Swann's Way

Rating:
Summary: Difficult
Review: I kept expecting more to happen, and some of the metaphors were a little too detailed. I can certainly appreciate Proust's writing style, but perhaps it is easier to read in French! If you enjoy stream-of-consciousness writing, complex metaphors, and little to no plot, this is the book for you! Perhaps reading the whole series makes it more meaningful.

Rating:
Summary: Marcel Proust: It's not worth getting the old man out for
Review: THIS IS THE MOST BORING BOOK I HAVE EVER READ. I KEPT ON THINKING THE NEXT LINE WOULD BE "AND THEN WE BRING THE COWS IN" STRAIGHT OUT OF THE ARCHERS. BACK AT YOU WHITIE. IF YOU WRITE A 3,000 PASERIES OF BOOKS YOU HAVE TO EXPECT SOME DISSIN' HOMIE BOY PROUST. BOYAKASHAKA-LAK. TWO PHAT POSSES ARE INHE HOUSE/DISSIN EACH OTHER SHOOTING OFF THEIR MOUTHS

Rating:
Summary: Swanns Way by Marcel Proust
Review: One of the most fascinating and beautiful books I've ever read, Proust had a knack for taking the smallest detail and making it meaningful and beautiful. His sentence structure is very different from anything I've ever read before and his writing style is very dense(somebody once told me that it was like swimming through mayonaise) He is one of most original writers of this century and certainly one of the most poetic. Reading Swanns Way has made me hungry to read more of Proust. I've looked everywhere for the whole set of In Search of Lost Time(or Rememberence of Things Past) luckily Amazon has the whole set. Everybody should at least try to read Swanns Way.

Rating:
Summary: Bad Translation
Review: The sentences just go on and on and on and on. They could have been broken up a bit. Proust's flowery language isn't great at expressing meaning to begin with. It sounds great but is empty of content.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful ride through an ingenius mind
Review: Proust's eye for the everyday events of life remains unmatched by any other writer this century. Anyone attempting this style of observant detail would risk losing the reader;however,Proust knew the right words for grabbing the reader's attention. His sentence structure may be unorthodox but his flow moves down the highest streams of consciousness.Swanns Way has the ability to broaden any artist's creativity. Proust, himself, was an artist of innovation and eccentrity. This books graces his uniqueness.

Rating:
Summary: as good as the hype
Review: a novel in which nothing much happens and yet is the most perfect book i've ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Lets be fair to Proust
Review: So he may not have been the best author. Big deal. He deserves more than one star.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Most Over Rated Novels of All Time
Review: I'm glad that this book has generated so much controversy, even if most of it has been the brilliant comments of one or two people who are amazingly capable of expressing original views. For most of us, repeating someone's comments but replacing positives with negatives was something funny and something that lightened up the mood; something especially needed when discussing such dreary literature. It definately qualifies as valid criticism. Swann's Way is undoubtedly a work of perversion. Frankly, if you don't agree, it says more about you than it does Proust

Rating:
Summary: In Search of Lost Time
Review: In Search of Lost Time: The 10 hours it took me to get through his meandering mess. For all the beauty of the novel's language, it is vacant of any deep meaning. For those of you have haven't read it,its about as meaningful as a John Grisham novel. For those of you who haven't had the misfortune to read a John Grishman novel, its about as insightful as a Jean Claude VanDam movie. I want those 10 hours back!

Rating:
Summary: The best novel ever written
Review: Swann's Way is the gateway to the most beautifully written novel there is, that is, the whole of the "Search for Lost Time". Contrary to reputation, it is not "difficult" (in the way, say, Joyce or Faulkner can be) but it is not for people who prefer to skim across novels rather than immerse themselves in them. There is no use in my pulling out the superlatives; to do so would just invite redundancy to the books that have been written on him. But for anyone who loves reading (and who checking out this review does not) I would consider it a great loss to have gone through life, loving books as you do, and having missed out on Proust. It is an experience that will remind you of why you love to read and stay with you throughout your life.