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giancarlon's review against another edition
2.0
So far I've finished all the books I've started, no matter how interested I was in the book. This is one of those books that risked me breaking the streak. It's probably me, but books without a real structure, made by a continuous block of text without pause, with an almost non-existent plot, are absolutely not for me. I understand that the protagonist is, literally, on his deathbed, I understand that the style and the river of thoughts serve to make the reader identify with the situation, but basing the whole book only on this characteristic makes it, at least for me, a burden to be carried more out of duty than pleasure.
ostrava's review against another edition
5.0
Malone Dies did it for me in a way Molloy didn't. I don't know if this an unpopular opinion because Molloy is the one people usually highlight when they talk about Beckett's trilogy, but with less Beckett accomplished even more.
I only wonder if further subtraction in The Unnamable will continue elevating my opinion of Beckett or if instead it will reach a point of "too much". Or... "too little" maybe...
I only wonder if further subtraction in The Unnamable will continue elevating my opinion of Beckett or if instead it will reach a point of "too much". Or... "too little" maybe...
yuefei's review against another edition
Beckett is undoubtedly a good writer—the prose has its incessant flows and obstinate silences, not quite “natural” but as close as it gets without becoming mythologised. That being said, it is a prose-poem (and so primarily a matter of tone and feeling) and its affective and thematic concerns didn’t resonate with me, so I’m quite conflicted about this one.
valtimke's review against another edition
4.0
"The sun was dragging itself up, dispatching on its way what perhaps would be, thanks to it, a glorious May or April day, April more likely, it is doubtless the Easter week-end, spent by Jesus in hell."
My second novel by Beckett, Malone Dies was even more devoid of plot than Molloy. Somehow, this made me like it all the better. It is quite literally the ramblings of a dying man considering his fate to cease to exist, but it provides so many ways to think about life in the process. I love the sentences that Beckett constructs and how odd they get. The end is a bit rapid and confusing, but necessarily so, and I definitely want to analyze it more as it suddenly introduces new characters that were not there before. I have read these two Beckett novels for a class that is nearly over, but they have made me want to read The Unnamable and Watt. There is something about the experience of reading jumbled rantings on existence that makes me feel connected to the pains and joys of the world, and I really appreciate what Beckett has done.
My second novel by Beckett, Malone Dies was even more devoid of plot than Molloy. Somehow, this made me like it all the better. It is quite literally the ramblings of a dying man considering his fate to cease to exist, but it provides so many ways to think about life in the process. I love the sentences that Beckett constructs and how odd they get. The end is a bit rapid and confusing, but necessarily so, and I definitely want to analyze it more as it suddenly introduces new characters that were not there before. I have read these two Beckett novels for a class that is nearly over, but they have made me want to read The Unnamable and Watt. There is something about the experience of reading jumbled rantings on existence that makes me feel connected to the pains and joys of the world, and I really appreciate what Beckett has done.
madcrazymoviereviews's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Hard to get into this book when it is so determined NOT to be a book. Some lovely prose and humor, not a book for the casual reader.
david_rhee's review against another edition
3.0
Number two of the trilogy struck me as familiar initially especially when it came to repulsive characters and a dissociated narrative pattern which oddly seemed to come full circle. I feel like Beckett speaks to me somewhat because my tendency to relate gets nudged here and there. I feel it or detect it lightly at least...the failure and unfulfillment and bloated attention to meaningless details only because it is magnified by pathological levels of boredom from waiting for the end. But I've failed too. For myself, it's all suspicion and no grasp. In hindsight, I should have left it unrated. Sorry. We're all sorry.
josephinereallylovestoread's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
eflanag01's review against another edition
5.0
It is a minds’ awareness of itself, and in this is extraordinarily completely relatable, even if that mind is often noticeably in the process of slipping. For Becket to make Malone a writer is truly genius to show writing as a tool of how a mind seeks to communicate outside of itself even if there is nothing/no one to communicate with.
Beautiful imagery and writing exposes a more scientific reality of social intercourse.
Beautiful imagery and writing exposes a more scientific reality of social intercourse.