I was really interested in the premise of how one would live if they knew the exact date that they would die, but as I read it became clear that none of them even took the premonition seriously. I would understand the first sibling not believing it, but when he ends up dying on the exact date that was predicted for him, the others should've realized there was something true about what the old gypsy had told them. But no, they don't alter their lives due to the information at all. As the book is broken up into sections on each sibling, I feel like they should be rated separately.
Simon. The youngest and doomed to die first sibling. Ironically, he lives his life the fullest after being given the premonition of his fate. He could've continued on and had a boring and short life but instead he embraces life, finds something he's passionate about, and falls in love. His story also tackled the real history of gay men in San Fransisco dying of AIDS. Simon had the most interesting of the stories, and was my favorite one to read.
Klara. Klara's story was also interesting until the disappointing ending. She lived life passionately and dangerously with her performances. Her marriage felt more like a business transaction than anything romantic like Simon's though. But they do have a daughter together and successful career, even though he ignores all signs that her mental health is deteriorating, blaming it on her drinking. Her fate felt forced since she kills herself on the date she was given.
Daniel. Unfortunately not introduced until halfway in the book so I didn't care about him much. His life also wasn't as exciting. His plot with hunting down the gypsy was unbelievable as well. Daniel was the one I liked least.
Varya. What bothered me about Varya is that she was predicted to die last and by the time Daniel dies should realize the prophecies are true but she stays a closed up hypochondriac. She also showed up too late to care about. The only thing that made her more interesting than Daniel was her job and the side plot with her given up son. Made her a bit more interesting to read about.
Overall, I didn't like how the story was broken up, since you feel like you barely get to know any of them, and most of the siblings had bland or unlikable personalities making the book tedious to get through. Was hoping to like this one more, but I really didn't.
Simon. The youngest and doomed to die first sibling. Ironically, he lives his life the fullest after being given the premonition of his fate. He could've continued on and had a boring and short life but instead he embraces life, finds something he's passionate about, and falls in love. His story also tackled the real history of gay men in San Fransisco dying of AIDS. Simon had the most interesting of the stories, and was my favorite one to read.
Klara. Klara's story was also interesting until the disappointing ending. She lived life passionately and dangerously with her performances. Her marriage felt more like a business transaction than anything romantic like Simon's though. But they do have a daughter together and successful career, even though he ignores all signs that her mental health is deteriorating, blaming it on her drinking. Her fate felt forced since she kills herself on the date she was given.
Daniel. Unfortunately not introduced until halfway in the book so I didn't care about him much. His life also wasn't as exciting. His plot with hunting down the gypsy was unbelievable as well. Daniel was the one I liked least.
Varya. What bothered me about Varya is that she was predicted to die last and by the time Daniel dies should realize the prophecies are true but she stays a closed up hypochondriac. She also showed up too late to care about. The only thing that made her more interesting than Daniel was her job and the side plot with her given up son. Made her a bit more interesting to read about.
Overall, I didn't like how the story was broken up, since you feel like you barely get to know any of them, and most of the siblings had bland or unlikable personalities making the book tedious to get through. Was hoping to like this one more, but I really didn't.