Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
GOLDFISH is like a wild flower in a Parisian garden, September 6, 2000
This review is from: The Drowning of a Goldfish (Hardcover)
The first novel I read of Lidmila Sovakova's, this book meticulously placed me into the heart and will of her main character until her life, her experiences, were mine. I recommend this work highly.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE DROWNING OF A GOLDFISH, June 4, 2000
This review is from: The Drowning of a Goldfish (Hardcover)
Lidmila Sovakova has written a book unlike any I have read. Using the first person narrative, the author unfolds the story of a young woman's quest for intellectual and artistic expression through a series of dreamlike vignettes. The images, however, are so powerful as to create not only the vision, but also the smell and feel of all that is described. Beautifully written, the book's hypnotic quality effortlessly compels its reader forward, making it difficult to put the book down until the last page. The story concerns itself with a young woman (Goldfish) who, although aware of traditional obligations to her family, retains a deeply personal and burning quest to be college educated in her beloved Prague after the World War II Communist takeover. It is clear that she sees a different path ahead from the one imposed on her by inherited thought, wealth and the Communist Party. Sovakova is so insightful in the presentation of her story that she often writes sympathetically of her character's opponents, providing a realistic balance between the perils of conformity and the importance of personal freedom. Although her character possesses an indomitable spirit and wishes to break the imposing restraints of protocol, she is not harshly accusatory. She is, in fact, a gentle soul, one who sees the world as inflamed with passion and wonderment and desires the freedom to partake of its richness. The cohesive element of THE DROWNING OF A GOLFISH lies in the young woman's affection for cats. Felines represent beauty and mystery and their love is inspiring. Like the narrator, cats adore freedom and must be given the freedom to love. About to marry Rudolf, a man more satisfying to her family than to herself, she describes her wedding so beautifully, so hypnotically, that the reader will wish for a few more pages of description: "The nave is flooded with crude light: the statues, leprous beggers, hold out their twisted arms towards me; hideous lizards creep on the gold of the paintings; the flames of the candles choke in their own spittle." Described more like a funeral than a wedding, the reader is made painfully aware of how alone this young woman really is and how necessary it is for her to find her own way in the world, if only in spirit. The book, in fact, has many such descriptions and often back flashes to idyllic childhood memories, revealing the contrast between desire and harsh reality. In this regard, the reader may feel a need to reread paragraphs or whole pages before moving along so as to recapture certain scenes. And yet, one realizes that the power of the novel lies in the clarity and brevity of what is being described. Stylistically, the book is exceptional. Without wasting words and maintaining a pace that will not grant release, Sovakova has created a novel that is unique and totally absorbing.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE DROWNING OF A GOLDFISH, June 4, 2000
This review is from: The Drowning of a Goldfish (Hardcover)
Lidmila Sovakova has written a book unlike any I have read. Using the first person narrative, the author unfolds the story of a young woman's quest for intellectual and artistic expression through a series of dreamlike vignettes. The images, however, are so powerful as to create not only the vision, but also the smell and feel of all that is described. Beautifully written, the books's hypnotic quality effortlessly compels its reader forward, making it difficult to put the book down until the last page. The story concerns itself with a young woman (Goldfish) who, although aware of traditional obligations to her family, retains a deeply personal and burning quest to be college educated in her beloved Prague after the World War II Communist takeover. It is clear that she sees a different path ahead from the one imposed on her by inherited thought, wealth and the Communist Party. Sovakova is so insightful in the presentation of her story that she often writes sympathetically of her character's opponents, providing a realistic balance between the perils of conformiy and the importance of personal freedom. Although her character possesses an indomitable spirit and wishes to break the imposing restraints of protocol, she is not harshly accusatory. She is, in fact, a gentle soul, one who sees the world as inflamed with passion and wonderment and desires the freedom to partake of its richness. The coheasive element of THE DROWNING OF A GOLFISH lies in the young woman's afection for cats. Felines represent beauty and mystery and their love is inspiring. Like the narrator, cats adore freedom and must be given the freedom to love. About to marry Rudolf, a man more satisfying to her family than to herself, she describes her wedding so beautifully, so hypnotically, that the reader will wish for a few more pages of description: "The nave is flooded with crude light: the statues, leprous beggers, hold out their twisted arms towards me; hideous lizards creep on the gold of the paintings; the flames of the candles choke in their own spittle." Described more like a funeral than a wedding, the reader is made painfully aware of how alone this young woman really is and how necessary it is for her to find her own way in the world, if only in spirit. The book, in fact, has many such descriptions and often back flashes to iyllic childhood memories, revealing the contrast between desire and harsh reality. In this regard, the reader may feel a need to reread paragraphs or whole pages before moving along so as to recapture certain scenes. And yet, one realizes that the power of the novel lies in the clarity and brevity of what is being described. Stylistically, the book is exceptional. Without wasting words and maintaining a pace that will not grant release, Sovakova has created a novel that is unique and totally absoring.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
