Descriptive, wordy. At first it was hard to follow due to things not being explicitly clear but I guess that’s what mysteries do? I haven’t read a mystery novel since I was a kid, and it took some time to get adjusted.
Some language used can be quite let’s say culturally unacceptable in our current time…but I had to actively remind myself that the book is set in a different time, in a different environment. Made me think about how much (also how little) things have changed. Made me realize that my recent reading choices have been much on the modern side (more concerned with trying to highlight what can be improved in world) while this book was pure fiction, with no intent to educate or induce change in society. I hadn’t read something like that in a long time.
I could definitely tell that this book had been translated from a different language not just because the author is Italian, but also because as I read I got the feeling that some sayings do not quite fit, don’t run as smoothly. In addition, the use of and/or transitions to Italian words created a sense of warmth in me but also brought a bit of confusion. I understand the importance of keeping some words in their original language (some sayings just can’t be translated), however sometimes it was abrupt. I would say the translation could have used some more work in my humble opinion.
However, overall, the book was able to carry the sense of the story, and quite a well written novel I will surely say. It was a story that I kept thinking about even when I paused reading to go on my with my real life. While reading I found myself fully emerged in the town, time period, lives of the characters.
The way of speaking, languages used in the novel are something to pay particularly attention to. I think it carries a great significance into not just the story but also understanding the characters. The words used by the characters while conversing gave me a little bit more understanding about their views on life, their surroundings, and even themselves.
At times, this novel was such a poetic read, with verses about love, conflicting emotions, filled with metaphors, a yearn for that deep connection of love…very characteristic of Latin languages and cultures.I loved how different this book was from the ones I have been reading lately. It was like a breath of fresh air, with the deep descriptions of various characters, the romance integrated in the story but without taking it over, the complicated thoughts and lives of the characters, the message stated implicitly in between the lines.
Left me desiring more.
DEEPEST THOUGHTS 