The Salt of the Earth is an exceptional book but unfortunately I failed to like it as much as I expected to.

About the book

The Salt of the Earth is a pacifist novel about a person who loses the little he had, to be a pawn in something he has no understanding of.

The novel was first published in Polish in 1936 and received great acclaim. As a result Jozef Wittlin, the author, was nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1939. The book was first translated into English in 1940. It was supposed to be the first book in a trilogy but the drafts of the other two volumes were lost when a soldier in a French town threw the case with them into the sea in 1940. Only the first section of the second book survived and is included in this edition.

Good things about the book

Salt of the Earth is an example of beautiful writing. Jozef Wittlin was a poet, and you can feel it in his book. Here are some quotes.
About the news that the war has started:

The news spread by word of mouth. The mouth bit it, chewed it, ground it and crunched it until suddenly a million mouths spat one word out onto the pavement like a bitter almond.

At the recruiting station:

Around midday, Niewiadomski’s name flew out from under sergeant’s black moustache.

And more:

Stars flashed on the clear firmament, one after another, glorious, mature, brilliant. It was nights like these that gave birth to astronomy.

What I didn’t like

Unfortunately, I failed to like the novel, despite the beautiful writing and the greater message. There are only about fifteen instances of direct speech in the whole book, out of which about ten are actual dialogues, which are short and kept to a minimum. Even when communication between characters does happen it’s being recited as a narrative. Overall, the book feels as if somebody had written you a huge letter retelling different events and thoughts. This style of writing takes all possible dynamism out of the book. The book was written 80 years ago and so the rules of the story telling were probably different then, but I do read classics and I have never encountered anything so still, like water in a pond.

Although there’s a protagonist, you never connect to him closely. He’s a mere tool to show you what a state can do to a person. And as it’s an unfinished story you never even get to know what happened to him eventually.

As for the translation of the book, I’m not an expert but I think the name that sounds like “Semyon” or “Semion” would look much better written exactly this way, rather than simply transliterated as “Semen”.

Final thoughts

It’s undoubtedly a very deep book, but the peculiarity of the writing style makes it very hard to read and the incompleteness of the story brings no satisfaction. Thus, I can only give it 3.5 stars. I’m sure somebody with a different attitude to reading will like it more.

Thanks to the publishers for the copy in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t choose to review Day of the Accident based on its description. In fact, having read the description I nearly dismissed the book. I mistrust too entangled stories. There’s always a risk that the author created a head-spinning start that will not be graciously untangled in the end. That is not the case with Day of the Accident. Every bit of this story about a family tragedy, a woman after coma and a missing person gets explained.

What I liked in the book

The writing

What drew me to the book was the provided excerpt. From the first lines I trusted the author and I knew she will tell the story well regardless of the story itself. The writing flows. There’s no silly suspense that interrupts an action, there are no simplistic dialogues, no unnecessary details.

The voice of the main character

It is real. Her emotions are genuine and raw. In thrillers it’s usually the story that grips you but in Day of the Accident it is also the main character’s voice and your wish for her to be fine.

What I liked less

Implausible choices

I had problems with the choices some characters made. Even with all the background information it was hard to imagine a person who would behave this way in provided situations.

Melodramatic moments

I predicted all twists long before the book was over. That’s why I found some of the dialogues dragging and melodramatic. In literature characters tend to sound dumb when a story is obvious to everybody but them.

Final thoughts

Day of the Accident is way better than many other thrillers I recently read. It will be enjoyed by anybody who’s looking for a gripping fast-paced story, and of course by those who value high quality narrative. I’m giving the book solid four stars.

Day of the Accident will be available for purchase on February 21st, 2019. I’m thanking the publishers for my copy that I received in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I have not disappeared. Quite the contrary, I am present in the book world so much that you haven’t seen me here for three days. The three days felt like eons to me, though. I flashed through the universes, times and lives. I’m on my fourth book right now since the last time we talked.

Partially, that’s why I’m posting now. I’m embarking on a literary Livingstone journey. I’m starting to read a saga that’s set in Africa. It starts with Livingstone, and just as Africa was initially unknown to him, The Old Drift seems to be unknown to readers now. It hasn’t been discovered yet. The Old Drift is a book from the future. By the time it appears for the world, the northern hemisphere will be heading towards the middle of spring.

I can hardly find any traces of this book online. There are only two ratings on Goodreads and no reviews at all. There are no reviews or ratings on Amazon either, but there’s a cover. Let’s marvel at it for some time.

Isn’t it stunning?

That was the cover that attracted me first, and then it was the description. The book is immense not only by its size but by its ambition. It intends to tell a story about three generations of three different families starting from the year 1903.

I understand now why pioneers kept journals. It gives you the feeling of company. Hence, here is my post. I’m reaching out to your from the shores of the Zambezi river, showing you the fragments of where I am, and now I’m going back.

My review of the book will appear in spring, when the winter has passed, the warmth returns and you can order your copy.

Otherwise, see you soon in other posts.

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What will happen if something as innocent and usual as dreams is placed in the middle of an apocalyptic story? What if dreams can change your life and who you are? The Dreamers by Karen Thomson Walker shows you such story. The book is much deeper than just a catastrophe scenario. It makes you question your own beliefs and reality. The ideas stay with you even after the book is finished.

The Dreamers is so seamless and complete it’s hard to dismantle and analyse it, but I’ll focus on some details. I loved how the characters are never explained or described. Everything you learn about them you learn from their actions. That’s why they are able to genuinely horrify or amuse you. Even though you never feel like you know them completely, you feel real emotions towards them.

The writing style is a unique element of this book. The sentences have their own rhythm that build a particular atmosphere for the book. It feels like slumber. The last time I watched an author use a language so skilfully was in the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Perfectly created visuals constantly change, so although you feel no dynamism of actions, the story itself is progressing. This too makes it feel more like watching a dream rather than reading a book.

I’m sure The Dreamers would make a wonderful movie. It could be similar to Interstellar, but better because it would have a concise and solid plot.

The Dreamers is for those who are looking for more than just a story. I also think everybody should read it just to experience a book that has its own unique melody. The book will be available for purchase in January 2019.

I’m very grateful to the author for such a beautiful book, and to the publishers for providing me with the copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. I will be looking forward to other works by Karen Thomson Walker.