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This week I read the book “The Lover” by Marguerite Duras. It was a little confusing as the POVs do switch from first-person to third-person quite often throughout the book. For example, in the beginning of the novel, we read about her experience on the boat and then all of a sudden we find out […] read full post >>

I know I said that “Time of the Doves” was one of the books of all time, but this book is a strong contender for the book of all time. “The Lover” by Margurite Duras was an interesting book to say the least. This book’s subject matter was heavily sexual, which would be eyebrow raising […] read full post >>

‘The Trenchcoat’ by Norman Manae, a part of the collection “Compulsory Happiness,”  is set in Bucharest during the stirring history of the haunting truths of Romania’s last years under communist rule. At first, I thought the novel was one of the most peculiar, vague pieces of literature I had ever read. I do not think […] read full post >>

The Trenchcoat by Norman Manea was a book which had importance and meaning, hidden by the disguise of normalcy. At first read, the book depicts the drama and relationships of many characters, and displays their conversations over dinner parties, and in the privacy of their homes. It is only in the small details where one […] read full post >>

I am grateful for the fact that as we read these books throughout the year, the time each is written in is getting more and more modern, and thus I feel like the language used is almost easier for me to understand as well. However what strikes me is the material of much of the … Continue reading Thoughts on The Lover read full post >>

Join us as we dive into the deep and seedy world of the tumultuous Bucharest. My question is, what was your experience of confusion and disorientation reading the book? how do you think it added or subtracted to the story read full post >>

This week’s reading was The Trench Coat. The book takes place in Romania under the communist regime and to be frank, I did not enjoy reading it. I was on the treadmill while reading the beginning section and what I captured was the copious amounts of drinking such as whisky and vodka, which coincidentally, is […] read full post >>

“very early in my life it was too late”. I feel like that quote in itself really encapsulates the tone of the book very well- the moodiness of the book, to the writing style being a sort of recollections of instances in her life past but sort of looking at it sometimes as if from […] read full post >>

When talking about illicit relationships that make all of us uncomfortable in some way or the other this class ate and left no crumbs, so did this book honestly. But this was definitely an interesting read, I also think it might be the best one so far. Duras’s story goes well beyond a straightforward romance […] read full post >>

I didn’t connect with this book as much as others in the past just because of its writing style. Since the start, I was very confused and felt like I did not understand something, so it took more time for me to get hooked and stay engaged. As I read about the Romanian cold war […] read full post >>