Gaspar's review
The Castle of Crossed Destinies
by Italo Calvino
Gaspar's review
The Castle of Crossed Destinies by Italo Calvino
Gaspar's review
rating:
I absolutely adore Italo Calvino, but this book was a little too out there for me. The book consists of a series of short stories (divided into two sections) about a first person narrator (presumably Calvino himself) and his encounter with other travelers (first in a castle/inn then in a tavern).
All of them tell their stories to one another through the use of tarot cards. No actual spoken storytelling is used. It is all told through the cards. Basically, the book is about the narrator interpreting each traveler's story through the cards (he also tells his own through the cards later in the book).
The narrator spends too much time discussing the meaning (or I should say possible meanings) of each card and each story tends to meander a great deal. I really just wasn't satisfied with the storytelling. Even Calvino admits himself (in the notes) that this whole book was an experiment of sorts for him. An experiment gone slightly awry in my humble opinion. Everything else I have rea...more
All of them tell their stories to one another through the use of tarot cards. No actual spoken storytelling is used. It is all told through the cards. Basically, the book is about the narrator interpreting each traveler's story through the cards (he also tells his own through the cards later in the book).
The narrator spends too much time discussing the meaning (or I should say possible meanings) of each card and each story tends to meander a great deal. I really just wasn't satisfied with the storytelling. Even Calvino admits himself (in the notes) that this whole book was an experiment of sorts for him. An experiment gone slightly awry in my humble opinion. Everything else I have rea...more
