Review: A Gentleman in Moscow

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This review is also found on Goodreads! :)
--
I belong to that distinct minority who did not absolutely love this book.

I find myself conflicted. I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had expected. After sleeping on it, I can say with actuality that I did not enjoy this book like everyone else seemed to have done so. It was long and tedious for the most part. The sociopolitical commentary flew right over my head, made my eyes glaze over, and my attention wander. It wasn't a bad book per se, it just didn't...hold my interest. The Count's philosophical musings are pockets of wisdom, but it often felt like I needed to have quite a bit of a background on Russia's history to be able to understand half of what's written on this book. It also felt like reading a lengthy, pretentious, and pompous essay--one that feels like I was forced to read in class--instead of a story.

There were various nuances of the story I wish were focused on: the relationship of the characters, parenthood, and even the unique circumstances of a house arrest. But instead, I got a long-winded meditation that honestly, made me want to abandon the book multiple times. I didn't hate the book. I just don't think the amount of time I spent reading it and trying to understand it was really worth it.

View all my reviews

Review: The Shadow of the Wind

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
My rating: 4.5 stars

This review is also found on Goodreads! :)
--

What a whirlwind. This is probably one of the most elaborate reads of my life and it makes for one very beautiful book. I dove into Daniel Sempere and Julian Carax's stories not knowing what to expect from the plot or of the story line; the blurb didn't give away much. I didn't expect to be swept away completely. It is a very slow read--that I can comment on hence, the imperfect rating--but don't let that dissuade you. It's a long journey, and the unhurried pace Zafón set up for the me, the reader, allowed me to relish and soak in the flavours he established: the bitterness of longing and loneliness bled through each page, and that melancholy from all the intertwined characters gave a warm sweetness that spreads over your palate. It pulls you into a different layer of yearning that can only be drawn through masterful empathetic character writing. Wonderfully dark and delicious.

For a while, it also brought me back to my nights in Paris a few years ago (read about it here). It reminded me of the mystery, chill, and the gothic vibe that perpetually cloaks the City of Love even in these modern years. On the other hand, I may not be able to explore Barcelona now because of the pandemic, but it feels like I've lived vicariously already through Zafón's novel. It instilled in me, however, a renewed longing to see Barcelona and the rest of the world, and live my own mystery and adventure in a strange and foreign city.

They were right. This is the ultimate love letter to literature.
--
A few of my favorite quotes from The Shadow of the Wind:

"Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you."

"Making money isn't hard in itself. What's hard is to earn it doing something worth devoting one's life to."

"You women listen more to your heart and less to the nonsense. That's why you live longer."

"What is really killing him is loneliness. Memories are worse than bullets."

"Time goes faster, the more hollow it is."

"There are no coincidences. We are puppets of our subconscious desires."


View all my reviews