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 […]
Now that I have finished this novel, I noticed that it starts with “all the world began with a yes” (3) and the last word is also “yes” (77). Overall, I thought this book was interesting in that the author also seems to be a character himself. He knows his goal for writing is to […]
It took me longer to get through this novel, but as I slowly warmed up to the setting and the narrative, I became drawn in by Zobal’s world and character building. M’man Tine’s character, in particular, was what struck me the most. Her sacrifices and strict expectations since the time of raising Delia are what allowed the later generations of…
A conversation with Gaoheng Zhang
Hellooo once again blog :)) (please know I went a medium bit above the word limit, so this is a longer one, sorry not sorry) This week’s read was Agostino by Alberto Moravia, and I can openly admit I went into this book with the wrong expectations. When I read the blurb in the “choose your […]
Agostino……… I guess I should be thinking with an open mind and critically or whatever… But I cannot stand these nasty boys! From literally the first few pages I was already uncomfortable. Why are these boys always so obsessed with their moms.? Like okay. From the first page I already knew what I was getting … Continue reading YUCK
Honestly, I don’t know how I feel. From the first few pages alone, I wasn’t exactly… thrilled. Discomfort while reading this was inevitable to me. That said, I flew through it pretty quickly. Moravia’s imagery was nice, even when it was unsettling. I was just unsure of how to feel about everything. At the start, […]
To start, I think there is so much to unpack in Agostino. I enjoyed how Moravia framed the story as it was easy for me to follow the protagonist’s experience. It was so good that I finished it all in one sitting and actually think it is potentially my favourite out of all that we […]
A conversation with Naomi Lindstrom
I loved reading a piece of literature from the 20th century that emphasizes the life and experiences of a woman, written by a woman. Many romance novels centering woman written by men tend to focus on women’s bodies more, seeming to objectify them, and the conflict in the stories tend to centre men. In “The […]
