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Oct. 14th, 2020 08:47 am
Oct. 14th, 2020
Book 78 - Yevgeny Zamyatin "We"
Oct. 14th, 2020 03:44 pmYevgeny Zamyatin "We" (Penguin Classics)
I read this because I heard somewhere that George Orwell read this before writing 1984 and I was intrigued.
I enjoyed it, and you can see how it influenced Orwell, but it just didn't have the same impact on me that 1984 did, when I read it the first time in my formative teenage years when I was heavy into science fiction novels. Maybe this is because I had no idea when I read it what to expect from 1984 and I found the book incredibly disturbing. But I also think that the characters in 1984 strike much closer to the bone - they're more believable, and consequently, the story becomes more shocking. Whilst reading "We", all the characters seemed like cartoons for me (an effect, partly, of the way Zamyatin has his central character describe everyone and also of his writing style, which, I hasten to add, I did like) and consequently, less disturbing. However, this remains an enjoyable book as well as being very amusing. It is also, if nothing else, interesting as a predecessor to 1984 and in its parallels and extrapolations from the communist Russia of the time.
I read this because I heard somewhere that George Orwell read this before writing 1984 and I was intrigued.
I enjoyed it, and you can see how it influenced Orwell, but it just didn't have the same impact on me that 1984 did, when I read it the first time in my formative teenage years when I was heavy into science fiction novels. Maybe this is because I had no idea when I read it what to expect from 1984 and I found the book incredibly disturbing. But I also think that the characters in 1984 strike much closer to the bone - they're more believable, and consequently, the story becomes more shocking. Whilst reading "We", all the characters seemed like cartoons for me (an effect, partly, of the way Zamyatin has his central character describe everyone and also of his writing style, which, I hasten to add, I did like) and consequently, less disturbing. However, this remains an enjoyable book as well as being very amusing. It is also, if nothing else, interesting as a predecessor to 1984 and in its parallels and extrapolations from the communist Russia of the time.
Jon McGregor "If Nobody Speaks Of Remarkable Things" (Bloomsbury)
Oh dear, this was a really frustrating read. I could see what the author was trying to do, but it just didn't work for me. There were beautiful moments but the inconsistency of the prose and the excessive (and sometimes awful) use of simile and metaphor was distracting and, at times, painful to read. I knew where the story was headed before it got there, so I feel like this device - the slow reveal - wasn't successful. I also felt as though the voices for each of the characters - all residents on one section of a small street - were not distinct enough. the premise was interesting - one day in the life of a street, and its residents. but it is a big idea and I feel as though much was lost by using so many characters and residences.
So, best avoided.
Oh dear, this was a really frustrating read. I could see what the author was trying to do, but it just didn't work for me. There were beautiful moments but the inconsistency of the prose and the excessive (and sometimes awful) use of simile and metaphor was distracting and, at times, painful to read. I knew where the story was headed before it got there, so I feel like this device - the slow reveal - wasn't successful. I also felt as though the voices for each of the characters - all residents on one section of a small street - were not distinct enough. the premise was interesting - one day in the life of a street, and its residents. but it is a big idea and I feel as though much was lost by using so many characters and residences.
So, best avoided.
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