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claraeileen99's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
essjay1's review against another edition
3.75
I enjoyed the cultural insight & the history lesson about Oman, especially about the slave trade. The style, which saunters back and forth across time, looks like it would have been a clever way of linking the stories but it was very confusing on audio & given the huge cast I found it difficult to follow. In the end, there wasn’t that much of a storyline, but I guess that’s life for you.
I think this would have been much better in written form, especially as the book version has a handy family tree to keep track of all the characters. Having said that, I’m pleased to have read it, I found it interesting and on the whole, well written.
I think this would have been much better in written form, especially as the book version has a handy family tree to keep track of all the characters. Having said that, I’m pleased to have read it, I found it interesting and on the whole, well written.
kolymaarasto's review against another edition
mysterious
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
3.25
thehommeboii's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A book whose merits took a discussion with my book club to be realized. Personally, I was frustrated by the snail-like pace of Celestial Bodies in the first half of the novel, despite the otherwise short chapters, which should have helped it move quickly. Stylistically, I also was not particularly impressed with the novel's prose; whether this is per source or a result of translation I do not know. Add to that a dislikable simp primary narrator and my motivation to finish this novel was nearly entirely sapped.
What I did come to appreciate about Celestial Bodies is the light it sheds onto Oman's history and culture, neither of which I had any exposure to prior to reading. The polyphonic telling of these interweaved stories offered their fair share of surprises, and contribute to our tackling of the larger questions we as a civilization have on love as affected by gender, class, or more generally circumstance. Would, to my own surprise, love to reread this at a later point in life.
What I did come to appreciate about Celestial Bodies is the light it sheds onto Oman's history and culture, neither of which I had any exposure to prior to reading. The polyphonic telling of these interweaved stories offered their fair share of surprises, and contribute to our tackling of the larger questions we as a civilization have on love as affected by gender, class, or more generally circumstance. Would, to my own surprise, love to reread this at a later point in life.
melisbooked's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jeremymorrison's review against another edition
4.0
A husband, wife, and their marriage in the country of Oman are at the center of this novel that reaches out through time and extended family to chronicle the oddities of love, family, and nation.
kamasue's review against another edition
4.0
Beautifully written and interestingly narrated. Mutigenerational families facing political and social upheaval in Oman.
tonyshelf's review against another edition
2.0
I kind of struggled to finish this book, even though it's not particularly long. Not so much the content, which I knew ahead of time would be of a culture much different than my own, but the format was the issue.
The character perspective kept changing, not just from chapter to chapter, but sometimes even within a chapter the narration would switch from one character to another. This alone could be fine, but when combined with a lack of distinct dialogue markers, it sometimes became confusing to follow. Additionally, location in time jumped all over the place from chapter to chapter, which, again, might have been fine on its own, but combined to make the stories hard to get absorbed in.
The character perspective kept changing, not just from chapter to chapter, but sometimes even within a chapter the narration would switch from one character to another. This alone could be fine, but when combined with a lack of distinct dialogue markers, it sometimes became confusing to follow. Additionally, location in time jumped all over the place from chapter to chapter, which, again, might have been fine on its own, but combined to make the stories hard to get absorbed in.
susanehc's review against another edition
3.0
2021 Read Harder Challenge - non-European novel in translation
saklarich's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
At first this felt a little like Pride and Prejudice, with a lot of talk of marriages and sister dynamics. Then a pinch of religion thrown in - lots of “X son of Y” and “A mother of B” and a decent amount of iconography. That stuck throughout the book but the many (I legitimately lost track) character perspectives tied all that in through a multi-generational lens on the lives lived in Oman throughout the timeline of the book, and even through reflections of further times past. There wasn’t a lot of plot, but the writing was good. I enjoyed the narration of the audiobook as well. Overall, not for me, but I’m grateful more books across the world are getting translated. I’m starting to wonder if I’m boring and unimaginative for wanting books with a single perspective.