Student Blogs

What the freak man. ‘If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller’ was genuinely so trippy I am half confused but also very intrigued. To start off, i’ve never read something with this writing style before, my actions being narrated by someone else felt weirdly unsettling and kinda like a tutorial for how to feel/act. I […] read full post >>

#Thehourofthestar #ClariceLispector BOLERO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoBYhgwYqcI read full post >>

The hour of the start really stood out to me as a book unique in the way it’s spoken, as it reminded me to shift my perspectives. The storytelling felt like I was listening to a writer wrench with their thoughts while completing their novel. At introduction to Macabea, I realized how she seemingly floats … read full post >>

There are books that tell a story, and then there are books that look you in the eye, point at you, and say: you. Calvino’s If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler is the second kind. From literally the first sentence, you’re being instructed: “You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino’s new novel… Relax. […] read full post >>

When I read The Hour of the Star, I wasn’t expecting to feel this uncomfortable. Not because of what happens, but because of how it’s told. Before we even really get to Macabéa, we’re stuck with Rodrigo S. M. spiraling about writing, about beginnings and endings, about whether he even has the right to tell this […] read full post >>

This book turned out to be so different, honestly. I don’t know what I was expecting, perhaps something similar to the books we have read. This book didn’t give us one story like we are used to: a start, middle and end. However, in fact, we got several beginnings of different stories and each time […] read full post >>

In If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino, I honestly didn’t know what I was getting into at first. The novel immediately addresses “you” as the reader, which felt strange but also kind of cool. It made me feel involved in the story in a way that most books don’t. Instead of […] read full post >>

11/10 rage bait— got me feeling like y/n. (but gimme more)! read full post >>

If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler is one of those books that’s interesting because of how strange it is, rather than because it’s enjoyable to read. The whole book is basically ten different novels cut off mid-story, tied together by a weird frame narrative where “you,” the Reader, keep trying to find the missing […] read full post >>

First thought on this book was omg it’s only 100 pages. Two pages in… these are going to be the longest 100 pages of writing I’ve ever read. But I made my roommate read a page and she said she liked it so maybe I’m uncultured. It’s making my head hurt. Wow, I just finished […] read full post >>

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like The Hour of the Star. It’s not just the story itself that feels different, it’s the way it’s told. Half the time I forgot about the plot because Rodrigo, the narrator, keeps interrupting to talk about writing, about poverty, about whether he even has the […] read full post >>

I have to say that this has been my favourite book so far. I loved everything about it, from the engaging writing style to the mysterious nature of the author, and each page left me more eager to go on. It really seems like the overarching theme of this novel is the “unknown,” since there […] read full post >>

In the dedication by the author (actually Clarice Lispector), she wrote: “And—and don’t forget that the structure of the atom cannot be seen but is nonetheless known.” This poetic sentence seems to demonstrate a theme of the book where the narrator attempts to capture the unseen and unexperienced. “And my duty, however artlessly, to reveal […] read full post >>

I absolutely loved this book. I was captured immediately from the beginning and it was such a fun and enjoyable read. It felt like such a great escape from my life and it was like living in an alternate universe. At first I thought of the character ‘you’ as just that, a character. But the more I read, the more... read full post >>

Reading If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler felt disorienting right from the start. Instead of easing me into a story, Calvino throws you straight into the act of reading itself. He even addresses “you” as if he is watching you open the book and read the first few pages. At first I found it […] read full post >>