Student Blogs

Why is it that older generations have stories of meeting their partners in the creepiest ways? When my grandmother met my grandfather, she said she hated him at first because he would follow her around her university campus and try to get on the same work schedule as her just to talk to her. Romance […] read full post >>

I guess I could start this blog off by mentioning how this was quite and enjoyable read, it seemed easier to digest than previous books, but there's definitely a lot to unpack. One thing that particularly stood out to me while reading was Natalia's per... read full post >>

I guess I could start this blog off by mentioning how this was quite and enjoyable read, it seemed easier to digest than previous books, but there's definitely a lot to unpack. One thing that particularly stood out to me while reading was Natalia's per... read full post >>

“I told him I was used to hard work.” This sentence on page 156 made me feel bad for Natalia. Throughout the book, Natalia is described as hardworking. Before her marriage, she worked at a pastry shop, but her salary was controlled by her father. The narrator describes how her father yelled at her when […] read full post >>

I’ll be honest, I don’t think I took the disclaimer about Mercè Rodoreda’s The Time of the Doves being dark as seriously as I should have.  Knowing it was set in the Spanish Civil War, I wasn’t surprised to see that there were bombs and hunger and death. But the fact that most of it […] read full post >>

This is my favorite novel so far! I really like how the story is told in a straightforward way, without constantly jumping back and forth between the past and the present. The narration feels simple, but also very comfortable to read, just like the protagonist Natalia herself. She is an ordinary woman, but she feels […] read full post >>

I’m feeling a frenzy of emotions right now, I don’t know what to write about. Maybe because I’m in forestry where they don’t believe in heating??? My hands are frozen but I’m kinda sweating too? And I’m hungry. Really craving baby octopuses right now but I’ll settle for some Tims hash browns. First thoughts were […] read full post >>

I started this book slowly, a few pages a day. Then I read the entire second half in one sitting. At first Natalia’s problems are domestic, thanks to her tyrant of a husband, Quimet. But as the war takes over, Natalia and her children are brought to the brink of starvation and all she can […] read full post >>

Quimet can smd and rot in hell 🙂 read full post >>

To be honest, I am not quite sure what to think of The Time of the Doves. On one hand, I found it to be quite a long read and it was hard to pinpoint what was happening in some parts because I would lose focus. Yet, I still think it was an interesting read. […] read full post >>

I enjoyed reading this book, I liked how deep it dove into Natalia’s psyche through the stream of consciousness writing. One image I kept circling back to, like in the novel, was from the title, the doves and the birds that keep reappearing.  It always feels to me like Natalia is bound by something out […] read full post >>

I genuinely thought The Time of the Doves was going to be a soft, romantic, Barcelona-in-the-sun type of novel. Instead, I got a man who renames a woman within five minutes of meeting her. Natalia goes to a festival. She’s tired. Her waistband is digging into her stomach. She’s thinking about literally anything except destiny. […] read full post >>

#MerceRodereda #Thetimeofthedoves read full post >>

After reading “The Time of the Doves” by Merce Rodoreda, I enjoyed how deeply personal and intimate Natalia’s voice feels like as the novel throughout presents her life not only through dramatic events but through small, everyday struggles that slowly build into something heavy and overwhelming. I realized as well how powerful simplicity can be […] read full post >>

??? Why are all those lovers (that we have read) so toxic?? Natalia’s identity and self is being gradually erased during the marriage and the war. Firstly, at the very beginning, she meets a young man who invites her to dance with him. She rejects him not because she considers her own wishes, but because […] read full post >>