Gesang der Fledermäuse

Published Nov. 28, 2019 by Kampa.

ISBN:
978-3-311-10022-5
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4 stars (9 reviews)

12 editions

A clever parable for our times

4 stars

The back of the book said it's a thriller but even thought the narrative revolves around a murder mystery, what was really captivating about this tale is the main character. There is nothing truly like her: A vegetarian old lady, a weirdo that never ceases to surprise the reader by exposing new, strange, sides to her. It with the force of this magnetic leading persona that Tokarczuk - like Yuki Urushibara, Monica Bryne and a few other writers of our times - succeeds in discussing one of the main issues of our time - namely, man's relation to nature and the harm he inflicts on it. It is done in a tone that is just the right amount of preachy and somber, but is also humorous and light at times. Brilliant piece.

Review of 'Sobre os Ossos dos Mortos' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Left any possible spoiler content to the past paragraph. so you can stop before then.

Tokarczuk novel starts off with a loud knock on the door, a visitor, and in a hurried shuffle the discovery of a neighbours body in his home: a local hermit, poacher, and dog abuser whom our protagonist has a distinct dislike of. From there a interesting murder mystery unfolds exploring the relationships between a small community bordering the Czech Republic in Poland and the human and animal relations.

Our protagonist from the begin presents as an unreliable narrator, an elderly vegetarian woman with poor social skills, a strange naming convention for people in her life, an almost fanatical devotion to Astrology, and a passion for William Blakes Poetry which the novel derives its title from. I found myself both sympathetic to her and at odds with her stories, as we see the world through her …

Review of 'Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I guess noir is just not for me.

Everything about this book was just deeply unpleasant for me. The setting, the situation, the narrator - I know a lot of reviewers liked her, but to me she was one of the most unpleasant narrators ever. With her rambling and preachy attitudes and complete lack of interest in anything besides the two narrow topics. Even the nature that she seems to be so obsessed with, she cannot muster a genuine interest in

Review of 'Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Janina is a middle-aged recluse who consults the stars to see the future, spends her time translating William Blake into Polish, and suffers from intermittent ailments that affect her physically and psychologically. When her neighbor is found dead in his home, it seems to trigger a series of subsequent deaths that Janina insists--to the consternation of the local police who field her odd protestations--are at the hands (hooves?) of local animals exacting revenge on those who hunt them in the area. While she is a deeply troubled and flawed character, experiencing the world through Janina's unusual thought patterns, obsessions, and observations makes this a darkly enjoyable read.