2666: A Novel by Roberto Bolano
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Book Reviews of 2666: A Novel
Book Review: Bolano's Labyrinth
Summary: 5 Stars
Roberto Bolano's 2666 is a vast and sometimes frustrating labyrinth wherein many characters seem to vanish into their own obscure tangents. As a reader I wanted to keep following them, and when in the midst of all the murder I felt abandoned in a world that made no sense and was endlessly recurring. By the end I felt clearly that Bolano was fully intentional in imparting his world. And it is a very stark representation of this world. How is it possible that these murders continue now almost 20 years. One feels indignant and angry. But looking around it seems we become numb to similar or disimilar cases of murder and corruption, of systemic abuse and indifference around the world. And it's our world. As you wander Bolano's labyrinth you can't get lost in narrative and thereby aesthetically leave yourself behind.Book Review: This is the thing that matters
Summary: 5 Stars
Roberto Bolaño was born about the same time as myself; he lived the life I was too chicken to live; wrote books far better than I could imagine; and died the death I have so far been spared. I feel no jealousy, just exhilaration: somebody of my generation made the hard choices and did what needed to be done. The flights of metaphor embedded within unpretentious workaday prose, the angry arrogance, the fury at what we all are and can become. 2666 hurts, a lot. It's also funny, very funny, funnier than almost anything else, but not funny enough to assuage the pain. If you want a novel to distract you from life, do not read 2666. If you want fiction to hurt you, to intensify and clarify the pain of being a member of a murderous species, read 2666.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: The Universe as Story
Summary: 5 Stars
Rather than dispute or debate what others have written, I'll just give my impressions of 2666. It's a work of prose that flows seamlessly and elegantly from one sentence to another, truly a beautiful read, and the translator deserves high compliments for rendering it so incredibly well.
To me, the part of 2666 that jumps out at me is that most novelists, especially ones that know their time on Earth is very limited, try to write a novel which contains the entire universe. In Bolano's case, he does something different - he shows us that the universe is made up of an infinite number of stories, thus the labrynthine nature of the novel. This was an unforgettable read from an author who died too soon. I marvel at its genius.
Book Review: A Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is a wonder. It can be viewed as an unrelenting critique of western culture in the last half of the twentieth century, with its portrait of appalling criminal behavior, inept and corrupt governments, gruesome war and disturbed minds. In five more or less interconnected sections, with dozens of subplots and stories, the novel is a sweeping panorama of destitution and murder interspersed with unexpected warmth and humane behavior, and love. Many of the horrible scenes are described in plain, bare bones prose, while other sections are dazzlingly poetic. It belongs on the shelf with the great books of the last century.