Palimpsest Audiobook

" That was quite surreal, and also full of teh secks, but much more standard in structure than the "Orphan's Tales" books. "

" I don't often write reviews, but this is one of those books that I cannot help thinking about long after I've read it. The lush and fantastical setting of the city and the compelling characters made for a captivating book; I find myself weeks later reflecting on the characters and themes of the story. "

" The story was hampered by the clever prose. It's very lovely, and the story is interesting, but the fairy-tale-ishness of it grated on my nerves. "

" This is a book about how people go to a new world because they have always dreamed of such a place. It is a grown-up cousin to all the books about misfit children who yearn for another world, and then one day find the door open to the place they dreamt about. As a person who lived for, and in those books as a child, I was at first a little surprised by *how* grown up this is, but it is a beautiful book about people who dream of a city, a city that dreams of people, the end of a war, the difficulty of finding the place where you belong, and the sacrifices you have to make to get there. "

" I am still undecided in my overall thoughts regarding this one. So, instead of trying to formulate my own review, I shall link to Ben Babcock's review , which says pretty much everything I've though regarding this book, and says it much more articulately than I can manage. "

" I wanted to like this, and I was initially entranced by the language but I couldn't get into it and found it hard to sympathise with the characters. "

" It was intriguing, but not enveloping. The different stories seemed like they'd probably all come together (no pun intended), but I'm not invested enough to care. "

" I'm not really sure how to review this book and I'm not sure even now that I "got" all of it. However, it kinda blew me away. That someone could be so wildly inventive just floors me. I loved pretty much all of it and really look forward to reading all of Ms. Valente's work. "

" My this author has an imagination! I was hooked at page one - that wonderful description of the factory that made all the city's vermin. This book is fascinating throughout. "

" Five stars is insufficient. Cat Valente's prose is transcendent, so rich that even I who tear through books as though I was starving for them had to put it down and take breaks. I can say little without spoiling, and this is a story that deserves to be seen with fresh eyes. Read it. "

" Vivid imagery, but too fragmentary. Didn't quite get it. "

" This book evidently wasn't for me. While being beautifully written the lack of/slow plot made it that I just can't bring myself to finish it. "

" Some great imagery but I had to put it down. It got too flowery and impressionistic. I want a story that grabs me by the neck. This was too much of a struggle and I felt little empathy for the characters -- the voice feeling so distant for me. "

" A quick, pleasant read with tasty language. Was not surprised to find Calvino listed as one of Valente's influences. "

" I found this book to be extremely underwhelming. Despite its short length, I struggled to care about any of the characters or their journey. I enjoy surrealism, poetry and metaphor, but this novel just rings hollow. "

" I had to force myself to finish this one, although I enjoyed the author's other books. "

" I really enjoyed this book. I had it on my kindle & tried to read it many times. When my husband handed me the hard copy, I had a much easier time reading it. The hard copy is broken up in specific ways that the kindle copy isn't. I highly recommend the hard copy of this book! "

" This was good enough, complex enough, and layered enough that it's going to take me at least a night's sleep to get to the point where I can comment sensibly on it. But I did want to firmly establish that it's wonderful. "

" Brilliant imagery, stylistic, but somewhat confusing plot and structure. That said I'd still recommend the book. "

" An AMAZING read by an AMAZING writer. You can't really describe it. You just need to read it. "

" Dense, lyrical and like nothing you've ever read. "

" Gorgeous writing and an intricate plot. I almost gave this a 5 but there were points toward the end where things seemed rough or almost didactic that blurred the lens that had been so carefully crafted. "

" The most richly detailed, beautifully original story I have read since....well, since Deathless, Catherynne M. Valente's most recent novel. Palimpsest is a novel to re-read; I can see this one only getting better with time. "

" I really wanted to like this book. The prose wis wonderful, but there is no discernible plot. "

" What a strange book. I can't tell you if I actually liked it or not, but I couldn't stop reading it and it will probably haunt me for a very long time. "

" A quick, pleasant read with tasty language. Was not surprised to find Calvino listed as one of Valente's influences. "