So I’m reading the book in the title, which I can tell from Goodreads that is quite popular, so I’m hoping there will be some who have an answer.
It’s an enjoyable read so far. I thought I’d read the first few pages out of curiosity just as I was going to bed and now here I am on the third chapter.
With this being said, I know that I’m not a huge fan of long, detailed descriptions of the environment and always prefer when the author just carries this out succinctly, but damn… I don’t remember the last time I read a book where descriptions went on for such lengths. I tried to imagine what the plateau looks like in case this is essential information that will come in handy later on but I officially cannot take into account as much detail for a single image in my brain. It’s I think the third time the narrator is describing the plateau, each time in moderate to great detail and adding to the ever accumulating detail, so not only would I need to envision what she’s saying now, but I’ll need to recall what she said earlier and add it in. Also, don’t attack me for this, but I often find the descriptions a little confusing and I’d need to read them a few times.
Do I need to have an accurate image of the plateau in mind handy for something later on or will a random, snowy plateau with houses, fields, trees and a cemetery in my head do? Thank you.
by Loriol_13
4 Comments
5 minutes after posting, I’m still reading about the plateau area 😅 she’s mentioning all the roads, how they are located in relation to each other and parts of the plateau, and where they lead, now, and the description isn’t over 😅 curious if anyone managed to envision all of this? I’d be genuinely impressed, honestly.
It’s been a while since I’ve read this, but I would say no, it’s not vitally important to remember every detail. I think it’s written like that to convey her love and feeling of stewardship for the place.
I didn’t appreciate this at the time I read it – but the carnage in Eastern Europe in WWII was IMMENSE. And Poland was the center of it. Maybe not the bloodiest, but the one most ripped apart between Hitler and Stalin, and where all the gassing took place.
There is an incredible amount of blood soaked into that land. Quite literally, “the bones of the dead”. The animals the protagonist wants to protect…trace that back to all the innocents who were hunted and slaughtered the generation before her.
In this book, the land also represents all the death that Poland has seen.
No, it’s not going to really affect your reading if you don’t take in every detail of the setting. But damn, I loved this book.