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chairmanbernanke's review against another edition
4.0
Truly stories of another time. The second is particularly Gothic, or of another age.
frankukdk's review against another edition
3.0
A very interesting tell of seven people's hopeless destinies. Fascinating language and story telling techniques, but at times also long-winded.
lakela's review against another edition
4.0
Relevant and insightful studies in psychology, disguised as utterly mad tales of the unheimlich.
mattmclimans's review
4.0
I didn't like the ambiguity of the first few stories, but I absolutely enjoyed the dark romanticism of The Poet, The Dreamers, and The Road Round Pisa.
katwithahat's review against another edition
2.0
Looking at the other reviews here, I feel like I failed some kind of test. I'm not sure what happened, but when I was reading this I had the attention span of a toddler on ten cans of Red Bull. The writing did nothing, did nothing to draw me in.
I just found it very...cold for lack of a better word. I might try again some other time.
I just found it very...cold for lack of a better word. I might try again some other time.
eibareads's review against another edition
4.0
This was really really good. I struggled with it a little because it’s very dense, but the prose is beautiful, the metaphors are stunning, and the stories are interesting. The character descriptions were possibly the most incredible part—they were so real and fascinating and well crafted. My biggest complaint other than the sheer density of it (which is standard for a book like this) is I did think it could be a little repetitive sometimes, and the stories dragged at times.
johncm's review
1.0
There’s some advice I heard once that when you have a bad experience such as losing a game, failing to fix a tent door in a thunderstorm, or burning a pie, that you should always look for some positive lesson you learned in the experience.
So here are my lessons from finishing Isak Dinesen’s Seven Gothic Tales...
1. “Gothic” can mean other things besides dressing up like Robert Smith of The Cure and watching Dracula.
2. Never read another Isak Dinesen novel unless I really want to fall asleep quickly.
3. Little monkeys are scary.
So here are my lessons from finishing Isak Dinesen’s Seven Gothic Tales...
1. “Gothic” can mean other things besides dressing up like Robert Smith of The Cure and watching Dracula.
2. Never read another Isak Dinesen novel unless I really want to fall asleep quickly.
3. Little monkeys are scary.
panastasia's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Σε ένα ρομαντικό κλίμα μυστηρίου οι επτά ιστορίες περιέχουν άλλες μικρότερες μέσα τους. Σχεδόν σαν φρακταλ (γεωμετρικό σχήμα που επαναλαμβάνεται αυτούσιο σε άπειρο βαθμό μεγέθυνσης) αλλά εδώ αυτό που επαναλαμβάνεται είναι τα θέματα των ιστοριών. Αγάπη, προδοσία, εξαπάτηση.
Αγγίζουν τα όρια της φαντασίας αλλά πιο πολύ αγγίζουν τα όρια της ανθρώπινης φαντασίας που (εκ)παιδεύεται με τα ψέματα, τις ενδόμυχες επιθυμίες και τις ανθρώπινες αδυναμίες.
Έχει κάποια σημεία που η συνείδηση του 2024 νιώθει να πιέζεται αλλά η Blixen ήξερε να γράφει με Γ κεφάλαιο. Στο οπισθόφυλλο λέει ότι είναι το πρώτο έργο της και κάπως αναρωτιέμαι πως έγραφε αργότερα.
"Αν το πιο ευχάριστο πράγμα στον κόσμο είναι να ζωγραφίσεις έναν πίνακα που να σου αρέσει και να τον εγκρίνεις ο ίδιος, ίσως η αμέσως μικρότερη ευχαρίστηση είναι να ζωγραφίσεις έναν πίνακα που να αρέσει σ 'όλον τον κόσμο."
In a romantic atmosphere of mystery, the seven stories contain other smaller ones within them. Almost like a fractal (a geometric shape that repeats itself in an infinite degree of magnification) but here what is repeated are the themes of the stories. Love, betrayal, deception.
They touch the limits of imagination. No, actually they touch the limits of the human imagination that is (s)trained with lies, inner desires and human weaknesses.
There are some moments where the conscience of 2024 feels pressured but Blixen knew how to write with a capital W. On the back cover it says that it is her first work and I kind of wonder how she wrote after this.
"If the greatest pleasure in the world is to paint a picture that you like and approve of, perhaps the next least pleasure is to paint a picture that everyone else likes."
Αγγίζουν τα όρια της φαντασίας αλλά πιο πολύ αγγίζουν τα όρια της ανθρώπινης φαντασίας που (εκ)παιδεύεται με τα ψέματα, τις ενδόμυχες επιθυμίες και τις ανθρώπινες αδυναμίες.
Έχει κάποια σημεία που η συνείδηση του 2024 νιώθει να πιέζεται αλλά η Blixen ήξερε να γράφει με Γ κεφάλαιο. Στο οπισθόφυλλο λέει ότι είναι το πρώτο έργο της και κάπως αναρωτιέμαι πως έγραφε αργότερα.
"Αν το πιο ευχάριστο πράγμα στον κόσμο είναι να ζωγραφίσεις έναν πίνακα που να σου αρέσει και να τον εγκρίνεις ο ίδιος, ίσως η αμέσως μικρότερη ευχαρίστηση είναι να ζωγραφίσεις έναν πίνακα που να αρέσει σ 'όλον τον κόσμο."
In a romantic atmosphere of mystery, the seven stories contain other smaller ones within them. Almost like a fractal (a geometric shape that repeats itself in an infinite degree of magnification) but here what is repeated are the themes of the stories. Love, betrayal, deception.
They touch the limits of imagination. No, actually they touch the limits of the human imagination that is (s)trained with lies, inner desires and human weaknesses.
There are some moments where the conscience of 2024 feels pressured but Blixen knew how to write with a capital W. On the back cover it says that it is her first work and I kind of wonder how she wrote after this.
"If the greatest pleasure in the world is to paint a picture that you like and approve of, perhaps the next least pleasure is to paint a picture that everyone else likes."