Student Blogs

The complex and mysterious novella “The Hour of the Star” by Clarice Lispector explores existentialism, identity, and the human predicament. The narrative centers on Macabéa, a young, nondescript woman from Rio de Janeiro’s slums. It’s the shortest novel I’ve read so far in this course, I think. It is said of Macabéa that she is […] read full post >>

“The Hour of the Star,” to use “Gen Z” terms is a book full of “yapping” but in my opinion good and insightful yapping. With a book of many titles Lispector gives a very unique experience to the reader as she writes about an author writing about a girl, named half way through the book, … read full post >>

“If on a Winter Tonight a Traveller” is the second book I’ve read by Italo Calvino. The first I read was the nonexistent night, which I liked more to be honest. I really like Calvino’s writing style. I find that … Continue reading → read full post >>

After reading “The Hour of the Star”, I thought a lot about life and death and it made me so uncomfortable. I found it difficult to understand the philosophical aspects of the book and may have tried too hard to find a deeper meaning to the story.  My initial impression of the narrator, Rodrigo S. […] read full post >>

Clarice Lispector’s book, “The Hour of the Star,” is truly fascinating. It is narrated in the first person by a male writer who tells the tragic story of Macabéa, a character he is currently writing about. However, my focus is on Macabéa. Her entire life is incredibly bleak – she lacks higher education and profound […] read full post >>

Welcome back to this week’s book, The Hour of the Star. I had mentioned in my first blog post that I was most excited to read this book, and I genuinely did enjoy this book and it is one of my favourites till now. This book is written by Clarice Lispector, and it revolves around […] read full post >>

 The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector is the shortest novella I’ve read, and I thought it was unique, but also weird. In this story, there are two narrative storylines, the first line is the narration from Rodrigo S.M.’s point of view. Rodrigo S.M. is a male writer who seems to be bored with life […] read full post >>

I loved how unique this book felt. It was like a story within a story filled with such rich thoughts and complex characters. To me, it was more about the characters than the actual plot. The narrator is literally talking to us. explaining how the book will go. It is such an interesting start to […] read full post >>

The novel ‘The Hour of the Star is a bit different from all the other novels that I have read in this course so far or even the ones that I have read apart from this course. This novel brought out a mix of emotions for me as neither did I like nor dislike this […] read full post >>

The narrative perspective of this book was completely unexpected to me, and this is the first time I’ve read a book where the author narrates from a second-person point of view, which definitely gave me a very strong gateway to connect with the author. This was a very new and creative reading experience for me […] read full post >>

I loved this book so much, and I will have to read the next ones. I can’t be left in such a cliffhanger! Of course, this book is an coming of age story, a common theme in the course. It takes us on a journey where we can see how a small neighborhood in Italy […] read full post >>

You are now reading a blog post of “If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller” written by Italo Calvino. Now’s the time to chill without any distractions. Focus. Clear your mind to the best of your abilities, and perhaps find a place where you can read in peace and quiet. And prepare to reply to […] read full post >>

Plata Quemada” by Ricardo Piglia is a novel that combines elements of excitement and suspense, while also invoking a sense of sentimentality. The author’s use of a journalistic approach to storytelling enhances the narrative, offering a unique perspective that adds a clever touch to the book. Certainly ahead of it’s time and revolutionary back then […] read full post >>

I was really excited about reading this book and finished it in one sitting. I enjoyed it thoroughly. It takes the number one spot for me dethroning The Time of Doves. The Lover, a novel about exploration of identity with a hint of coming-of-age, will stay with me for a while. Let’s address the elephant […] read full post >>

After finishing the book, I was left with the internal question of “What did I just read?” And then I looked up the author, and it started to make more sense. The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector is yet another book that dives into the themes of identity, the search for meaning, and […] read full post >>