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tessaays's review against another edition
1.0
I loved Too Loud a Solitude but this was almost unreadable - I couldn’t get through it and stopped after the first novella. Read if you enjoy sentences that are several pages long and gratuitous violence towards cherished pets. The narrator is also intensely irritating and has magical Rapunzel-esque hair. Just bizarre and terrible.
lauconn's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
graco's review against another edition
2.75
Definitely my least favorite Hrabal I've read. I enjoyed the end when Communism started to impact the day to day life of the town but the first half to 3/4 of the book dragged a lot.
terppsi's review against another edition
3.0
Poetic and pretty fnny at the same time. I often made a fool of myself in public transports because I would just burst out laughing.
I particularly enjoyed the description of the nurse who annouces the imminent death of a relative with a huge smile on her face. Reminded me of the chief nurse of the home where my mom spent her last days.
I particularly enjoyed the description of the nurse who annouces the imminent death of a relative with a huge smile on her face. Reminded me of the chief nurse of the home where my mom spent her last days.
ollie_miller's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
emidayglo's review against another edition
2.0
couldnt get into it, sadly. I usually love this author.
mirto's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
beataf's review against another edition
1.0
I like the concept - two brothers' contrasting approach to the times they live in as time slips away from them - but the execution smothered the joy of reading. The entire book is full of run-on sentences, and the deliberately absurd text is most often just incomprehensible. To be fair to Hrabal, I think the translation I read (by James Naughton) is not great, so this may be an English language problem.
ericarobyn's review against another edition
2.0
I read this book after hearing someone's raving recommendation about how beautiful the story was. I, apparently, REALLY missed something. I didn't like this book. The stories were odd, to say the least...and the sentences were incredibly long. I found myself drifting a lot or struggling to see the connection between the various chapters. Overall, I thought this book was just plain confusing.
avitalgadcykman's review against another edition
5.0
A semi-autobiographic story full of wonderful characters and moving/funny incidents somehow related to the second world war and the communist invasion. He takes his time, and the pacing is rather slow but it's worth it.