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Nothing
When Pierre-Anthon realizes there is no meaning to life, the seventh-grader leaves his classroom, climbs a tree, and stays there. His classmates cannot make him come down, not even by pelting him with rocks. So to prove to Pierre-Anthon that life has meaning, the children decide to give up things of importance. The pile starts with the superficial—a fishing rod, a new pair of shoes. But as the sacrifices become more extreme, the students grow increasingly desperate to get Pierre-Anthon down, to justify their belief in meaning. Sure to prompt intense thought and discussion, Nothing —already a treasured work overseas—is not to be missed.
227 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
About the author
Janne Teller
15 books449 followersDanish writer and essayist Austro-German origin.
Educated as a macroeconomist, Janne Teller worked for the United Nations and the European Union in resolving conflicts and humanitarian issues around the world, especially in Africa. She began writing fiction full time since 1995. She has lived in various parts of the world, such as Brussels, Paris, Copenhagen, Bangladesh, Tanzania and Mozambique. Now living in New York.
Janne Teller's literature, which consists mainly of novels and essays, always focuses on existential outlook on life and human civilization, which causes often controversial debates. Furthermore, it was thought that her work Intet (2000), which was initially banned, revolutionized the novel for youth, and became a worldwide success.
Educated as a macroeconomist, Janne Teller worked for the United Nations and the European Union in resolving conflicts and humanitarian issues around the world, especially in Africa. She began writing fiction full time since 1995. She has lived in various parts of the world, such as Brussels, Paris, Copenhagen, Bangladesh, Tanzania and Mozambique. Now living in New York.
Janne Teller's literature, which consists mainly of novels and essays, always focuses on existential outlook on life and human civilization, which causes often controversial debates. Furthermore, it was thought that her work Intet (2000), which was initially banned, revolutionized the novel for youth, and became a worldwide success.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,882 reviews
July 17, 2014
"You'll find out you're a clown in a trivial circus where everyone tries to convince each other how vital it is to have a certain look one year and another the next. And then you'll find out that fame and the big wide world are outside of you, and that inside there's nothing, and always will be, no matter what you do."
I have been saving this book for years. It's one of those books that had enough glowing reviews and literary accolades to make me almost certain I would like it. Not only that, but it is about the subject of existential nihilism - which, frankly, fascinates me and has for a long time. I'm rather inclined to believe the world is meaningless; or at the very least has a certain abstract meaning that is defined by individual perspective and experience. So, really, Nothing had me at the premise. But it just didn't deliver for me.
I can see some of the attraction - it's a complex book that once again proves YA doesn't have to be shallow or lacking in "literary value". It demands that you step outside of your normal mode of thinking and ask yourself questions: is everything pointless? Can meaning be found anywhere? If nothing matters, is it better to just do nothing?
It all starts when Pierre Anthon stands up in the classroom one day and declares "Nothing matters. I have known that for a long time. So nothing is worth doing. I just realized that." He then parks himself up in a plum tree outside the school, refuses to come down, and spouts constant odes to the meaninglessness of life, the universe and everything. His classmates grow increasingly uncomfortable with what Pierre says, so they decide to gather a "heap of meaning" - a pile of what is most precious to them, in order to prove that certain things do have value.
As they are required to give up more and more of what is important to them, soon they start to turn on one another and the sacrifices become ever more extreme. It is this part of the book that I personally found most effective: the gradual disappearance of morality and the way the children turn to violence. Despite the simplistic sentence structure (a possible side effect of the translation), this is a very mature piece of YA that contains many disturbing scenes.
What I didn't like began with the short, choppy sentences and continued to grow worse with the complete lack of realism in the story. Nothing feels more like a philosophical essay than a novel. I never developed a connection with any of the characters, nor any sympathy for them - not even the narrator. And there was no way I could believe that these young teens were allowed to run about digging up graves and stealing from science labs over the space of several months without some adult questioning what the hell was going on.
I understand that this novel is primarily intended to provoke philosophical thinking, but I believe it would have been far more effective if we were allowed to warm to someone in the novel and develop an emotional connection with them - something I personally feel was lacking. And there was another thing I didn't like. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but certain characters equated female virginity and innocence with the self. As in: if you lose your virginity, you also lose yourself, which is ridiculous.
And maybe we should call it irony or something, but this whole book felt a little pointless. In the end, it seems I took nothing from it. At first I actually wondered if that was the whole point - serves you right, Emily, for spending a couple of quid on Nothing! Ha-Ha, you fool. It would've been quite cool - if somewhat infuriating - if the book had delivered its promise and carried no message because there is no message because everything is meaningless... but no, I think there was something we were supposed to get here that was obviously lost on me.
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I have been saving this book for years. It's one of those books that had enough glowing reviews and literary accolades to make me almost certain I would like it. Not only that, but it is about the subject of existential nihilism - which, frankly, fascinates me and has for a long time. I'm rather inclined to believe the world is meaningless; or at the very least has a certain abstract meaning that is defined by individual perspective and experience. So, really, Nothing had me at the premise. But it just didn't deliver for me.
I can see some of the attraction - it's a complex book that once again proves YA doesn't have to be shallow or lacking in "literary value". It demands that you step outside of your normal mode of thinking and ask yourself questions: is everything pointless? Can meaning be found anywhere? If nothing matters, is it better to just do nothing?
It all starts when Pierre Anthon stands up in the classroom one day and declares "Nothing matters. I have known that for a long time. So nothing is worth doing. I just realized that." He then parks himself up in a plum tree outside the school, refuses to come down, and spouts constant odes to the meaninglessness of life, the universe and everything. His classmates grow increasingly uncomfortable with what Pierre says, so they decide to gather a "heap of meaning" - a pile of what is most precious to them, in order to prove that certain things do have value.
As they are required to give up more and more of what is important to them, soon they start to turn on one another and the sacrifices become ever more extreme. It is this part of the book that I personally found most effective: the gradual disappearance of morality and the way the children turn to violence. Despite the simplistic sentence structure (a possible side effect of the translation), this is a very mature piece of YA that contains many disturbing scenes.
What I didn't like began with the short, choppy sentences and continued to grow worse with the complete lack of realism in the story. Nothing feels more like a philosophical essay than a novel. I never developed a connection with any of the characters, nor any sympathy for them - not even the narrator. And there was no way I could believe that these young teens were allowed to run about digging up graves and stealing from science labs over the space of several months without some adult questioning what the hell was going on.
I understand that this novel is primarily intended to provoke philosophical thinking, but I believe it would have been far more effective if we were allowed to warm to someone in the novel and develop an emotional connection with them - something I personally feel was lacking. And there was another thing I didn't like. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but certain characters equated female virginity and innocence with the self. As in: if you lose your virginity, you also lose yourself, which is ridiculous.
And maybe we should call it irony or something, but this whole book felt a little pointless. In the end, it seems I took nothing from it. At first I actually wondered if that was the whole point - serves you right, Emily, for spending a couple of quid on Nothing! Ha-Ha, you fool. It would've been quite cool - if somewhat infuriating - if the book had delivered its promise and carried no message because there is no message because everything is meaningless... but no, I think there was something we were supposed to get here that was obviously lost on me.
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March 15, 2021
"Nada" es una novela filosófica, donde los protagonistas son las ideas y los personajes simples vehículos para exponerlas. No es gratuito que sean unos adolescentes los elegidos para ello, además de ser los principales destinatarios del mensaje, se adecúan perfectamente al propósito al carecer de valores firmemente asentados o al ser estos fácilmente sacrificados por ataduras que se creen más importantes. Son los años en los que aparecen las grandes preguntas, en los que, en la línea de “El señor de las moscas”, los individuos se disuelven en el grupo del que tienen necesidad de pertenencia y del que toman sus demandas como propias.
Es cierto que a veces los diálogos "chirrían" puestos en las bocas de unos adolescentes, pero en la misma forma que pueden "chirriar" los diálogos de una tragedia griega, porque algo tiene de tragedia griega esta novela, en la que un coro de una sola voz repite incesantemente que la vida no tiene sentido y arrastra al resto de personajes a una escalada de terror que acaba con una muerte-castigo.
Muchos son los temas que aparecen reflejados en esta cortísima novela, desde el fanatismo hasta la banalidad del arte actual... y a ninguno se le da una respuesta. No es este su objetivo, bastante hace con presentar, de la forma más cruda, directa y atractiva posible, el barro del que estamos hechos.
Aunque no me ha gustado demasiado como "obra literaria", es indudable que es una narración provocativa y sugerente. No creo que persiguiera ser nada más, ni nada menos.
Es cierto que a veces los diálogos "chirrían" puestos en las bocas de unos adolescentes, pero en la misma forma que pueden "chirriar" los diálogos de una tragedia griega, porque algo tiene de tragedia griega esta novela, en la que un coro de una sola voz repite incesantemente que la vida no tiene sentido y arrastra al resto de personajes a una escalada de terror que acaba con una muerte-castigo.
Muchos son los temas que aparecen reflejados en esta cortísima novela, desde el fanatismo hasta la banalidad del arte actual... y a ninguno se le da una respuesta. No es este su objetivo, bastante hace con presentar, de la forma más cruda, directa y atractiva posible, el barro del que estamos hechos.
Aunque no me ha gustado demasiado como "obra literaria", es indudable que es una narración provocativa y sugerente. No creo que persiguiera ser nada más, ni nada menos.
October 1, 2019
the beginning part of this book reminded me of my very favorite part in john gardner's grendel, where two characters are ass-kickingly fighting, but also having a philosophical debate at the same time. this starts out like that, only with less howling. this is teen fiction, so the weapons being pelted are plums, and everyone gets to keep their arms (for now), but that doesn't mean this is sweet valley high: there will be blood and sacrifice and deep dark nihilism in these 13-year-olds before we are through.
this is my favorite type of story, where kids revert to savagery when they are put into an isolating situation. in this case, it is emotional isolation rather than physical, lord of the flies style, but it is serious.
quick plot summary tho i hate to do it: 7th grade class, one kid "realizes" that nothing means anything and so climbs a tree and stays there for months, shouting his newfound beliefs and infuriating the rest of the kids in his class. they decide to prove to him that life has meaning. they begin to accumulate a "pile of meaning", willingly giving up what matters to them in order to prove him wrong, because he is starting to get into their heads and cause doubt. but who wants to give up the thing that matters most to them, at thirteen? and what kid is going to allow his classmate to cheat and give up something lesser, while hoarding their treasures? so they begin choosing for each other, forcing others to give up increasingly meaningful parts of themselves. and now it's a party, and it's going to get messy.
most authors would stop here - deliver a little cautionary allegory all tidied up. but there is a little more to it here. a little more of the dark.
ariel has recommended a tremendous book to me, and now i pass it along to you.
for fun, google image "pile of meaning" with your kiddie filters turned off. oh, my...
come to my blog!
this is my favorite type of story, where kids revert to savagery when they are put into an isolating situation. in this case, it is emotional isolation rather than physical, lord of the flies style, but it is serious.
quick plot summary tho i hate to do it: 7th grade class, one kid "realizes" that nothing means anything and so climbs a tree and stays there for months, shouting his newfound beliefs and infuriating the rest of the kids in his class. they decide to prove to him that life has meaning. they begin to accumulate a "pile of meaning", willingly giving up what matters to them in order to prove him wrong, because he is starting to get into their heads and cause doubt. but who wants to give up the thing that matters most to them, at thirteen? and what kid is going to allow his classmate to cheat and give up something lesser, while hoarding their treasures? so they begin choosing for each other, forcing others to give up increasingly meaningful parts of themselves. and now it's a party, and it's going to get messy.
most authors would stop here - deliver a little cautionary allegory all tidied up. but there is a little more to it here. a little more of the dark.
ariel has recommended a tremendous book to me, and now i pass it along to you.
for fun, google image "pile of meaning" with your kiddie filters turned off. oh, my...
come to my blog!
August 23, 2011
Buy two copies. Burn one and keep the ashes in a matchbox on your desk. You'll want the second to reread.
A fearlessly written novel. Every time I turned the page, I thought--is the author really going to go there? And then she did.
I'm adding it to my list of all-time favorite books. Not because I liked it--I'm still not sure whether I did. It's inherently an unlikeable novel, populated by vicious and unsympathetic children. But it made me think.
A fearlessly written novel. Every time I turned the page, I thought--is the author really going to go there? And then she did.
I'm adding it to my list of all-time favorite books. Not because I liked it--I'm still not sure whether I did. It's inherently an unlikeable novel, populated by vicious and unsympathetic children. But it made me think.
March 2, 2021
just this week -- i was riding the bus on my way to school. and as i was sitting there and pondering about life (aren't i the intellectual?), i noticed this guy who was sitting in the row in front of me, who was doing something with his hands. he couldn't seem to stop his nervous gestures. so i looked. (of course i looked.)
dude was scratching on practically every exposed skin surface on his body. he generously liberated his ears from earwax. picked his nose as if there was no tomorrow. rubbed his eyes till they were red. ran his fingers through his hair, yanking some in the process. a minute ticked away. ten minutes. a solid hour passed. he did not stop. and i tried desperately not to see anything out of the corner of my eyes.
so, this is what nothing feels like to me. you can't help but stare, no matter how disturbing. try as you might to distance yourself from things that make you uncomfortable. they are still happening.
dude was scratching on practically every exposed skin surface on his body. he generously liberated his ears from earwax. picked his nose as if there was no tomorrow. rubbed his eyes till they were red. ran his fingers through his hair, yanking some in the process. a minute ticked away. ten minutes. a solid hour passed. he did not stop. and i tried desperately not to see anything out of the corner of my eyes.
so, this is what nothing feels like to me. you can't help but stare, no matter how disturbing. try as you might to distance yourself from things that make you uncomfortable. they are still happening.
October 28, 2018
Libro aceptable pero que se queda corto; no va más allá de lo mediocre y conocido. Recomendado, pero solo para pasar el rato. No aporta nada.
May 3, 2020
Me encantó! No tenía idea de que se trataba de una novela para adolescentes, pero creo que le puede gustar a cualquiera. Lo que plantea te deja dando vueltas sin duda, y la sencillez con la cual lleva la historia me hizo sentir como si hubiera visto una película. Oscuro, pero no por eso menos entrañable. Muy recomendado.
February 23, 2015
Just... WOW. This was... uhm, I don't even know. Somewhat disturbing I guess, but it also made me really THINK about life and its meaning. I really liked the ending, totally unexpected, but WOW.
August 23, 2011
Original review posted on The Book Smugglers HERE
Warning! This review contains spoilers! Do not read if you don’t want to know what happens! You have been warned!
Nothing is an award-winning book (including an ALA Printz Honor) and has received tons of very positive reviews but it wasn’t until John Green raved about it on Twitter a few months ago that I decided to buy it. A few weeks ago in the middle of a reading slump, I looked at the book, it looked back at me, and I thought surely this is a safe bet, all things considered. Well, that only goes to show how much reading is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you going to get. I didn’t like this book at all.
The story is set in a small town in Denmark and it starts this one day when 13-year-old Pierre Anthon stands up in the middle of the classroom and says:
Nothing matters.
I have known that for a long time.
So nothing is worth doing.
I just realised that.
He then leaves school to sit in a plum tree from where he taunts the other students day after day with things like:
Everything begins just in order to end. The moment you were born you began to die, and that goes for everything else as well.
The students grow uneasy about what Pierre is telling them. What if Pierre is right and nothing has meaning? So his classmates decide to show him that things do mean something and set out to build a pile of meaning to show him. They start working at this closed mill, where they start building said pile by adding things that matter to them, willingly giving them up. They start with simple things, like someone’s favourite shoes or someone’s new bike. But then they realise that these are not meaningful enough.
They also realise that one does not have the strength to give up more meaningful things so they decide to choose on behalf of each other and they start to demand more in a horrifying crescendo: they dig out the body of a dead brother and add the coffin with its contents to the pile and they add this kids’ beloved pet. The stakes are amplified with every subsequent pick: a devout Muslim��s praying rug, a Christ in the cross, one girl’s innocence (she is raped by some of the boys, who put a rag with her blood and their semen in the pile), a guitarist’s finger.
This goes on for months and months until eventually one of the kids breaks down and tells the adults. The media creates a circus around it, although the kids suffer no real consequences after all they’ve done. A museum declares the pile to be Art, and therefore the pile does have meaning. The kids agree to sell it for millions of dollars. And just then Pierre finally gets around seeing the pile they built for him and promptly declares it meaningless – because they sold it so easily. The kids get really fed up at this point, and they beat Pierre to death, set the barn and his body on fire to make it seem an accident and they go on their merry lives. The end.
I will just start by saying that I have no problem with the fact that the book is bleak, violent and works as an expression of extreme nihilism. That’s not the reason I disliked it. I also have no problem with the philosophical questioning: the question of whether life has meaning or not is an important question to be asked even though I am not personally fond of existential nihilism.
No, the reason why I disliked the book is simple: I don’t think it is a good novel. I think it is flawed in terms of executing its basic premise, the development of the story is contrived and manipulative and the writing is irritating to say the least.
The reader is supposed to accept that a bunch of 7th graders gets around their really small town over a long period of time (months and months) doing these things completely unnoticed and unchecked by their parents, neighbours and teachers because one kid is up in a tree yelling things at them? I am supposed to suspend disbelief and accept the premise that this kid just sits up on this tree day after day after day and no one does anything – where are his parents? Am I supposed to accept that every single student is equally distressed by what Pierre tells them and that not a single one of them offers a dissenting voice?
I am supposed to accept all of that as part of the philosophical aspects of the novel. But I can’t: this is NOT a philosophical essay; it is supposed to be a work of fiction, set in our time and in a really small town. This is not speculative fiction, and there’s nothing that is even remotely fantastic about this story which could help with suspension of disbelief: it is not a fairytale; it is not set in the future or in a dystopian society. I am sure that the point is to show how group mentality works and how searching for the meaning of life could happen anywhere, anytime but come on, these kids are not isolated (and therefore the comparisons with Lord of the Flies are not exactly apropos), life goes on, they go to school every day, they go home every day. I don’t buy how this could have happened. So therefore, in terms of a fictional story it does not stand against close scrutiny.
Furthermore: some things really bothered me. There are no consequences for the crimes (yes, they are crimes) committed by the kids. Apparently only one of them has to face his parents and it is the Muslim kid – who is severely beaten up. After all of that happens, only one of them completely loses it and goes insane in a very sociopathic way: the girl who was raped and lost her virginity. Because apparently you can get over everything in this life and you don’t really lose your innocence if you do despicable things, you only lose it if you lose your virginity. I am not saying that she shouldn’t have severe emotional problems after the terrible thing that has been done to her, but I do find it problematic that she is the only one. But who knows, maybe I am missing some philosophical point here?
But because of all that, I felt the development of the story and the amplification of the tension to be extremely contrived, and felt as though the events were being manipulated to fit the philosophical premise. It never felt like a natural crescendo.
Finally, there is the writing. Its minimalist writing, full of short, staccato sentences was extremely grating and they happen every 2-3 pages. I understand this is a translation from Danish – maybe this sort of writing sounds better in the original language? Examples:
All of a sudden I was scared. Scared of Pierre Anthon.
Scared, more scared, most scared.
We’d win!
Victory is sweet.Victory is. Victory
We didn’t reply. Not one of us. Five-zero-two
He was going to see right through us.
Squat. Zilch. Nothing.
Then I noticed how quiet it was in the mill.
Quiet. Quieter. All quiet.
So yeah, Nothing did not rock my boat and I know I am the minority when it comes to this one (on top of awards, it also got starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus and Publishers Weekly). But, hey what the hell do I know? I quoted Forrest Gump in my intro to this review.
Warning! This review contains spoilers! Do not read if you don’t want to know what happens! You have been warned!
Nothing is an award-winning book (including an ALA Printz Honor) and has received tons of very positive reviews but it wasn’t until John Green raved about it on Twitter a few months ago that I decided to buy it. A few weeks ago in the middle of a reading slump, I looked at the book, it looked back at me, and I thought surely this is a safe bet, all things considered. Well, that only goes to show how much reading is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you going to get. I didn’t like this book at all.
The story is set in a small town in Denmark and it starts this one day when 13-year-old Pierre Anthon stands up in the middle of the classroom and says:
Nothing matters.
I have known that for a long time.
So nothing is worth doing.
I just realised that.
He then leaves school to sit in a plum tree from where he taunts the other students day after day with things like:
Everything begins just in order to end. The moment you were born you began to die, and that goes for everything else as well.
The students grow uneasy about what Pierre is telling them. What if Pierre is right and nothing has meaning? So his classmates decide to show him that things do mean something and set out to build a pile of meaning to show him. They start working at this closed mill, where they start building said pile by adding things that matter to them, willingly giving them up. They start with simple things, like someone’s favourite shoes or someone’s new bike. But then they realise that these are not meaningful enough.
They also realise that one does not have the strength to give up more meaningful things so they decide to choose on behalf of each other and they start to demand more in a horrifying crescendo: they dig out the body of a dead brother and add the coffin with its contents to the pile and they add this kids’ beloved pet. The stakes are amplified with every subsequent pick: a devout Muslim��s praying rug, a Christ in the cross, one girl’s innocence (she is raped by some of the boys, who put a rag with her blood and their semen in the pile), a guitarist’s finger.
This goes on for months and months until eventually one of the kids breaks down and tells the adults. The media creates a circus around it, although the kids suffer no real consequences after all they’ve done. A museum declares the pile to be Art, and therefore the pile does have meaning. The kids agree to sell it for millions of dollars. And just then Pierre finally gets around seeing the pile they built for him and promptly declares it meaningless – because they sold it so easily. The kids get really fed up at this point, and they beat Pierre to death, set the barn and his body on fire to make it seem an accident and they go on their merry lives. The end.
I will just start by saying that I have no problem with the fact that the book is bleak, violent and works as an expression of extreme nihilism. That’s not the reason I disliked it. I also have no problem with the philosophical questioning: the question of whether life has meaning or not is an important question to be asked even though I am not personally fond of existential nihilism.
No, the reason why I disliked the book is simple: I don’t think it is a good novel. I think it is flawed in terms of executing its basic premise, the development of the story is contrived and manipulative and the writing is irritating to say the least.
The reader is supposed to accept that a bunch of 7th graders gets around their really small town over a long period of time (months and months) doing these things completely unnoticed and unchecked by their parents, neighbours and teachers because one kid is up in a tree yelling things at them? I am supposed to suspend disbelief and accept the premise that this kid just sits up on this tree day after day after day and no one does anything – where are his parents? Am I supposed to accept that every single student is equally distressed by what Pierre tells them and that not a single one of them offers a dissenting voice?
I am supposed to accept all of that as part of the philosophical aspects of the novel. But I can’t: this is NOT a philosophical essay; it is supposed to be a work of fiction, set in our time and in a really small town. This is not speculative fiction, and there’s nothing that is even remotely fantastic about this story which could help with suspension of disbelief: it is not a fairytale; it is not set in the future or in a dystopian society. I am sure that the point is to show how group mentality works and how searching for the meaning of life could happen anywhere, anytime but come on, these kids are not isolated (and therefore the comparisons with Lord of the Flies are not exactly apropos), life goes on, they go to school every day, they go home every day. I don’t buy how this could have happened. So therefore, in terms of a fictional story it does not stand against close scrutiny.
Furthermore: some things really bothered me. There are no consequences for the crimes (yes, they are crimes) committed by the kids. Apparently only one of them has to face his parents and it is the Muslim kid – who is severely beaten up. After all of that happens, only one of them completely loses it and goes insane in a very sociopathic way: the girl who was raped and lost her virginity. Because apparently you can get over everything in this life and you don’t really lose your innocence if you do despicable things, you only lose it if you lose your virginity. I am not saying that she shouldn’t have severe emotional problems after the terrible thing that has been done to her, but I do find it problematic that she is the only one. But who knows, maybe I am missing some philosophical point here?
But because of all that, I felt the development of the story and the amplification of the tension to be extremely contrived, and felt as though the events were being manipulated to fit the philosophical premise. It never felt like a natural crescendo.
Finally, there is the writing. Its minimalist writing, full of short, staccato sentences was extremely grating and they happen every 2-3 pages. I understand this is a translation from Danish – maybe this sort of writing sounds better in the original language? Examples:
All of a sudden I was scared. Scared of Pierre Anthon.
Scared, more scared, most scared.
We’d win!
Victory is sweet.Victory is. Victory
We didn’t reply. Not one of us. Five-zero-two
He was going to see right through us.
Squat. Zilch. Nothing.
Then I noticed how quiet it was in the mill.
Quiet. Quieter. All quiet.
So yeah, Nothing did not rock my boat and I know I am the minority when it comes to this one (on top of awards, it also got starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus and Publishers Weekly). But, hey what the hell do I know? I quoted Forrest Gump in my intro to this review.
January 4, 2013
ZERO STARS..... (less than ZERO)!
Shame on this author! This book is creepy-creepy-creepy!
Disturbing and irritating.
NOTE: I would NEVER suggest this book for ANYONE of ANY age to read. ---
I read a few reviews who wrote SPOIL ALERT before writing more of what they had to say. However, 'nothing' they could say would spoil this book anymore than its ALREADY SPOILED. I could tell you every little ugly-nasty-yucky detail about this book ---in 5 minutes if you are really THAT curious ---(ask me if you need to know) ---but don't waste your time -or money supporting this book. That is MY STRONG OPINION! (I know I'm just one person here---but I feel VERY STRONG about this).
I have no problem with the 'concept' the philosophical question of whether life has meaning or not ---(by 7th grade kids) --- I think its a little silly for adults to debate this question. ---
but this book can't handle this 'question' without manipulation. (shock you to keep reading???) ----YUCK YUCK YUCK! ---
but this book offers NOTHING of VALUE!!! The BEST part of the book is the title: *NOTHING*!!!!
REALLY---the author should be ashamed of herself. This is her best writing contribution??? I'm ANGRY about this book. I'm angry its getting 'awards' --- (something is very wrong in our world if this book is getting awards).
I would NOT want my 7th grade child to read it. Its WAY to violent. (also, no consequences for the crimes of these kids). ---And ---as an adult--I do not need this book either!
WHY??? WHY?? WHY??? do we need books like this TODAY....with all the 'already' horrific brutal killings of 'children' in the news today?
This book makes NO positive difference AT ALL!!!
Shame on this author! This book is creepy-creepy-creepy!
Disturbing and irritating.
NOTE: I would NEVER suggest this book for ANYONE of ANY age to read. ---
I read a few reviews who wrote SPOIL ALERT before writing more of what they had to say. However, 'nothing' they could say would spoil this book anymore than its ALREADY SPOILED. I could tell you every little ugly-nasty-yucky detail about this book ---in 5 minutes if you are really THAT curious ---(ask me if you need to know) ---but don't waste your time -or money supporting this book. That is MY STRONG OPINION! (I know I'm just one person here---but I feel VERY STRONG about this).
I have no problem with the 'concept' the philosophical question of whether life has meaning or not ---(by 7th grade kids) --- I think its a little silly for adults to debate this question. ---
but this book can't handle this 'question' without manipulation. (shock you to keep reading???) ----YUCK YUCK YUCK! ---
but this book offers NOTHING of VALUE!!! The BEST part of the book is the title: *NOTHING*!!!!
REALLY---the author should be ashamed of herself. This is her best writing contribution??? I'm ANGRY about this book. I'm angry its getting 'awards' --- (something is very wrong in our world if this book is getting awards).
I would NOT want my 7th grade child to read it. Its WAY to violent. (also, no consequences for the crimes of these kids). ---And ---as an adult--I do not need this book either!
WHY??? WHY?? WHY??? do we need books like this TODAY....with all the 'already' horrific brutal killings of 'children' in the news today?
This book makes NO positive difference AT ALL!!!
September 29, 2011
What begins as a premise with so much potential ends as a book full of nothing, or worse, an appalling disregard for the humanity of teenagers and a deeply cynical and pathological view of life. One 7th grader decides nothing is worth it and climbs a tree. The best the others can muster is to pelt rocks his way. Really?!? Why doesn't one climb the tree and join him? Where are his parents? Why is it that all kids are equally threatened by this act, which I feel would only pose a minor threat to a few, and because of that they all turn into animals driven by base instincts? They are not isolated on some remote island. They all go home every evening to their parents, so the reader is left to believe that all of their parents are deaf to the world of their kids, and no conversations about "meaning in life" or active engagement in meaningful life activities are to be had by any of them.
One boy is a devout Muslim and he concedes to giving up his prayer mat to the "pile of meaning" and gets beaten to a pulp by his father to prove it has meaning? Really?!? A Beatles fan and avid guitar player sacrifices a finger on his hand. What?!? A girl agrees, in a very detached manner, to give up her virginity?!? Presumably this story is meant to work as a fable, but it doesn't whatsoever, and it is the sickest yarn I have yet come across in young adult literature. I find the entire story to be the most insulting diatribe against youth.
I have heard people say, in defense of this multiple award-winning story, that it provokes discussion. Any story that provokes a worthwhile discussion has some nugget for the reader to chew on. This one has absolutely nothing, as the title implies. To me this is a gimmick of the worst kind.
One boy is a devout Muslim and he concedes to giving up his prayer mat to the "pile of meaning" and gets beaten to a pulp by his father to prove it has meaning? Really?!? A Beatles fan and avid guitar player sacrifices a finger on his hand. What?!? A girl agrees, in a very detached manner, to give up her virginity?!? Presumably this story is meant to work as a fable, but it doesn't whatsoever, and it is the sickest yarn I have yet come across in young adult literature. I find the entire story to be the most insulting diatribe against youth.
I have heard people say, in defense of this multiple award-winning story, that it provokes discussion. Any story that provokes a worthwhile discussion has some nugget for the reader to chew on. This one has absolutely nothing, as the title implies. To me this is a gimmick of the worst kind.
February 14, 2022
El libro va de un grupo de adolescentes que intenta demostrarle a uno de sus compañeros que hay cosas que sí importan formando una pila de significado. Conforme pasan las páginas, todo se vuelve mucho más turbio.
Este libro estaba dentro de mi pequeña lista de prioridades literarias, esa cosa que hago porque luego olvido cuáles títulos me llaman con ganas, pero yo nunca investigué nada sobre lo que realmente trataba, ni siquiera sabía que era un libro que debía leer con cuidado, je. Por suerte, creo que he entendido el mensaje.
La autora ha sabido retractar muy bien lo que puede provocar la perdida abrupta de la fe y lo que somos capaces de hacer por mantenerla, todo ello nos lo hace saber a través de los protagonistas, que tienen alrededor de 15 años, y están en la edad perfecta para encontrar el significado de las cosas. Así, mientras cada miembro del grupo va entregando algo preciado, nosotros como lectores vemos que cada cosa entregada es una alegoría de algo que las personas consideramos importante, algo en lo que creemos y algo a lo que no estamos dispuestos a dejar de darle importancia.
Sí, todo muy bien, muy profundo, pero el problema es que no he simpatizado con ningún personaje pese a que están hechos para que te reflejes en ellos. No es un libro que contenga personajes memorables, así de simple, y quiénes me conocen ya saben que yo soy mucho de personajes, no puedo enamorarme de un libro que tiene la mejor trama del mundo pero que se queda corto en la construcción de personajes. Aún así, considero que lograr que un libro para adolescentes, con un lenguaje tan ameno, se haya convertido en objeto de debates e incluso haya escandalizado a algunas autoridades, es un logro que no cualquiera puede adjudicarse.
Le doy tres estrellas porque la idea es muy original, la narración es del todo fluida y hay escenas verdaderamente escalofriantes, pero me ha quedado a deber en cuánto a personajes y yo no perdono eso.
Este libro estaba dentro de mi pequeña lista de prioridades literarias, esa cosa que hago porque luego olvido cuáles títulos me llaman con ganas, pero yo nunca investigué nada sobre lo que realmente trataba, ni siquiera sabía que era un libro que debía leer con cuidado, je. Por suerte, creo que he entendido el mensaje.
La autora ha sabido retractar muy bien lo que puede provocar la perdida abrupta de la fe y lo que somos capaces de hacer por mantenerla, todo ello nos lo hace saber a través de los protagonistas, que tienen alrededor de 15 años, y están en la edad perfecta para encontrar el significado de las cosas. Así, mientras cada miembro del grupo va entregando algo preciado, nosotros como lectores vemos que cada cosa entregada es una alegoría de algo que las personas consideramos importante, algo en lo que creemos y algo a lo que no estamos dispuestos a dejar de darle importancia.
Sí, todo muy bien, muy profundo, pero el problema es que no he simpatizado con ningún personaje pese a que están hechos para que te reflejes en ellos. No es un libro que contenga personajes memorables, así de simple, y quiénes me conocen ya saben que yo soy mucho de personajes, no puedo enamorarme de un libro que tiene la mejor trama del mundo pero que se queda corto en la construcción de personajes. Aún así, considero que lograr que un libro para adolescentes, con un lenguaje tan ameno, se haya convertido en objeto de debates e incluso haya escandalizado a algunas autoridades, es un logro que no cualquiera puede adjudicarse.
Le doy tres estrellas porque la idea es muy original, la narración es del todo fluida y hay escenas verdaderamente escalofriantes, pero me ha quedado a deber en cuánto a personajes y yo no perdono eso.
November 16, 2022
La primera vez que leí este libro me quede con un sabor agridulce en la boca...es una historia dirigida a los jóvenes que no los toma como tontos pero, a la vez, es denso y predecible en lo general, además de que me dejo con la sensación de que no sé si me gustó o no (esto último, hasta la fecha sigo sin saberlo), tiene cierto aire de inevitabilidad que te tiene constantemente diciendo ¡Ya, paren ahí, por favor!
La premisa de este libro es sencilla, como lidian las personas con el concepto de la insignificancia nada vale, así que nada tiene sentido y, bajo la búsqueda de demostrar que hay cosas que si tienen sentido, estos preadolescentes se embarcaran en un viaje que les hará identificar el valor de aquello que tiene significado para ellos...pero también el preguntarse si realmente es valioso, o cómo pequeñas acciones pueden añadir o despojar a "eso" de todo valor. Llega un punto en que no importa que tan vanales fueran las cosas que se pidieron, una vez perdidas no se pueden recuperar .
Lo triste e irónico de este libro es que es uno de esos casos en que sí un adulto se hubiese preocupado, o uno de los chicos no hubiese seguido la corriente, todo pudo avanzar diferente. En el primer caso porque hubo muchas señales de alerta y ningún adulto, ni uno sólo, hizo caso de ellas cuando al menos el profesor supo lo que sucedió con Pierre Anthon (de es hablamos mas adelante) y ninguno, después de que les dijeran ese cambio en ellos, se puso a pensar como lidian los preadolescentes con este tipo de preguntas. El segundo punto va bastante con la mentalidad de manada, ¿Cómo de diferente sería esta historia si uno sólo de los niños hubiese no siguiera al resto? ¿La historia sería completamente diferente? ¿El resultado sería el mismo?
Para un libro que habla de la nada, llama la atención el valor que se le da a la validación externa. Esto tanto en lo que sucede con los niños, que quieren convencer al mundo y particularmente a Pierre Anthon de que las cosas tienen valor, y de Pierre Anthon que, a pesar que haber descubierto que ya nada importa, él busca, necesita, hacerle notar a sus compañeros la insignificancia de la vida, como si la única manera de hacer real esa verdad es que otros la adopten, pudiendo llegar a la paradoja de que la insignificancia de todo solo tiene valor o significado si los demás son conscientes de ello.
Pero, como mencione, constantemente se juega con el valor o significado de las cosas, ejemplo de ellos es la falta de consecuencias , dando a entender que lo bueno o malo que lograron no importa, es irrelevante, así que ¿Realmente la vida o todo lo demás que hicieron importa?
Al funal del día, es un libro que me alegro de haber leído, opta por el shock para transmitir su mensaje, pero esto no me parece que sea incorrecto, aunque tampoco creo que sea lo mejor, simplemente es un enfoque realista y al mismo tiempo exagerado, que se orienta a "lo peor que podría pasar" y no tanto al "la vida es bella", si logras conectar te va a hacer pensar en lo que sucede, pero si no conectar vas a sufrir leyéndolo.
La premisa de este libro es sencilla, como lidian las personas con el concepto de la insignificancia nada vale, así que nada tiene sentido y, bajo la búsqueda de demostrar que hay cosas que si tienen sentido, estos preadolescentes se embarcaran en un viaje que les hará identificar el valor de aquello que tiene significado para ellos...pero también el preguntarse si realmente es valioso, o cómo pequeñas acciones pueden añadir o despojar a "eso" de todo valor. Llega un punto en que no importa que tan vanales fueran las cosas que se pidieron, una vez perdidas no se pueden recuperar .
Lo triste e irónico de este libro es que es uno de esos casos en que sí un adulto se hubiese preocupado, o uno de los chicos no hubiese seguido la corriente, todo pudo avanzar diferente. En el primer caso porque hubo muchas señales de alerta y ningún adulto, ni uno sólo, hizo caso de ellas cuando al menos el profesor supo lo que sucedió con Pierre Anthon (de es hablamos mas adelante) y ninguno, después de que les dijeran ese cambio en ellos, se puso a pensar como lidian los preadolescentes con este tipo de preguntas. El segundo punto va bastante con la mentalidad de manada, ¿Cómo de diferente sería esta historia si uno sólo de los niños hubiese no siguiera al resto? ¿La historia sería completamente diferente? ¿El resultado sería el mismo?
Para un libro que habla de la nada, llama la atención el valor que se le da a la validación externa. Esto tanto en lo que sucede con los niños, que quieren convencer al mundo y particularmente a Pierre Anthon de que las cosas tienen valor, y de Pierre Anthon que, a pesar que haber descubierto que ya nada importa, él busca, necesita, hacerle notar a sus compañeros la insignificancia de la vida, como si la única manera de hacer real esa verdad es que otros la adopten, pudiendo llegar a la paradoja de que la insignificancia de todo solo tiene valor o significado si los demás son conscientes de ello.
Pero, como mencione, constantemente se juega con el valor o significado de las cosas, ejemplo de ellos es la falta de consecuencias , dando a entender que lo bueno o malo que lograron no importa, es irrelevante, así que ¿Realmente la vida o todo lo demás que hicieron importa?
Al funal del día, es un libro que me alegro de haber leído, opta por el shock para transmitir su mensaje, pero esto no me parece que sea incorrecto, aunque tampoco creo que sea lo mejor, simplemente es un enfoque realista y al mismo tiempo exagerado, que se orienta a "lo peor que podría pasar" y no tanto al "la vida es bella", si logras conectar te va a hacer pensar en lo que sucede, pero si no conectar vas a sufrir leyéndolo.
May 20, 2021
Una lectura rápida pero en absoluto sencilla. Es un libro crudo que requiere que el lector haga más que leerlo, tiene que procesarlo para comprenderlo, es muy simbólico, muy metafórico, muy existencialista.
No es una lectura agradable, dejando de lado los grandes temas que cuestiona, es un libro perturbador, morboso y macabro. Pasa de ser una búsqueda cruel pero inocente de "el significado" a una cada vez más oscura y retorcida, hasta lo criminal.
Me dio el mismo sentimiento de impotencia, disgusto y desagrado mezclado con interés autentico que historias como La ola.
Le pongo cuatro estrellas pero son tres y media... y la puntuación es simbólica, quiero algo intermedio, porque no sé realmente cómo puntuarlo.
No es una lectura agradable, dejando de lado los grandes temas que cuestiona, es un libro perturbador, morboso y macabro. Pasa de ser una búsqueda cruel pero inocente de "el significado" a una cada vez más oscura y retorcida, hasta lo criminal.
Me dio el mismo sentimiento de impotencia, disgusto y desagrado mezclado con interés autentico que historias como La ola.
Le pongo cuatro estrellas pero son tres y media... y la puntuación es simbólica, quiero algo intermedio, porque no sé realmente cómo puntuarlo.
November 20, 2018
Este chico Pierre me hizo entrar en una reflexión que si me ponía a pensarla una y otra vez me desalentaba de todo, una historia corta pero con mucho significado, reflexiva y que pone a pensar y a explorar las grandes preguntas que no tienen respuesta.
May 8, 2010
On the first day of seventh grade one kid realizes that nothing matters. He stands up, leaves and starts spending his days sitting in a plum tree and jeering at his former classmates about the meaningless of everything.
His classmates are not happy with him.
Displeased. Angry. Furious.
The plot sounds kind of like Calvino's Baron in the Trees, another tale about a boy in a tree that annoys people just by his being in the tree. The kid in Nothing doesn't live in the tree though, he just spends his days there. But he does spend it with, say I use this word?, evangelical spirit of letting other people in on the truth he has found.
The jacket copy and some reviews talk about this book as being like Lord of the Flies. It's not. Except that kids do revert to a sort of savagery, but it's a different kind of savagery in place here. Lord of the Flies is about the flimsy constructs of civilization and how easily it is to Fall into a 'natural' state of savagery. It's like a big fuck you (opps I just cursed in a children's review) to Rousseau and his noble savage.
When these kids go all 'savage' their fury isn't because they have stepped (been thrown, to appropriate a Heideggarian term, which is ok since this novel is existential in many ways) to a point past 'civilization'; to a malaise that could be appropriately called post-survival: the idea that life is meaningless and what one does when they are confronted with this proposition.
This is like Plato's allegory of the cave, but the dude who escapes and comes back to spread his 'gospel' isn't saying that the world you are seeing is all an illusion but there is a better, more pure world out there; rather this world is all an illusion and there is nothing beyond it. There is no meaning to any of this, and what 'this' is isn't worth anything either.
Anyway all of this philosophical bullshit aside, this book is much bleaker than Lord of the Flies. It's another one of these YA books that surprises me with its edginess (jeez I hate that term, but I'm getting sick with myself for all the putting words in quotes that is going on in his review, this one should have quotes around it too, but now I can have my ironic cake and eat it too), and for the quality of the book.
A great dark book about meaninglessness, what people do when they are confronted with the idea that maybe there is no meaning, and through the different children many of the ways that this question is side-stepped/answered by people in our society are shown to be empty shells of delusion.
His classmates are not happy with him.
Displeased. Angry. Furious.
The plot sounds kind of like Calvino's Baron in the Trees, another tale about a boy in a tree that annoys people just by his being in the tree. The kid in Nothing doesn't live in the tree though, he just spends his days there. But he does spend it with, say I use this word?, evangelical spirit of letting other people in on the truth he has found.
The jacket copy and some reviews talk about this book as being like Lord of the Flies. It's not. Except that kids do revert to a sort of savagery, but it's a different kind of savagery in place here. Lord of the Flies is about the flimsy constructs of civilization and how easily it is to Fall into a 'natural' state of savagery. It's like a big fuck you (opps I just cursed in a children's review) to Rousseau and his noble savage.
When these kids go all 'savage' their fury isn't because they have stepped (been thrown, to appropriate a Heideggarian term, which is ok since this novel is existential in many ways) to a point past 'civilization'; to a malaise that could be appropriately called post-survival: the idea that life is meaningless and what one does when they are confronted with this proposition.
This is like Plato's allegory of the cave, but the dude who escapes and comes back to spread his 'gospel' isn't saying that the world you are seeing is all an illusion but there is a better, more pure world out there; rather this world is all an illusion and there is nothing beyond it. There is no meaning to any of this, and what 'this' is isn't worth anything either.
Anyway all of this philosophical bullshit aside, this book is much bleaker than Lord of the Flies. It's another one of these YA books that surprises me with its edginess (jeez I hate that term, but I'm getting sick with myself for all the putting words in quotes that is going on in his review, this one should have quotes around it too, but now I can have my ironic cake and eat it too), and for the quality of the book.
A great dark book about meaninglessness, what people do when they are confronted with the idea that maybe there is no meaning, and through the different children many of the ways that this question is side-stepped/answered by people in our society are shown to be empty shells of delusion.
February 27, 2016
Estoy segura de que "Nada" es el primer libro que leo y no sé que puntuación darle.
No se si me ha gustado o me ha horrorizado.
Tiene tanta filosofía en sus páginas como actos bizarros y horribles.
Pero a la vez no comprenderíamos ningún significado, si el libro no estuviera plagado de ese lado oscuro.
Realmente estoy traumatizada porque no me atrevo a decir si apruebo o no este libro.
No se si me ha gustado o me ha horrorizado.
Tiene tanta filosofía en sus páginas como actos bizarros y horribles.
Pero a la vez no comprenderíamos ningún significado, si el libro no estuviera plagado de ese lado oscuro.
Realmente estoy traumatizada porque no me atrevo a decir si apruebo o no este libro.
November 9, 2020
Libro raro, más macabro de lo que hubiera esperado. Al principio esperaba algo pretencioso, no sabía bien para donde iba. Se fue tornando muy turbio a medida que progresaba la historia. Me gustó mucho.
September 11, 2016
Нищо не мога да кажа, нищичко. Това ревю(хайде, "мнение") няма да има смисъл. Дори самото натискане на клавишите и звука им ми напомнят как след време еди- какво си гадно нещо ще се случи, ще бъдем нещастни и бла бла бла, смърт, няма смисъл... хайде стига глупости.
Чудничка книжка! Ударно връща вярата в живота. Разбира се, го прави като измъчва главните си герои, застрелва читателя с нихилизъм(от упор) и накрая тайничко го подвежда за някакви си страници как, разбираш ли, всичко си е наред... муахахах... нее, грешка. Нищо.
Май нататък ще има спойлери, но нали и без това всеки знае как ще свършат нещата(генерално), защо точно спойлерите да имат смисъл.
И все пак...
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*(нямам идея до къде се показва първия откъс на стените ви, така че използвам момента да дам още 5 звездички на книгата)
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Малка и сладка групичка дечица влиза в час и едно малко по- умничко и сладко детенце изведнъж изнася много ефикасен урок за начало на годината. Nihilism 101. Горе – долу минута, повече не трябва – и без това на всички ни е присъщ по рождение, заболяването от него е неизбежно, но не и нелечимо. И така светът на останалите малки дечица е променен завинаги, главно защото те вече символизират нещо повече – битката срещу липсата на смисъл. Разбира се, ако те също така не символизираха и по- порастналото човечество може би щяха да продължат да се държат като типични дечица и да теглят майните на най- младия нихилист в измислената световна история(освен на моменти нероденото от Nutshell на Ian McEwan – то е култово). Не го правят. Горките.
Какв�� правят: Започват с най- простата борба срещу нищото, но бързо разбират, че няма как да се бориш с нищото. И за това започват да трупат, трупат... смисъл. И накрая се оплитат в собствените си игри и стават жестоки, отмъстителни, алчни и накрая... май е ясно какво се случва със смисъла им.
Книгата описва по жесток начин фиксацията на хората по предмети, носталгия, статут, власт, пари, състояние, религия, дори самоусещане. И, парадоксално, от нея може да се извади много смисъл. Но не точно онзи, който бихме искали да притежаваме. По- скоро поука – непригледното братче на смисъла.
Би било логично да я сравня с Повелителя на Мухите, но не съм я чел(shame, shame). Ще я сравня с Чужденецът на Камю и The Sense of an Ending на Джулиан Барнс... ей така, за да има с какво да я сравня :)
Струва ли си четенето – да. Струва ли си парите- да(full disclosure: заех я от читАлнЯта, не съм я купувал). Как е написана – просто и остро. Как се чете – бързо и болезнено. Какви са последствията от прочитането на книгата – емоция, шок, анализиране, размисли, размисли, размисли. Които от където и да ги погледнеш са си смисъла на четенето.
ПС. Нищо няма смисъл, но е много хубаво, ако това няма значение.
Чудничка книжка! Ударно връща вярата в живота. Разбира се, го прави като измъчва главните си герои, застрелва читателя с нихилизъм(от упор) и накрая тайничко го подвежда за някакви си страници как, разбираш ли, всичко си е наред... муахахах... нее, грешка. Нищо.
Май нататък ще има спойлери, но нали и без това всеки знае как ще свършат нещата(генерално), защо точно спойлерите да имат смисъл.
И все пак...
*
*
*(нямам идея до къде се показва първия откъс на стените ви, така че използвам момента да дам още 5 звездички на книгата)
*
*
Малка и сладка групичка дечица влиза в час и едно малко по- умничко и сладко детенце изведнъж изнася много ефикасен урок за начало на годината. Nihilism 101. Горе – долу минута, повече не трябва – и без това на всички ни е присъщ по рождение, заболяването от него е неизбежно, но не и нелечимо. И така светът на останалите малки дечица е променен завинаги, главно защото те вече символизират нещо повече – битката срещу липсата на смисъл. Разбира се, ако те също така не символизираха и по- порастналото човечество може би щяха да продължат да се държат като типични дечица и да теглят майните на най- младия нихилист в измислената световна история(освен на моменти нероденото от Nutshell на Ian McEwan – то е култово). Не го правят. Горките.
Какв�� правят: Започват с най- простата борба срещу нищото, но бързо разбират, че няма как да се бориш с нищото. И за това започват да трупат, трупат... смисъл. И накрая се оплитат в собствените си игри и стават жестоки, отмъстителни, алчни и накрая... май е ясно какво се случва със смисъла им.
Книгата описва по жесток начин фиксацията на хората по предмети, носталгия, статут, власт, пари, състояние, религия, дори самоусещане. И, парадоксално, от нея може да се извади много смисъл. Но не точно онзи, който бихме искали да притежаваме. По- скоро поука – непригледното братче на смисъла.
Би било логично да я сравня с Повелителя на Мухите, но не съм я чел(shame, shame). Ще я сравня с Чужденецът на Камю и The Sense of an Ending на Джулиан Барнс... ей така, за да има с какво да я сравня :)
Струва ли си четенето – да. Струва ли си парите- да(full disclosure: заех я от читАлнЯта, не съм я купувал). Как е написана – просто и остро. Как се чете – бързо и болезнено. Какви са последствията от прочитането на книгата – емоция, шок, анализиране, размисли, размисли, размисли. Които от където и да ги погледнеш са си смисъла на четенето.
ПС. Нищо няма смисъл, но е много хубаво, ако това няма значение.
March 21, 2016
Yo soy la reina del morbo, pero para mi esto me supero ... hay relatos morbosos y sadicos que llegan a ser cautivantes, este solo me dio asco, sin gracia y me mato, principalmente porque cuando meten animalitos yo sufro.
La historia nunca me toco la fibra ni me trastorno, solo me afecto lo de los animales en mayor nivel y un poquito menos el tema de sofie y del hermano profanado. Mas allá de eso no senti nada, lo encontre sin gracia ... la escritoria se las dio de filosofica y siento que me dio la lata, decidio ocupar el morbo, la agresividad y la violencia para sustentar su relato y me deja mucho que desear. Más encima ese final ... tanto drama para que él muchachito terminara como todos esperabamos o por lo menos yo siempre pense que su final seria ese o alguno mucho peor. En todo sentido el libro me decepciono.
Comparto la idea de que no es un libro recomendado para todos, si te va el ser depresivo, con baja autoestima, con tendencia suicida o algún trastorno psiquiatrico o ligado a la paranoia o psicopatia, no deberia ser recomendado.
La historia nunca me toco la fibra ni me trastorno, solo me afecto lo de los animales en mayor nivel y un poquito menos el tema de sofie y del hermano profanado. Mas allá de eso no senti nada, lo encontre sin gracia ... la escritoria se las dio de filosofica y siento que me dio la lata, decidio ocupar el morbo, la agresividad y la violencia para sustentar su relato y me deja mucho que desear. Más encima ese final ... tanto drama para que él muchachito terminara como todos esperabamos o por lo menos yo siempre pense que su final seria ese o alguno mucho peor. En todo sentido el libro me decepciono.
Comparto la idea de que no es un libro recomendado para todos, si te va el ser depresivo, con baja autoestima, con tendencia suicida o algún trastorno psiquiatrico o ligado a la paranoia o psicopatia, no deberia ser recomendado.
July 11, 2014
«Mucho peor fue, sin embargo, que eso sembrara en mí una sombra de duda acerca de si Pierre Anthon había dado con algo importante: que el significado es relativo y por tanto vacío de significado.Pero no dije nada.»
Le estuve dando vueltas y vueltas, tratando de saber cómo empezar a reseñar esto…pero se que no lo voy a poder reseñar bien. No puedo porque en realidad siento que mis palabras no van a poder describir este libro. El libro no es para todos,simplemente es un libro que puede remover tus sentimientos y que puede gustarte como no. (He leído reseñas de gente con la cuál comparto gustos literarios y a ellos no les gustó). Por mi parte, es un libro que me dejó pensando y cuando un libro me deja pensando…es porque vale la pena.
Nothing comienza cuando Pierre Anthon, un chico de 14 años,descubre que nada importa y decide retirarse de la clase dejando a sus compañeros totalmente confundidos.Pierre, se sube a un ciruelo y desde ahí empieza a gritarle cosas a sus compañeros cada vez que tiene oportunidad. Cuando estos chicos se cansan de escuchar las palabras del pesimista, deciden que tienen que idear un plan, un plan que logré callar de una vez a Pierre. Es por esto que deciden recolectar cosas, cosas que a cada uno de estos chicos le signifique algo. El problema comienza cuando esas cosas se vuelven más macabras de lo que se pensaba.
La historia está narrada en 1º persona por Agnes, una chica bastante simple, que nos cuenta detalladamente todas las situaciones que realizan estos chicos. La historia es atrapante. NO PODÉS DEJAR DE LEER (Les juro, empecé a leerlo y no me moví hasta terminarlo). Creo que lo que más te atrapa es ese morbo de saber quién será la siguiente persona y qué será lo que entregará. Lo genial del libro es que es impredecible, no sabés qué va a pasar a continuación, no sabés qué es lo que va a pasar con todos ellos.
Los personajes son siniestros. Cada uno tiene su personalidad y son diferentes, ya sea por su religión, por el estado civíl de sus padres,por sus ideas,etc. Se notan cambios durante el libro, cambios que son buenos como malos. Me impresionó las cosas que pueden llegar a hacer estos chicos.
«...y entonces un escalofrío me recorrió el cuerpo tan solo con la idea de cuántas personas diferentes puede haber en una sola persona »
El final es shockeante.No me lo esperaba y no me imaginé que me podía impactar tanto.
Nothing es un libro que tiene varios temas centrales (como la búsqueda del valor de la vida,la pérdida de la inocencia, esa desesperación por ser reconocidos por alguien). La manera en que se desarrolla la historia es muy interesante, se puede ver reflejada la angustia, la desesperanza y la decepción como así también el triunfo y la autorrealización. Es de esos libros que se llega al final con añoranza logrando hacerte reflexionar por qué y qué es lo que realmente importa.
December 19, 2015
Non c'è niente che abbia senso,
è tanto tempo che lo so. Perciò
non vale la pena far niente,
lo vedo solo adesso
Questo racconto parte in maniera falsamente innocente, con un liceale che tenta di imporre la propria filosofia ai compagni. Questa filosofia è il "niente" del titolo: per Pierre Anthon nulla ha un senso, niente ha un significato, nemmeno l'educazione. Per questo motivo lascia la scuola e si arrampica su un albero di prugne, come un novello Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò, e da lì beffeggia gli ex compagni che passano per e dalla scuola. Come decidono di reagire i ragazzi? Cercando il significato.
Si nascondono pertanto in un edificio abbandonato e cominciano a riempirlo di cose, oggetti-simbolo che dovrebbero rappresentare ciò che loro ritengono importante. Ed è a questo punto che la storia diventa improvvisamente macabra e crudele, come solo un gruppo di giovani può immaginare. Ogni ragazzo o ragazza, dopo aver pagato il proprio pegno, sceglie il prossimo "giocatore" e la sua "penitenza", che diventano sempre meno pratiche e più emotive. Come abbiano fatto genitori, tutori ed insegnanti a non accorgersi di niente è decisamente la parte fantascientifica della storia.
Alla lunga l'accumulo di oggetti - la catasta del significato - non può essere più nascosta e gli adulti reagiscono in modo strano: invece di sanzionare lo strano e violento gioco lo rendo opera d'arte contemporanea.
Ma cosa ne pensa Pierre Anthon, il ragazzo per cui il tutto è stato costruito? Niente. I compagni non sono riusciti a convincerlo, per lui nulla ha una ragione, nemmeno le cose a cui essi hanno rinunciato per metterle nella catasta, a sua completa disposizione, in bella vista, ogni cosa un simbolo di ciò che per loro ha un peso.
Pierre Anthon è l'antagonista, il nemico, il dubbio canceroso che, se lasciato crescere, potrebbe rovinare l'esistenza di questi ragazzi, e loro non possono permetterlo. L'unica cosa da fare con un cancro è combatterlo, estirparlo, ammazzarlo. Ancora una volta la metafora si concretizza nella rabbia di questi adolescenti, costretti forse a pensare da adulti quali non sono. Ancora una volta reagiscono emotivamente, con una rabbia troppo spesso rivestita da freddezza, e alla fine solo il fuoco riesce a ripulire tanto l'edificio quanto le loro coscienze.
Dopo queste vicende non si rivedranno più. Si separeranno, chi per proseguire gli studi in altre città, chi per prendersi cura di sé stessa. Si reincontreranno, certo, ma sempre per caso e con un certo malessere, facendo di tutto per ridurre al minimo il contatto o fingendo di non essersi visti, di dover cambiare strada.
Il significato, purtroppo, non è mai stato trovato.
è tanto tempo che lo so. Perciò
non vale la pena far niente,
lo vedo solo adesso
Questo racconto parte in maniera falsamente innocente, con un liceale che tenta di imporre la propria filosofia ai compagni. Questa filosofia è il "niente" del titolo: per Pierre Anthon nulla ha un senso, niente ha un significato, nemmeno l'educazione. Per questo motivo lascia la scuola e si arrampica su un albero di prugne, come un novello Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò, e da lì beffeggia gli ex compagni che passano per e dalla scuola. Come decidono di reagire i ragazzi? Cercando il significato.
Si nascondono pertanto in un edificio abbandonato e cominciano a riempirlo di cose, oggetti-simbolo che dovrebbero rappresentare ciò che loro ritengono importante. Ed è a questo punto che la storia diventa improvvisamente macabra e crudele, come solo un gruppo di giovani può immaginare. Ogni ragazzo o ragazza, dopo aver pagato il proprio pegno, sceglie il prossimo "giocatore" e la sua "penitenza", che diventano sempre meno pratiche e più emotive. Come abbiano fatto genitori, tutori ed insegnanti a non accorgersi di niente è decisamente la parte fantascientifica della storia.
Alla lunga l'accumulo di oggetti - la catasta del significato - non può essere più nascosta e gli adulti reagiscono in modo strano: invece di sanzionare lo strano e violento gioco lo rendo opera d'arte contemporanea.
Ma cosa ne pensa Pierre Anthon, il ragazzo per cui il tutto è stato costruito? Niente. I compagni non sono riusciti a convincerlo, per lui nulla ha una ragione, nemmeno le cose a cui essi hanno rinunciato per metterle nella catasta, a sua completa disposizione, in bella vista, ogni cosa un simbolo di ciò che per loro ha un peso.
Pierre Anthon è l'antagonista, il nemico, il dubbio canceroso che, se lasciato crescere, potrebbe rovinare l'esistenza di questi ragazzi, e loro non possono permetterlo. L'unica cosa da fare con un cancro è combatterlo, estirparlo, ammazzarlo. Ancora una volta la metafora si concretizza nella rabbia di questi adolescenti, costretti forse a pensare da adulti quali non sono. Ancora una volta reagiscono emotivamente, con una rabbia troppo spesso rivestita da freddezza, e alla fine solo il fuoco riesce a ripulire tanto l'edificio quanto le loro coscienze.
Dopo queste vicende non si rivedranno più. Si separeranno, chi per proseguire gli studi in altre città, chi per prendersi cura di sé stessa. Si reincontreranno, certo, ma sempre per caso e con un certo malessere, facendo di tutto per ridurre al minimo il contatto o fingendo di non essersi visti, di dover cambiare strada.
Il significato, purtroppo, non è mai stato trovato.
March 14, 2021
Cuando todo el mundo habla de este libro, dicen que es turbio e incómodo de leer. No pensé que eso me pasaría a mí, pero si llegué a sentirme de esa manera. Tiene escenas muy fuertes pero que tampoco carecen de significado. Cuando se llega a ese punto la fascinación y el shook que genera ya está ahí.
Me hizo reflexionar, demasiado, y me sentí muy identificada con el personaje de Pierre Anthon. Creo que él representa esta manifestación del nihilismo con las cosas que dice y hace muy bien.
Me gustó por lo turbio e interesante que es, aunque no sé si logré captar el mensaje que quiso dejar la autora. De todas maneras lo que cuenta ella al final me hizo entender sus motivos un poquito más del por qué este libro es cómo es. El final es GENIAL.
"Si valiera la pena enfadarse por algo, también existiría algo por lo que alegrarse. Si mereciera la pena alegrarse por algo, existiría algo que importara. ¡Y no es así!"
Me hizo reflexionar, demasiado, y me sentí muy identificada con el personaje de Pierre Anthon. Creo que él representa esta manifestación del nihilismo con las cosas que dice y hace muy bien.
Me gustó por lo turbio e interesante que es, aunque no sé si logré captar el mensaje que quiso dejar la autora. De todas maneras lo que cuenta ella al final me hizo entender sus motivos un poquito más del por qué este libro es cómo es. El final es GENIAL.
"Si valiera la pena enfadarse por algo, también existiría algo por lo que alegrarse. Si mereciera la pena alegrarse por algo, existiría algo que importara. ¡Y no es así!"
January 14, 2019
Er. Ow. And possibly "ack!"
I kind of got blind-sided by this one, at least at first. The description of the boy in the plum tree yelling philosophy at his classmates has me expecting something a bit more serio-comic. But the situation gets dark very quickly, and even before things get really horrible it's easy to see that's where it's going.
Although the characters are early teens, I recommend giving it a read through before handing it over to any sensitive thirteen year olds, or sensitive souls of any age.
I kind of got blind-sided by this one, at least at first. The description of the boy in the plum tree yelling philosophy at his classmates has me expecting something a bit more serio-comic. But the situation gets dark very quickly, and even before things get really horrible it's easy to see that's where it's going.
Although the characters are early teens, I recommend giving it a read through before handing it over to any sensitive thirteen year olds, or sensitive souls of any age.
August 4, 2020
An excellent, brutal, smart, nihilistic, philosophical coming-of-age story, in which a group of seven-graders search for meaning. But first, they must lose so much.
Since I recently moved to Denmark, I’ve been thinking I should start reading more Danish fiction. As a child, I used to read lots of Scandinavian literature, but for some reason drifted away from those books. And this creepy little novella is a great way to get back on track!
In a small fictional Danish town, which looks no different from real small Danish towns all around, a boy suddenly decides nothing has a meaning. He stops going to school and spends his days sitting in a tree, shouting at his classmates about the meaninglessness of it all.
Naturally, his classmates have to prove him wrong. And in their youthful curiosity, they plunge into a quest to discover the meaning. How? By collecting objects and symbols that mean something to someone, piling them on and on in an abandoned sawmill in an evergrowing heap. The Heap of Meaning.
Only, for the heap to have a meaning, they need to give up objects that really mean something to them. They don’t trust each other to willingly make a sacrifice, and so each child chooses what the next one will give up. The requests quickly escalate in importance and gruesomeness, and while initially many push back, at the end the group forces everyone to comply and give up more and more.
I have only one criticism: The children are supposed to be 14, but they sounded younger. Just the way they were thinking, speaking, interacting, and the things they were doing, it sounded to me like something younger children would say or do.
Other than that, the book felt very real. I’ve seen some reviewers complain it was unrealistic that in a small town children would spend months collecting gruesome objects and no one would notice. Those statements surprised me. Children do have secret lives and get away with a lot of stuff all the time. Just thinking of all the mischief and complex schemes we’ve been doing as kids, with no adults finding out, and a small town is an ideal place for this to happen. For me, the children’s secret plots felt very true.
Apart from my thoughts on the age, the author did a wonderful job capturing children’s minds. Children can be cruel, vindictive, and not thinking of consequences. The purpose of the heap of meaning is quickly twisted, everyone aiming to hurt. And they can also be kind and supportive, and curious. Always searching, finding meaning in things adults would not always understand. The kids we meet here are not nice, but they are real.
But then, they have to grow up:
The book asks so many questions. Does anything have meaning to anyone? Treasured objects, memories, religion, love for one’s country, innocence, abilities? Do these things lose their value if we share them? If we sell them for money? And if they can lose this meaning, did they ever have meaning at all? The children must learn harsh lessons, and in the process become the adults they never wanted to be. Losing the meaning is a rite of passage, towards the search for new meanings.
On a separate note, while this story could have happened nearly anywhere, I enjoyed it how now that I’m more familiar with Danish society, I kept recognizing the typically Danish things. The style of names and nicknames, the high divorce rates, the obsessions with the flag that has supposedly descended from heaven. I’ll definitely check the author’s other works.
“And although we'd sworn we'd never become like them, that was exactly what was happening. We weren't even fifteen yet.
Thirteen, fourteen, adult, dead.”
Since I recently moved to Denmark, I’ve been thinking I should start reading more Danish fiction. As a child, I used to read lots of Scandinavian literature, but for some reason drifted away from those books. And this creepy little novella is a great way to get back on track!
In a small fictional Danish town, which looks no different from real small Danish towns all around, a boy suddenly decides nothing has a meaning. He stops going to school and spends his days sitting in a tree, shouting at his classmates about the meaninglessness of it all.
Naturally, his classmates have to prove him wrong. And in their youthful curiosity, they plunge into a quest to discover the meaning. How? By collecting objects and symbols that mean something to someone, piling them on and on in an abandoned sawmill in an evergrowing heap. The Heap of Meaning.
Only, for the heap to have a meaning, they need to give up objects that really mean something to them. They don’t trust each other to willingly make a sacrifice, and so each child chooses what the next one will give up. The requests quickly escalate in importance and gruesomeness, and while initially many push back, at the end the group forces everyone to comply and give up more and more.
I have only one criticism: The children are supposed to be 14, but they sounded younger. Just the way they were thinking, speaking, interacting, and the things they were doing, it sounded to me like something younger children would say or do.
Other than that, the book felt very real. I’ve seen some reviewers complain it was unrealistic that in a small town children would spend months collecting gruesome objects and no one would notice. Those statements surprised me. Children do have secret lives and get away with a lot of stuff all the time. Just thinking of all the mischief and complex schemes we’ve been doing as kids, with no adults finding out, and a small town is an ideal place for this to happen. For me, the children’s secret plots felt very true.
Apart from my thoughts on the age, the author did a wonderful job capturing children’s minds. Children can be cruel, vindictive, and not thinking of consequences. The purpose of the heap of meaning is quickly twisted, everyone aiming to hurt. And they can also be kind and supportive, and curious. Always searching, finding meaning in things adults would not always understand. The kids we meet here are not nice, but they are real.
But then, they have to grow up:
“We cried because we had lost something and gained something else. And because it hurt both losing and gaining. And because we knew what we had lost but weren't as yet able to put into words what it was we had gained.”
The book asks so many questions. Does anything have meaning to anyone? Treasured objects, memories, religion, love for one’s country, innocence, abilities? Do these things lose their value if we share them? If we sell them for money? And if they can lose this meaning, did they ever have meaning at all? The children must learn harsh lessons, and in the process become the adults they never wanted to be. Losing the meaning is a rite of passage, towards the search for new meanings.
On a separate note, while this story could have happened nearly anywhere, I enjoyed it how now that I’m more familiar with Danish society, I kept recognizing the typically Danish things. The style of names and nicknames, the high divorce rates, the obsessions with the flag that has supposedly descended from heaven. I’ll definitely check the author’s other works.
April 20, 2015
Ahora que estudié más detalladamente este libro, entendí que de verdad había muchas cosas muy importantes y de igual manera inteligentes. Un libro que sin duda te deja pensando, te mete ideas locas a la cabeza o también esperanza y algo de luz en tu vida. Para ti ¿Qué es el significado?
December 7, 2016
DI-VI-NO.
Mi cuento contemporaneo favorito.
PER-FEC-TO.
Mi cuento contemporaneo favorito.
PER-FEC-TO.
January 9, 2013
When picking up Nothing, a reader needs to be prepared to suspend their disbelief an extraordinary amount for what is meant to be a realistic, contemporary story. A young (13-14) boy decides that nothing means anything, so he decides to spend his days in a tree yelling what are, in translation, irritating slogans about how nothing means anything. His parents and teachers? Apparently content to let him stay throughout the winter. His classmates? Actually deeply bothered by him, instead of finding him simply weird and annoying. So deeply bothered that they decide to gather things that do mean something, so they can prove he's wrong. You need to be able to accept all of that to even have a hope of making it through the story.
I finished the book, knowing that the plot was absurd and unrealistic in the extreme, mostly out of morbid fascination. It starts small, with one teen demanding a greater sacrifice from another. And so on, and so on, in a bizarre and grotesque display of one-upsmanship. It's very, very difficult to get through. The end result of all this is... nothing. The pile of meaning gains them nothing, costs them much, and has alarmingly few consequences. I'm not even sure what the author was trying to say about meaning. Maybe all she was trying to say is that children (people?) can do some very nasty things to each other.
The style used here didn't work for me. It was broken, oddly repetitive, and detached. (An example, describing a friend's blue hair: "Blue. Bluer. Bluest." A pattern repeated far too often.) But this is a translation. How much of this is the original author, and how much the translator? And does it work better in the original Danish? I couldn't say.
Nothing does have the saving grace of being a short, quick read. It's a small, thin book, with lots of white space, and morbid fascination can really increase my page count. But in the end, that morbid fascination was all I got out of it.
I finished the book, knowing that the plot was absurd and unrealistic in the extreme, mostly out of morbid fascination. It starts small, with one teen demanding a greater sacrifice from another. And so on, and so on, in a bizarre and grotesque display of one-upsmanship. It's very, very difficult to get through. The end result of all this is... nothing. The pile of meaning gains them nothing, costs them much, and has alarmingly few consequences. I'm not even sure what the author was trying to say about meaning. Maybe all she was trying to say is that children (people?) can do some very nasty things to each other.
The style used here didn't work for me. It was broken, oddly repetitive, and detached. (An example, describing a friend's blue hair: "Blue. Bluer. Bluest." A pattern repeated far too often.) But this is a translation. How much of this is the original author, and how much the translator? And does it work better in the original Danish? I couldn't say.
Nothing does have the saving grace of being a short, quick read. It's a small, thin book, with lots of white space, and morbid fascination can really increase my page count. But in the end, that morbid fascination was all I got out of it.
February 10, 2019
Es un libro para adolescentes, esto no le resta mérito, es entretenido y plantea las dudas existenciales que nos afectan a todos en algún momento de nuestras vidas.
Me ha encantado el personaje de Pierre, así como el desarrollo de la historia, es fácil de leer, muy bueno para una lectura rápida y digerible.
Me ha encantado el personaje de Pierre, así como el desarrollo de la historia, es fácil de leer, muy bueno para una lectura rápida y digerible.
December 24, 2018
2.5. Aunque me ha parecido un buen libro, y entiendo totalmente el sentido de la autora al escribirlo, me ha faltado un poquito para enamorarme del todo. La historia nos narra las vivencias de una clase de 7º curso. El primer día de clase Pierre Anthon, se va de esta, se sube a un árbol y desde entonces comenzará a soltar comentarios depresivos a sus compañeros sobre la falta de importancia de todo. Nada importa. Los días pasan y sus compañeros hartos de escucharlo trazan un plan para conseguir que baje del árbol.
Como digo, me faltó algo para terminar de engancharme del todo. Aún así, creo que es un libro realmente interesante. Es muy revelador. Y aunque tenga partes muy inverosímiles, ell mensaje que deja es importante. Si le robas a una persona su fe, enloquece. Entendiendo por "fe" cualquier cosa. Una religión, una forma de entender la vida o una simple bicicleta. Y es lo que sucede con esta clase.
Leeré más de Teller.
Como digo, me faltó algo para terminar de engancharme del todo. Aún así, creo que es un libro realmente interesante. Es muy revelador. Y aunque tenga partes muy inverosímiles, ell mensaje que deja es importante. Si le robas a una persona su fe, enloquece. Entendiendo por "fe" cualquier cosa. Una religión, una forma de entender la vida o una simple bicicleta. Y es lo que sucede con esta clase.
Leeré más de Teller.
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