Ana V.

a very powerful book; as thin as it is, it's not for a second an easy read and proves once more that less words can mean more depth, if chosen right. i am definitely a fan of Llosa's now, and eager to read more of what he has written.

i solved the mistery half way through by pure accident, because i made a couple of suppositions and waited for one of them to follow through. i'm usually not able to do that and i suck at unraveling mysteries before they're near the end - i got so lucky! of course i didn't realize the full scale of it, but i strongly suspected the right one, the character who was behind it.

written in typical christie fashion, it builds up a level of suspense that as a reader, you can never get enough of, and you frantically turn the pages to find out not who was really the killer - but if you were right. and, when you reach the end, it's a matter of seconds before you see that everything in the book pointed out to that conclusion and you were blind to it for the entire time.

as of now, this is my favorite agatha christie book, as it doesn't just play out an act, but rather focuses on the mental qualities of a criminal and the anguish and psychological torture a man can endure before he breaks down.

definitely a book worth reading!

dang it, if it hadn't been for the last 50 or so pages, i would've given it 5 stars! how i hate it when this happens!

that was a damned good idea for a dystopian book that i haven't seen anywhere so far: death stops coming. what do you do?

panic, for sure. thinking about what would happen in real life if this really was the case, i realized that i didn't need to. saramago writes a very weird prose, but he's extremely realistic with his conclusions and delivers in all the right places.

for the dialogue part - i finally got used to his kind. i still miss the en-dashes, but i've come to appreciate his compact style, as it gives more depth and forces the reader to pay attention at all times.

update: i just found out that The Garlic Ballads was written in 35 days.

.... what?

this is probably one of his toughest books, with scenes that make you both afraid and disgusted, with characters that have no humanity in them and you're still forced to acknowledge that yes! indeed! they are your kin! there are bad things in this world, and then there are horrors, and the only creators of horror are us.

i feel like giving mo yan a hug. if his own experience inspired these gruesome stories... the man needs a hug.

After a two hundred page marathon to finish this, I couldn't be more happy. It was worth it!

I was so close to not reading this book! What a loss that would've been!

Now, that's a good post-apocalyptic study right here and I have to think a while before I can review it.

I hope I'll do it. I might be too lazy.

N-am cum sa ma scuz.

Desi, chiar de-ar trebui sa ma scuz, tot n-as face-o.

Mi-a placut, asa cum a fost, cu toate platitudinile, cu toate dialogurile goale, cu toate personajele care parca n-aveau ce cauta acolo, cu tot cu scriitura minimalista... Cum i-a zis Adrian lui Daniel: "Asa, cu toate cacaturile tale", (parafrazand, desigur), asa accept eu cartea asta.

Pentru ca (insereaza expresie vulgara aici), asta e scriitorul roman pe care-l asteptam. Am bucurii la multi autori, si buni si rai, si de-ai tarii mele si de-ai altor meleaguri, da putini sunt cei pe care ii plasez printre favoriti din epoca MEA. Care, asa scrisa cu majuscule cum apare, e chiar micuta - abea din '95 a inceput aceasta epoca revolutionara. (insereaza pufnit dispretuitor)

Majoritatea autorilor care mi-au infierat scrierile lor in cap sunt ori morti, ori pe moarte sau in orice caz trecuti de o varsta respectabila. Scriitori al caror nume gauresc talgerele balantei criticii, cand incearca sa ii judece. Care valoreaza de unii singuri cat o mie de alti scriitori la un loc. Da, sunt la fel de impresionata de operele "greilor" la fel cum au fost alte cinci generatii inaintea mea.

Si totusi.

Si totusi, mie imi place literatura inadaptatilor. O citesc cu un ochi mai clar decat citesc orice altceva pentru ca este literatura vremurilor mele. Irvine Welsh? Cocaina, heroina, copii morti, betii, strazi, violuri. Da, asta suna mai mult a lumea zilelor mele. Chuck Palahniuk? Supra-realismul lui are ceva din gustul amarui al realitatii pe care o mai vad din cand in cand pe strazi, si pe care vreau sa o inteleg, asa incalcita cum e. William Gibson? "High-tech, low-life". Da, asta este literatura pentru care am o pasiune usor vinovata.

Asteptam sa apara in mana mea cartea unui roman care sa scrie asa. Nu e ca si cand l-am cautat asiduu, nu. Sunt dati cand nici macar nu trec pe la zona romanilor din librarii, preferand zona mult-uratilor americani sau poate a britanicilor, care scriu mai des despre asa ceva.

Si apoi.

Si apoi, apare Telespan. Aruncat din gura in gura si dat din mana in mana pe la mine prin scoala ("scoala" e mult spus, mai degraba un cerc restrans de cititori inversunati), a ajuns sa mangaie si palma mea. Am auzit atatea de el: ca te face sa razi, ca merita, ca e cam vulgar, ca asa, ca pe dincolo, in fine... Am zis ca merita sa-i ofer sansa. Nu putea sa strice cu nimic, nici-o carte nu poate.

Si sa vezi.

Si sa vezi cum m-a prins. Instant. Excelent. Vulgar, dur, crud, cu un umor din topor, dar nu orice topor ci ala vechi ascuns in sura, cu coada cat aia de lopata si lama de doua ori cat palma, ruginit si instabil dar care, ce sa vezi, ca toate uneltele "vechi da' bune", isi face treaba mai bine ca lamelele alea mici si tremuricioase pe care unii le mai numesc, mai in gluma, mai in serios, "topor". Dupa cum mai spune profu' de istorie, umor de autobaza. Cu glume de iti vine sa iti dai palme, ca la cat de proaste sunt tu totusi razi.

Incredibil, dar adevarat.

Adrian Green este punctul de congruenta al tuturor lucrurilor pe care societatea le condamna: e gay (insereaza icniri socate), e lenes, n-are prea multa scoala ca nu-i place, nu iubeste pe nimeni ca e prea greu sa iubesti, isi petrece zilele visand la cum o sa castige el un miliard de dolari la cine stie ce concurs televizat, pe care mai apoi ii va cheltui intr-un acces de generozitate fata de el insusi, e prea molau ca sa isi ia o slubja... Este protagonistul tipic al dramei secolului 21 in viziune moderna. Este parca scos dintre paginile lui Palahniuk, iar mie Palahniuk imi place foarte mult.

Asa ratat cum e, Adrian isi gaseste o slujba la trei metri de casa, ca administrator la un cimitir (la negru, bineinteles). Acolo se desfasoara cam tot universul cartii, Green fiind prins intre seful lui ramolit si depresiv, mortii pe care trebuia sa-i vada mai mult decat si-ar fi dorit si familiile celor care urma sa fie ingropati. Intr-un fel, asta devine lumea lui pentru ca i se potriveste ca o manusa: nu are multa treaba de facut, primeste mai multi bani decat merita si are ocazia sa faca, de fapt, ce vrea - adica sa stea pe funduletul lui pretios de homosexual toata ziulica.

Apropo de homosexuali. Acum ceva timp, m-am inscris intr-un proiect de gay-awareness, avand in vedere ca simteam ca trebuie sa lupt si eu pentru ceva si mi-am gasit taman cauza asta, (evitand complet subiectul copiilor care mor de foame), si am citit (o perioada) foarte multa erotica gay. Ceea ce poporul american ar clasifica sub numele de "male-on-male action". Acum, nu stiu daca Telespan asta are veleitati de asemenea gen, dar scenele de sex din carte sunt ex-ce-len-te. Surprinzator, cate lucruri stiu despre sexul intre barbati, dar toate le-am gasit si aici si sunt nu numai descrisi foarte bine, dar si pusi in posturi reale, cu tipuri de preludii reale etc. Un punct bonus pentru asta, avand in vedere ca nu e chiar usor sa scrii o scena de sex intre doi oameni de genuri diferite, daramite sa te aventurezi sa scrii cum si-o iau unu' de la altu' doi barbati.

Ce face Telespan, cred eu, cu cartea asta, este ca incearca sa ofere niste invataturi mai vechi intr-o forma noua. Daca extrapolezi, poti aplica chestia asta la toata literatura zilelor noastre, dar majoritatii scriitorilor pur si simplu nu le iese. In special romanilor. Avem o mana de scriitori seriosi, excelent calibrati... dar pentru alta epoca. Si cand vin cei tineri si iau cu asalt piata de carte, arata mai degraba ca atacul neorganizat al Asociatiei de Tineri cu Sindromul Down (e doar o gluma, nu va impanati asa). Poti sa observi asta de la bloguri pana la carti. Telespan e o exceptie. Asa grosolan cum este, a reusit. Cel putin, pentru mine a reusit.

In sfarsit, las la o parte tot ce poate si bun sau prost in viziunea unui cititor pentru a ma ocupa de partea care mi-a placut, de fapt, cel mai mult: finalul. In speta, ultima pagina. Si mai precis, ultimele trei randuri. Pe care, bineinteles, nu le pot scrie aici, dar mi-au ramas in cap si cred ca e mai bine asa, dupa ce-am citit toata cartea, decat sa le fi vazut de dinainte intr-o recenzie. Tehnic vorbind, este un final de milioane. Se construieste pana la el, pentru ca la ultimele trei randuri sa te lase Manole cu o caramida in mana si sa-ti zica: "Nene, acum pune-o unde vrei tu s-o pui." Si ai doua optiuni, evident: sa o pui in gaura care ameninta sa dezechilibreze toata structura sau sa o adaugi deasupra si sa speri ca va tine asa, data cu chit la mantuiala si lipita mai stramb, ca de, asa se rezolva. Iar ultima propozitie, care de fapt este o interogatie dar ma rog, rezuma excelent si calitatea de om al vulgului dar si pe cea de fiinta moderna al lui Green. Ca personaj, Adrian este definit de ultima lui afirmatie (a se citi intrebare), si prin asta defineste si lumea pe care a creat-o romanul in mintea cititorului.

Telespan, sa rezumam: stii sa scrii despre scene de sex intre homosexuali, stii sa creezi un personaj beton, stii sa analizezi situatia societatii moderne, stii sa faci glume proaste, stii sa le faci din cand in cand si pe alea bune si esti o comoara cand vine vorba de incheierea cartii. Eu zic ca te tii bine.


Pula mea, n-am dreptate?


Ai mai scris, oare, ceva?


(insereaza search pe Google aici)

oooh, snap! barnes delivers again!
you know, if books were like drinks, barnes' would be some kind of a tonic.

something with an addictive taste and a fizzle, but with enough alcohol to burn its way down when you swallow it.

i'm amazed that i was able to understand three quarters of this book with little or no help at all from any outside source. there were times when i had to use the dictionary or find someone on the internet who can explain physics to a near idiot in the domain; even so, i can give myself a pat on the back for this one.

of course, sagan writes for the masses, and this here is not real science, but more like an introduction to it, a taste.. even if it's a really small one for an expert, for someone like me, who struggles to understand the terms and imagine the actions, it's a step forward.

but i am so passionate about this subject! i love learning about the outer space and if physics is a part of it, then so be it! there are few things out there that i consider to be more worthy of attention than the mechanics of our universe and i'm sure that, throughout the years, i'll be able to understand even more!

well, this was a surprise. this book and I started off with the wrong foot, and for the first 60 - 70 pages i kept wondering if i'm going to have to do the unthinkable and give a bad opinion on a Barnes book. but then the universe sweated off this problem and made this work take the road of well - written literature. the three star rating might, therefore, come as a surprise, but don't be fooled - the rating system on GR is just a gimmick we play with, not a thing you should take for granted.

this is not and will never be my favorite Barnes work, but it keeps in with his writing fashion and draws the reader in with his typical dry humour. ( brits! can you do anything about it? ) but, just as his works might be taken as a way to pass time between other works, a conscious reader can see in it much more than your average wife-on-vacation.

as with all his works, his characters are meant to represent something. there is not one useless personae in all that i've read by him. because, see, there are characters, and there are your parents, or your friends, or your boyfriend that you find in some works and think: well, what would X do in this situation, because they sure are alike? many of Barnes' people reminded me of someone that i know or i knew of and it's more than a pleasure to intertwine these two worlds, as you rarely get to do that and is, truly, one of the testimonies for very good writing.

i have to say that my three star rating is a border decision, as it could be a 3.5 and it would in reality be a 4 .... if it wouldn't have been for that slow start. i just can't get over it - unforgivable sin!

all is good, though - my opinion on julian barnes' writing hasn't suffered any changes and my enthusiasm for any of his books hasn't been chipped.

phew, that could've been a close one.

proză ca apa, lină, mătăsoasă, catifelat - ucigătoare... până și în autobiografie se vede până unde ajunge talentul lui de scriitor. Saramago își scrie opera (și viața) de parca și-ar fi propriul critic..

și evită astfel toate greșelile.

asta mi-a placut si mai mult decat precendentul din cauza factorului "sfarsitul vietii autorului". e clar, alt scriitor care o sa-mi manance viata...

de un umor caustic si parca oferit dintr-o tristete autentica in legatura cu lumea, saramago reuseste, pana si in lucrari disparate, sa ofere sentimentul unei continuitati, unei logici imposibil de negat. satira politica, satira sociala, satira culturala, este un melanj foarte frumos in scrierea lui. cultura, observ foarte des la scriitori de mare anvergura, duce la un simt al umorului excelent. de-abea astept sa ajung acasa si sa ma apuc de al doilea caiet!

it is more than a pleasure to go back, from time to time, to your absolute favorites. i have loved grisham for years, and he never ever dissapointed me. hard characters, perfect setting, detailed story and a killer punch line are just a few of the things that make grisham one of the best writers in crime fiction, if not the best. he doesn't cover just the technical part of it ( with his law degree, which is amazing), he also molds human beings into his stories and gives a humane, genuine feeling about them. his method never fails on me, and i'm sure it rarely fails on others.

seems legit that he won a Nobel prize.