amarantha

This was a very interesting and unique book. It took me readingt about 1/3 to 1/2 of this book to begin to feel like I was enjoying it. I think maybe the author could have made the beginning a little less drawn out and gotten to the "plot" a little quicker. The story line follows an older concierge and a young girl who live in the same building and the narration switches back and forth between these two with their view of the folks who live in the building they inhabit. The residents are very wealthy, mostly snobby people and these two "narrators" of the story critique all of their neighbors and in the end I think they become guilty of the crime they are accusing their fellow residents of - setting themselves up above others...snobbery! Some do it because of their wealth, some do it due to their higher education, but it seems that in this book everybody does it in one way or another - even the 2 main characters who I'm sure don't see themselves as setting themselves above anyone. Then...one day a new resident moves into the building. He is wealthy, educated, cultured and NOT snobbish. From here the story begins to be much more interesting and I'll leave it at that. Just hang in there if you are getting sick of the "holier than thou" attitude of the two main voices in the book. It gets better. Another thing I found annoying - though it is translated from French, there are still phrases and words all throughout in French and since I speak not a word of French, I sometimes felt I was in the dark.

2023-06-19 13:52