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What Members Thought
At times humorous, at times insightful, this is a reflection on the power of the written word told by an alcoholic loner who works recycling paper and who hoards books he salvages from the scrap paper he processes. This is one of those books that I could appreciate for its quality while not completely enjoying it.
Hrabal can be evocative as hell, e.g. "I am a jug full of water both magic and plain; I have only to lean over and a stream of beautiful thoughts flows out of me." But he can also write a lot of nonsense, like Lolita-esque gypsy girlfriends that poop on skis. I liked the parts about compacting bales of wastepaper with Renaissance paintings facing outward; I didn't care for the parts that reminded me of Beckett.
...more
I found this engrossing. My college roommate went to Prague in the late 70s and the descriptions matched what she saw, although she never went to a paper compacting plant. I enjoyed the descriptions of Prague, particularly all those old professional men shuffled off to the side
Hanta is clearly way off center, whether he is crazy or alcoholic or something else depends on the reader. He clearly has a hoarding disorder.
The language is a mixture of lyrical and disgusting (extremely detailed descrip ...more
Hanta is clearly way off center, whether he is crazy or alcoholic or something else depends on the reader. He clearly has a hoarding disorder.
The language is a mixture of lyrical and disgusting (extremely detailed descrip ...more
Feb 07, 2015
Petra
marked it as to-read
Feb 14, 2015
Sera
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Jun 30, 2015
Meghan
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Sep 27, 2016
Alice Cuprill
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Nov 21, 2016
Kai Coates
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May 04, 2017
Karen Michele Burns
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May 05, 2017
Dianne
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Dec 16, 2022
Bepina Vragec
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
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4-and-a-half-star-rating
Nov 18, 2023
Gerard
marked it as to-read
