Student Blogs

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 >>

I’ve never felt so acknowledged by an author, because we (a reader)are not meant to contribute to the story, because the story’s already been told. There’s not much we can do except observe, and hope the ending is favourable. I guess that’s still the same even with this book. No matter how involved the readers […] read full post >>

I feel this book is very unique: it is quite different from other books I have read. From the very beginning, it is clearly written that the narrative itself is part of the subject. While the narrator, Rodrigo, introduces himself and even explains that the story will contain several characters, including himself as an important […] read full post >>

If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller by Calvino, Italo was definitely an interesting read. From the beginning it right away captured my attention and the way it started got me hooked and interested right away. This is because of how Calvino, Italo addresses the reader as you and how we are the one who […] read full post >>

To be honest, I did not like If on a winter’s night a traveler. I get why it’s considered creative, but my experience was mostly confusion and distance. In the beginning, when the narrator tells you where to sit, adjust the light, relax, and prepare to read. I remember thinking: why is he telling me […] read full post >>

I have to confess that I picked this book because the title is sooo poetic. It is an unfinished sentence, so I guess that there may be a cliff hanger at the end of the book. Clearly, there is something similar but not exactly a cliff hanger. I found the book to be sooo CHAOTIC […] read full post >>

This was my first time reading a novel written in this style, and as is with all new experiences, at first it felt jarring and almost uncomfortable, but I gradually grew to like the style as I kept progressing throughout the book. In this novel I (yes, me) keep getting incomplete novels. In some ways, […] read full post >>