I think the style of this novel was quite refreshing because it was different from what we’ve previously read. The short sections (can I even call them chapters?) honestly made it easier to read, I felt like I was going through the novel faster than before because it was like little short anecdotes rather than […]
Like many of the other students, I was also lost in the amount of characters in this novel. So many characters, so many crimes, and the fact that they were often introduced with their real name then were referred to by their alias from thereon out… there was just a lot going on. The queer […]
The non-linear storytelling was honestly confusing. I know it’s supposed to mimic the narrator’s train of thought but… since I’m not her, I didn’t really know where all this information was coming from! I felt like that “guy who needs context” meme for the beginning portion. There were details all over the place and one […]
Rodrigo puzzled me as a narrator because he felt a bit wishy-washy with his feelings about Macabea. To begin with, he doesn’t mention her name at all until the very first conversation where she has to introduce herself, instead referring to her as “the northeastern girl” or “she” and “her”. Then he goes on and on […]
Quimet couldn’t have died fast enough. What an absolutely despicable good for nothing worthless man! While this novel was an easy read on the brain and for my understanding, it was also difficult to read because it was akin to watching a trainwreck in slow motion. I could tell where their relationship was going, and […]
This reading overall made me feel sad and exhausted. Not in a dramatic way, but because Jose’s life was just… reality. It was precisely the coming of youth, and the cards were never in his favour. Knowing that this novel was in part autobiographical makes sense to me. I think the most saddening character to […]
The whole novel of Nada felt eery to me, like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I suppose this is because of the aftermath of the Spanish civil war, as the lecture video states that the family’s trauma haunts the narrative – so it’s more like the shoe has already dropped, and everything […]
I think I liked this reading, as much as I was frustrated with the characters. The writing wasn’t as abstract as the previous readings, so it was easier to understand despite still having some fascinating descriptions of the scenery. It felt like we were watching the recollection of Ana Maria’s life via soap opera episodes […]
My first thought when I read the initial couple pages of Nadja was… this man sounds annoying. My lasting thought when I finished Nadja was… this man is still annoying. It’s probably a mix of my distaste for the writing style, and his narration itself. The writing and flow was disorienting and confusing to me, maybe because it […]
In a novel, I find that I tend to look for easy reading – something that I can pass my time with, and enjoy my time while it’s also quite light to read. I look for a setting and perspective. Contrarily, Proust’s novel immediately dived into the narrator discussing his dreams, which had me questioning, […]
