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readwithkevin's review against another edition
4.0
Eight months later. Unlike anything that I have ever read.
laurie_97's review against another edition
3.0
Ik vond het qua stijl zo mooi en was in eerste instantie heel enthousiast, maar Frankie blijkt erg onsympathiek. Moest me er uiteindelijk doorheen worstelen.
bookwoods's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve been guilty of suspicion towards stream of consciousness as a writing style, but A Line Made by Walking by Sara Baume was a positive surprise, even though it took me a while to adjust to the chaotic skipping from one subject to another and the lack of plot. What kept me going was the premise: this is a novel about a young Irish artist called Frankie who struggles with mental health and decides to isolate herself (appropriate in the current situation) in her late grandmother’s cottage.
Art is central, reoccurring theme. Frankie used to love drawing before trying to make a career out of it, and now she feels utterly lost. But despite struggling to draw, Frankie starts a project of taking pictures of dead animals, this being related to how she feels like she’s slowly dying herself (trigger warning for depression). Frankie also challenges herself by trying to remember real works corresponding to whatever subject comes up in her thoughts, and briefly explains them. I found these exercises to really widen my conception of art and the mentioned pieces are referenced in the back of the book.
“Art is the only thing I am able for. And yet here I am. All day every day. Doing nothing. Feeling worse.”
Being inside Frankie’s thoughts was distressing and despite finding her a fascinating character, I couldn’t help but feel, unfairly, annoyed at her. She’s very privileged yet keeps laying on carpets with unfocused thoughts. Although maybe that just means Baume does a good job at illustrating mental illness, the best I’ve come across even.
“What is it about crying? As if my bod believes that squeezing all its salt out might somehow quell the sadness. As if sadness is a parasite which suckles on sodium chloride.”
A Line Made by Walking wasn’t what I expected it to be. With essentially no plot you get deeply immersed into Frankie’s mind and the small insights scattered throughout. It wasn’t always fun, but it did feel real.
Art is central, reoccurring theme. Frankie used to love drawing before trying to make a career out of it, and now she feels utterly lost. But despite struggling to draw, Frankie starts a project of taking pictures of dead animals, this being related to how she feels like she’s slowly dying herself (trigger warning for depression). Frankie also challenges herself by trying to remember real works corresponding to whatever subject comes up in her thoughts, and briefly explains them. I found these exercises to really widen my conception of art and the mentioned pieces are referenced in the back of the book.
“Art is the only thing I am able for. And yet here I am. All day every day. Doing nothing. Feeling worse.”
Being inside Frankie’s thoughts was distressing and despite finding her a fascinating character, I couldn’t help but feel, unfairly, annoyed at her. She’s very privileged yet keeps laying on carpets with unfocused thoughts. Although maybe that just means Baume does a good job at illustrating mental illness, the best I’ve come across even.
“What is it about crying? As if my bod believes that squeezing all its salt out might somehow quell the sadness. As if sadness is a parasite which suckles on sodium chloride.”
A Line Made by Walking wasn’t what I expected it to be. With essentially no plot you get deeply immersed into Frankie’s mind and the small insights scattered throughout. It wasn’t always fun, but it did feel real.
mandarinkata's review against another edition
5.0
8/10⭐️. An incredible and elegant writing. And i simply adore books about sad, depressed women, meandering around, looking for meaning and purpose.
marekstefka's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
maryoliverdisciple's review against another edition
2.0
This could have been something I loved. In fact, a story I started as a teen was very similar to this: an unhappy woman living in her dead grandmother's house and nothing much happens. I think what I didn't like about this was the protagonist. The description of dead animals that she took pictures of made me uneasy. As did the racism (accurate as it may have been) and her being rude to people in the guise of being "real". Just make small talk, for pete's sake. It's not gonna kill ya. I know depression has ugly corners, but I just ended up not being able to stomach this one.
reenaarora's review against another edition
3.0
I initially liked this book a lot, as someone who struggles from depression, the author captures a lot of the mundane aspects that make life so challenging when you are in an episode better than the current cliches that circulate over and over again. However, perhaps like depression itself, the book became quite tedious to read, as there is no momentum or plot to drive it forward so I found myself dreading to read it after the first half, which I enjoyed.