If on a winter’s night a traveler Review Reaction
In an attempt to switch things up, instead of posting reactions to Molly’s review, we’re going to ask each other questions. You can read Molly’s answers to my questions here. Now it’s my turn…
Molly: What were your favorite and least favorite “novels” in If on a winter’s night a traveler?
Me: The one that I liked the best shared the name of the book, If on a winter’s night a traveler. At that point in the book I had yet to grasp the writing style for the book. I was able to go into that particular story without knowing that it will abruptly end. Had this story been in the middle of the book, for some reason, I probably wouldn’t have like it as much. But the way the book developed effected my enjoyment of the stories it told. Mid-way through the book I was already feeling tired of the constant changing of the plot. Outside the town of Malbork, the second story, was my least favorite because it introduced the idea of the country “Cimmeria” which was used to link the various stories together throughout the book.
Molly: You had a big problem with the second person narration. What did you think the book would be like in third or first person?
Me: More enjoyable. Particularly if it were in first person.
Molly: How do you feel about the actual plot and message of the novel or do you think there even is one?
Me: There probably are a handful of essays out there that analysis the plot and themes of this novel. If I were to write an essay about If on a winter’s night a traveler, it would be very bitter. I would likely argue that there was a “lack of a plot”. The story that tried to tie everything together wasn’t as interesting as the stories that filled the book. Moreover, I (the second person I in the book) seemed to suffer from a severe case of book-ADD. He, or rather I, would see a book and that book would suddenly become what his entire world was about.
Molly: Sum up this book in six words.
Me: Snippets of Stories Connected By Dullness.
Tags: If on a winter's night a traveler, Italo Calvino, Review Reaction
