Reviews

Dora Bruder by Patrick Modiano

christopher4's review against another edition

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informative reflective slow-paced

3.25

this is a discovery through proof (like official documents) where modiano creates a plausible theory of what could have happened to dora bruder. the proof can get quite tiring with its official lingo but interesting concept nonetheless. a researched insight into what living in an occupied france might have looked like.

tanisharaina's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective

3.0

sic_corneille's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

kateduv's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Beautiful, sad meditation on the lives of others, specifically of those gone before us, who lived in cruel times. The book is less an account of meticulous research (although there is a good measure of that) than an imaginative reconstruction of the short life of Dora Bruder. The fragmented story plays out against the historical background of occupied Paris. Details from the author's own life form a kind of empathetic counterpoint. Beautiful writing! Modiani is really good at conveying the layers of history you can feel in a great city - from small personal details like the bedroom wallpaper glimpsed on partly demolished houses to the terrible records of internment camps. A powerful read.

kimbofo's review against another edition

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4.0

In The Search Warrant, French writer Patrick Modiano tries to find out what happened to a schoolgirl who went missing during the German Occupation of Paris in 1941.

It's a gripping narrative non-fiction read that blends memoir with reportage and investigative journalism.

For a more detailed review, please visit my blog.

crnavedrana's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

ju1iaprice's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

jasondefoe's review against another edition

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reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

agonzmedina82's review against another edition

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3.0

La adecuación entre estructura y contenido, entre forma y fondo, siempre ha constituido la piedra Rosetta de muchos autores, formalistas o no. Algunos autores se conforman con ligar los periodos sintácticos, más o menos alargados, con la tensión narrativa o el estado emocional del narrador o los personajes. Otros, al estilo de Cortázar, Perec y otros experimentalistas, juegan con los elementos paratextuales, proponen juegos al lector, derriban la cuarta pared.

Modiano va más lejos: no olvida que el estilo puede llegar a ser tan dúctil que transmita tanto o más que la historia en sí (o fábula, como la denominaría Mieke Bal). La narración toma parcialmente la estructura de una novela negra y sumerge al protagonista-narrador en la búsqueda de Dora Bruder. Reniega del retrato psicológico de los personajes y permite que sea el entorno, la asfixiante burocracia de la guerra y la postguerra, la que lleve la batuta. No hay una narración lineal, sino un hilo conductor trazado por nombres de calles, fichas policiales, expedientes, carnets... y, de fondo, Modiano imbrica su historia personal con la de la muchacha, lo que dota de motivación a la búsqueda. Incluso podemos hablar de narración especulativa, ya que muchos aspectos de la vida de Dora son imaginados por el narrador.

El problema con estas técnicas es el mismo que con la asfixia autoerótica: hay que saber cuándo parar. Y Modiano lo lleva demasiado lejos, ya que provoca en el lector una sensación de desarraigo con la propia lectura. Aún así, una obra magnífica.

yer12's review against another edition

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4.0

Una maravilla como te lleva a ver que fácil podemos olvidar y borrar de nuestra vida diaria la historia. Cómo los números de víctimas obvian los nombres. Me hizo pensar en cuantas personas maravillosas se pierde la humanidad en tanta guerra.