2666: A Novel by Roberto Bolano Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of 2666: A Novel
Book Review: disbelief
Summary: 5 Stars
admist all the muddle of todays modern literature comes an impeccably styled novel which seems to defy the comfort of 21st century prose. This xtreme novel is not for the faint of heart as it is at times disturbing and graphic to the point of revulsion. It is none-the-less the most important novel I have read in a long time and deserves the praise and press it has received. It was with great disappointment that I discovered this novelist a few short years after his death. He will be heralded as well as explored for many years to come. A truly revealing novel of human nature, instability and sensitivity! I am still disturbed by the simple, tormented and elegant prose. Finally a novel which is not simply a book, but great literature.
B
Book Review: stunningly awful
Summary: 1 Stars
It's hard to recap the story of 2666, because despite its 900 pages, there is none. It's more a collection of many little stories, each a page, or two, or five, that start to develop, then go nowhere, surrounding 200 pages of monotonous descriptions of hundreds of murdered girls. It's hard to see much of a point other than rape and murder of young women can become mundane and even monotonous even in real life as in a novel, when it gets repeated over and over again, identical each time.
I really don't understand the hype about this book, other than its length and subject matter, and the fact that the author died, making the novel somehow too sacred to criticize. Of the 3 pillars of a novel, characters, plot, and language, it succeeds at none of them. There is no plot to carry the reader through. There are plenty of characters, but none with any depth or development. In the first section, which is the most coherent as a story, it's nearly impossible to differentiate the 4 main characters other than one is French, one German, one female, and one crippled. They think alike, act alike, and speak alike. Perhaps that was the point, but it really felt like Bolano had no point at all. This 90 page section should have been a smart, crisp 25 page short story.
As for the writing, I don't know if it the problem is in original or with the translation, but it comes out stilted, awkward, and difficult to read, like the word-for-word translation that comes out of Google or other machine translation tools. Since the writing has the feel of the first draft that it was rather than a polished novel, I suspect the majority of the problem is in the novel itself, though translating 900 pages while the printing presses are waiting has to be daunting task without the time to reread, revise, and contemplate how to best recreate each sentence or paragraph in English.
The first 400 pages of the book, while rambling and poorly written, do show signs of an interesting story, with different threads that look like they'll converge on the mystery of the murdered girls and the mysterious Archimbaldi. But they don't, and the slow, boring, bumpy ride into the killing fields just leaves us stunned. Maybe that was Bolano's aim, but even if so, it's been done before, in books like Robert Stone's Dog Soldier, and far, far better.
As to comparisons with Kafka's unfinished masterpieces, The Trial and The Castle, that only makes me angry. Those are great novels. This is 900 pages of words that mean nothing. Don't waste your time.
Book Review: thought I would love it...
Summary: 1 Stars
I enjoy reading, a lot. So, when I heard this book reviewed on NPR, read about it in 'The Week' and heard/read about it a third time - I said to myself, okay, I got it, I got it, I should be reading this book, it is going to be outstanding...So I really wanted to like this book.
I didn't. At all. I tried, I really tried. There are many reviews here that are way more specific than the ones I had heard/read, and I appreciate that some people really like this book. I am fascinated to meet one of them live some day and have a conversation.
I found this book to move so slowly...like get around to what you are saying already and say it - and then move on please. Maybe that is my personality. I felt as if it took a really long time to get across the point - of whatever story was being told. Maybe that is a sign of my times! Also, in many cases, I really didn't feel as if the story was going anywhere, so maybe I missed the point, I am not sure.
I did really appreciate the reviewer that said this is a "writer's novel" - or something to that affect - because I am not a writer, so maybe that is what I am missing - the part of my brain that is not developed there - so I am just not getting it!
I felt a need/want to write a review because with all the hype over this book, I think it important to share that there are totally different points of view and that it is okay to really like it...or not. But given all the rave reviews I had heard (and some of the strong negations to those who have given it less than three stars), I wanted to share my one star opinion.
I do thank all of you who have taken the time to comment, in length, and give a full review of the book and some insights to things I may not have thought about as completely, while fighting my way in this book.
Cheers, Maurya
Book Review: unfinished is beside the point
Summary: 5 Stars
those who are unhappy with this book because it is unfinished missed the point, i think. stop trying to "get it" and just read. i think that the seemingly arbitrary nature of the book is what makes it so great. why? i don't know, i just do! if you can let go of all those book reviews you read and approach this with your eyes open, you'll probably enjoy... forget about what some book reviewer in the NY Times said... all of that has nothing to do with this book. i like the idea of the desert that comes to my mind every time i think back on it... no need to squeeze this into some sort of preconceived cultural context.
There's nothing in this book that tries to tell you how to feel, how to react. If you can deal with that, you'll like it.
Is it a "masterpiece"? Why not let someone else think about that and just read it for it's own sake?