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thepaperwitch's review against another edition
5.0
What can I really say about this book other than I loved everything about it. It follows a crow from ancient times through to the future as he navigates his immortal life. The travel alongside human history offers a fasinating point of view as does the philosophical and spiritual questions we try to grasp along with Dar Oakley.
I will say that this is a long read and some might find it too slow. It has an otherworldy aspect at times which could definitely lose some people, too. But the writing is immersive and evocative and carries you along. If you can enjoy ambiguous but rich stories, I would certainly suggest Ka.
I will say that this is a long read and some might find it too slow. It has an otherworldy aspect at times which could definitely lose some people, too. But the writing is immersive and evocative and carries you along. If you can enjoy ambiguous but rich stories, I would certainly suggest Ka.
amber_does_audio's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The framing and the prose is dreamlike indeed, and very pretty in places. I appreciate the true alienness of the Crow perspective, as we go through a mystical journey of human's relationship to nature and death. However, there was very little to grip my attention, and I admit it would have been a DNF if I wasn't reading it at the behest of a friend. There were some really nice reflections throughout, however, that I did find interesting to ruminate on.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, and War
aiight's review against another edition
3.0
This book starts strong, drawing you in with an intriguing 'from-a-crow's-perspective' approach. Crow language, culture, tradition, thought process, and more play a role in the storytelling and it is engrossing. It sadly devolves into a repetitive retelling through reincarnation in which not much is added in each iteration, neither to the crow world nor to the human world. The abstractions increase and are more layered, making it difficult to wade through it all. By the end, I wasn't sure what was left to take away from the narrative, and the impactful parts of the narrative were undercut but all the abstraction.
lwb's review against another edition
4.0
John Crowley provides further evidence that the Lecturers in the Yale English department should actually be full professors.
murfman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
davidpc83's review against another edition
4.0
It's the story of a crow, named Dar Oakley, that has lived and died many times throughout our world's history. His story is mythological, dream-like, of life and afterlife, of love and death. It spans from prehistoric "caveman" times to early native civilizations to Early Christian /Middle Ages to European colonization of North America to Civil War end in current day. It was a long read, and confusing at times, but overall I really enjoyed it. :)
rochellegermano's review against another edition
2.0
I thought I would like this book, but it was so hard to get through. The writing was pretty and the idea was genuine and unique. But it felt like a fable that could have been 50 pages long that was stretched out into a 400 page novel.
corvusastrum's review against another edition
2.75
This book is going right over my head. Might be the translation, but I seriously have no idea what's going on / what the author is trying to tell me. I understand it's about death, and still it feels like there's no real point to it, no plot I can follow, so I'm sadly completely lost.
At the same time I really love the crow protagonist, love seeing the world through his eyes, love how invested he is with humans.
All in all a confusing read, I striggled through a lot of it and yet couldn't stop thinking about it.
At the same time I really love the crow protagonist, love seeing the world through his eyes, love how invested he is with humans.
All in all a confusing read, I striggled through a lot of it and yet couldn't stop thinking about it.
sunrays118's review against another edition
4.0
This was quite the book.
I have a lot of thoughts on this book because there was a lot to this book.
To begin, the writing itself was beautiful. There are few books that are as poetically written as this one. The language creates a sense of place and a feeling that completely surrounds you. You fall in love with the words. Time slows down, the pace is deliberately slow and keeps you in this other world.
The story was original and gorgeous. Told through a fictional narrator translating/retelling a story from a crow. The story travels forever, through incredible worlds. It is hard to not feel a part of the worlds being described. It is so clear and so vivid.
I hate to even write the few troubles I felt were contained in the book because it was such a gorgeous read but there were a few. The characters themselves are quite weak. There are only two characters that hold any weight. The story line, which began so strong, weakens with every single chapter. Part One is by far the success of the book. With each subsequent section, the book loses itself and the reader a bit more. Something about the magic trickles out as the book goes on which does mirror some of the story line but not as much as to keep the reader. At parts, particularly in section three, the book began to feel like a writing prompt that simply never ended. I wanted more, I wanted to feel that magic again, to have the language rush over me, but I felt a bit pushed away by certain sections.
In the end, I would highly recommend the book and think it is quite special.
I have a lot of thoughts on this book because there was a lot to this book.
To begin, the writing itself was beautiful. There are few books that are as poetically written as this one. The language creates a sense of place and a feeling that completely surrounds you. You fall in love with the words. Time slows down, the pace is deliberately slow and keeps you in this other world.
The story was original and gorgeous. Told through a fictional narrator translating/retelling a story from a crow. The story travels forever, through incredible worlds. It is hard to not feel a part of the worlds being described. It is so clear and so vivid.
I hate to even write the few troubles I felt were contained in the book because it was such a gorgeous read but there were a few. The characters themselves are quite weak. There are only two characters that hold any weight. The story line, which began so strong, weakens with every single chapter. Part One is by far the success of the book. With each subsequent section, the book loses itself and the reader a bit more. Something about the magic trickles out as the book goes on which does mirror some of the story line but not as much as to keep the reader. At parts, particularly in section three, the book began to feel like a writing prompt that simply never ended. I wanted more, I wanted to feel that magic again, to have the language rush over me, but I felt a bit pushed away by certain sections.
In the end, I would highly recommend the book and think it is quite special.