying and her first lesson left me pretty shook.
If I’m being honest, I was a little bit disappointed with the conclusion of Cassius’s character , as I found him really intriguing and would have liked to have gotten to know more about him.
Chronicler Aelius was another character who only had a minor part but was still quite memorable. He had some of my favourite quotes. “ Too many books. Too few centuries”- I mean... what a mood.
I had a lot of confused and mixed feelings about Adonai. He was pretty creepy but strangely alluring at the same time??
Mr Kindly was amazing and his interactions with Mia were everything.
And let’s not forget BASTARD THE HORSE.
Kristoff is another author who does something that I equally love and hate. He isn’t afraid to kill off likeable characters. Even though part of me hates it because I tend to get way too overly attached to characters, I have to admit that it keeps things interesting and raises the stakes when it seems like no character is safe.
One negative thing I would say about this book, was that I sometimes became a bit overwhelmed with everything that was going on. This was mainly the case towards the end of the book, when Mia was chasing down the camel train thing. There was just so much happening and I failed to always keep up. (Is it bad that I was more concerned about the camels than all of the people dying in this scene?)
Overall, it was pretty much everything I would want from a fantasy book, with just the right amount of darkness and humour. I can’t remember the last time I was this engrossed in a story and I can’t wait to read the next book when I can get my hands on it!...more
I seriously loved every minute of this book, which is not something that I can say very often. The plot was compelliWow! I really enjoyed this one! :D
I seriously loved every minute of this book, which is not something that I can say very often. The plot was compelling and full of so many twist and turns, most of which I genuinely didn’t see coming. The world-building and atmosphere was so well described, that it virtually transported me back in time along with them.
This book was filled with well written, complex, and likeable characters and they were definitely one of the main reasons I loved it as much I did. Not everyone was who they seemed to be and I was constantly trying to figure out who to trust.
The story was mainly centred around a girl called Esta, who was a thief living in the modern day New York, with the ability to slow down time and travel through it. She was tasked with retrieving something from the past (in 1902) and to do that, she had to gain the trust of a gang. Over the course of the book, you witness her conflict as she finds herself growing attached to the people around her, even though she knew that she would eventually have to betray them.
She was a fiery, strong and amusing main character and I loved how she refused to take any shit, despite the time period that most of the book was set in. One of my favourite moments was when she put Jianyu in his place “you can either get over your fragile masculine pride and put on the damn skirt, or deal with the Order yourself” 😂
There were many other POVs throughout, which seemed like a bit much at first, but it does become easier to keep track of all of them as the story progresses ,and I feel like it helped to add more depth to certain characters.
Without wanting to sound too dramatic, I would literally die for Harte Darrigan. He was probably my favourite character in this and there were times when all I wanted to do was just hug him, especially when I found out more about his backstory. He was charming, flawed and I loved how passionate he was about performing. He deserves the world and I love him a lot ok.
I also really liked Viola, who was another strong female character, (who also happened to be a lesbian) and Jianyu ( who I empathised with a lot when he was subjected to racial slurs.) I hope we get to know more about these two in the next book!
Even during some of the slower moments, the interactions between all of the characters were amazing and kept me invested in the plot. I found myself grinning like an idiot during most of the Harte and Esta dialogue😂
The romance was well done, I loved the way their relationship naturally progressed throughout the book, and it in no way overshadowed the plot. If you are a fan of the whole enemies to lovers trope ,then you might appreciate this!
Another thing that I found particularly interesting, was how the news clipping she held onto, kept shifting whenever she altered the future in some way. I feel like this added an extra layer of suspense.
I’m not going to lie and say I understood absolutely everything that was going on, time travel in general confuses the hell out of me, and there was so much happening sometimes that I struggled to keep up. I do, however, feel like it was written in a way that stopped it from being as confusing as it perhaps could have been.
When it comes down to a book about gangs and heists, there is always going to be that comparison with Six of Crows, but for me, they are very different and I wouldn’t go into this expecting the same kind of experience. Obviously there are some similarities, but I loved both of these books in different ways.
Overall, I highly recommend this book, and can’t for the life of me understand why it doesn’t have more love!...more
“Amazing isn’t it?” Kvothe addressed them bitingly. “Five fingers and flesh with blood beneath. One could almost believe that on the other end of that“Amazing isn’t it?” Kvothe addressed them bitingly. “Five fingers and flesh with blood beneath. One could almost believe that on the other end of that hand lay a person of some sort."
How can I even begin to review this book? I honestly can’t think of any words that would do this the justice it deserves.
The name of the wind follows the life of a man named Kvothe and it is essentially a story within a story. It begins with him sometime in the future, attempting to leave behind the person he once was. He then meets a man known as the Chronicler who wishes to document Kvothe’s story and he reluctantly agrees to divulge everything that happened to him throughout his life, which is where the main bulk of the story takes place. (I hope that makes sense)
It wasn’t exactly the most action packed story, but the memorable, well-written characters and witty dialogue more than made up for it, and I was completely invested in Kvothe’s story, even during the slower parts.
I loved Kvothe as a main character, I found him complex and he wasn’t like a typical hero in stories, he was intelligent and charming, but also troubled, flawed and reckless at times. I empathised with him a lot with everything that he went through, and I’m aware that there is still so much more to come.
The main romance didn’t develop in a predictable way, it never seemed forced, didn’t overshadow the plot and their relationship naturally progressed throughout the book. I liked how it turned out to be more of a strong friendship, which is quite rare in books, but I am still kind of routing for it to become more. Also, I found Kvothe a very shippable character in general and can see potential for other love interests (some I’m aware probably won’t be canon but one can dream)😂
I also loved how detailed the world-building was, it really showed how much thought went into it all. I especially liked the various different languages and accents, and how some of the characters struggled with certain languages during dialogue. For example, when a character couldn’t think of the what a word translated to, they made hand gestures and stuff. For me, this makes it a lot more realistic.
The magic system was quite different from what you would usually expect from a fantasy book. There was a great deal of logic and theory behind it, and it wasn’t exactly the simplest of processes. It’s not the kind of thing people are naturally gifted with, it takes a lot of work and concentration to get it right. It can also be dangerous if done incorrectly.
I’m not going to lie and say I understood absolutely everything that went on in this book, there were some parts regarding the world-building and magic system that took me a while to wrap my head around, and even then I’m still not sure if I entirely understood it all, but this in no way effected my enjoyment of it.
I know this is quite deep, but I loved how some of the men weren’t afraid to show emotion in this. There was a moment when one of Kvothe's friends was crying openly and there was never really any shame surrounding it. They even went as far as to comfort him rather than tease him about it. I wish our society was more like this, as crying is often seen as a weakness, especially if it is men doing it, and that’s such a harmful mindset. I’m not sure if this was purposeful, but I appreciated that little moment nevertheless.
The characters were without a doubt, the main reason I loved the book as much as I did. I literally lost count of the number of characters I fell in love with and the interactions between them all were brilliant. I’m not going to name every single one that I loved, otherwise I'd probably be here all day. One character I do want to give a special mention to, however, is Elodin.
“Congratulations” he said “that was the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen”. His expression was a mix of awe and disbelief. “Ever.”
He may not have had the biggest role in the plot, but he was hilarious and I found myself grinning whenever he appeared. I hope there is more of him in the next book!
Other things that I liked:
Everything to do with the University segments Kvothe's passion for music The mystery surrounding The Chandrian The way the story switched back to the present moment to show some of the characters reactions to certain events. The Jackass, Jackass song
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this read and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys primarily character driven stories! Looking forward to getting the next one at some point :)...more
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