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Agida
What's your life going to be, when you first realize that you is not you at all. That your inner voice is not yourself. Agida is a girl. And she has a problem: she can no longer feel the touch. A disenchanted young painter uses her and her body to make art out of real pulsating flesh. Slowly losing her ability to perceive the world around her, while people she comes across with are just another part of the problem, she struggles to understand what her life is all about. Free will against fate, the dire beauty of what is necessary, the endless pursuit of the meaning of life trough art and sex and human nature.
148 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 2, 2015
1 person is currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Gian Andrea
6 books34 followers(not too) deep thinker
I try hard to work not.
Not quite there yet.
Gian Andrea is a writer who currently resides in the United Kingdom out of boredom.
Voracious reader from a young age, he does indeed wear glasses.
He holds a bachelor's degree in Literature and History with honours and a master's degree in Philosophy with honours.
None of them has ever helped him find a real job.
I try hard to work not.
Not quite there yet.
Gian Andrea is a writer who currently resides in the United Kingdom out of boredom.
Voracious reader from a young age, he does indeed wear glasses.
He holds a bachelor's degree in Literature and History with honours and a master's degree in Philosophy with honours.
None of them has ever helped him find a real job.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 30, 2015
I found this to be a very interesting read. It is written in a third person/ second person narrative which could throw off more traditional readers but I eat Post Modernism for breakfast so this definitely worked well for me. It was disconcerting, confusing and evocative in all the right ways. If you like your work dreamy and surreal than this book is for you.
August 11, 2015
Agida Upon Dirty Art
By: Gian Andrea
Fiction
Self discovery (?)/Art (?)/Romance(?)/Mystery (?) Elements of all Four
Agida is a girl who can no longer feel—the touch of another human being, the feel of the chair beneath her, humor, sexuality, love—she is losing touch with everything and everyone both emotionally and physically.
The author’s writing style is—at first—a little jarring. It feels disjointed and chaotic. However, it wasn’t long before I found myself engaged. I had to know—what in the world is going on here?
Gian, the author is Italian…which explains a lot in the way the story is conceived, and written. Italians are very literal, very sophisticated and “artsy”. They FEEL art the way the rest of the us feel hot and cold. Art is very real, very visceral to Italians. That’s the way Agida is written. It’s “artsy” and yet it tugs at your insides. You can’t escape FEELING Agida even as she can’t escape not feeling anything.
Readers: Be aware that this story is written in a very non-traditional style…but, it’s worth the read. It’s interesting and thought provoking. Hours after I read the last page, I was still wondering about Agida.
I would recommend this book to every intellectual I know.
By: Gian Andrea
Fiction
Self discovery (?)/Art (?)/Romance(?)/Mystery (?) Elements of all Four
Agida is a girl who can no longer feel—the touch of another human being, the feel of the chair beneath her, humor, sexuality, love—she is losing touch with everything and everyone both emotionally and physically.
The author’s writing style is—at first—a little jarring. It feels disjointed and chaotic. However, it wasn’t long before I found myself engaged. I had to know—what in the world is going on here?
Gian, the author is Italian…which explains a lot in the way the story is conceived, and written. Italians are very literal, very sophisticated and “artsy”. They FEEL art the way the rest of the us feel hot and cold. Art is very real, very visceral to Italians. That’s the way Agida is written. It’s “artsy” and yet it tugs at your insides. You can’t escape FEELING Agida even as she can’t escape not feeling anything.
Readers: Be aware that this story is written in a very non-traditional style…but, it’s worth the read. It’s interesting and thought provoking. Hours after I read the last page, I was still wondering about Agida.
I would recommend this book to every intellectual I know.
September 8, 2015
I started reading, and I couldn't stop. The story pulled me forward, drew me in. And then there I was, in the middle of those pages, and my story was wrapped around me in type. My life, albeit different in settings and people, was being read aloud in my mind.
What an incredible story of human emotion, and the evolution of oneself! If you've never been where Agida has been, then count yourself lucky to live in the bliss of ignorance. If you have been there, and have lived to wake on the other side of numb, then you can relate fully. But if you are still there, in the middle of disparative non-feeling...just wait. There is another side.
To the author; Bravo and well done. You've captured so many different sides of humanity; ugly and beautiful, disturbing and peaceful. Moral and Immoral. Thank you for this piece of art in words. It was a powerful read.
What an incredible story of human emotion, and the evolution of oneself! If you've never been where Agida has been, then count yourself lucky to live in the bliss of ignorance. If you have been there, and have lived to wake on the other side of numb, then you can relate fully. But if you are still there, in the middle of disparative non-feeling...just wait. There is another side.
To the author; Bravo and well done. You've captured so many different sides of humanity; ugly and beautiful, disturbing and peaceful. Moral and Immoral. Thank you for this piece of art in words. It was a powerful read.
May 21, 2016
I started reading, and I couldn't stop. The story pulled me forward, drew me in. And then there I was, in the middle of those pages, and my story was wrapped around me in type. My life, albeit different in settings and people, was being read aloud in my mind.
What an incredible story of human emotion, and the evolution of oneself! If you've never been where Agida has been, then count yourself lucky to live in the bliss of ignorance. If you have been there, and have lived to wake on the other side of numb, then you can relate fully. But if you are still there, in the middle of disparative non-feeling...just wait. There is another side.
To the author; Bravo and well done. You've captured so many different sides of humanity; ugly and beautiful, disturbing and peaceful. Moral and Immoral. Thank you for this piece of art in words. It was a powerful read
What an incredible story of human emotion, and the evolution of oneself! If you've never been where Agida has been, then count yourself lucky to live in the bliss of ignorance. If you have been there, and have lived to wake on the other side of numb, then you can relate fully. But if you are still there, in the middle of disparative non-feeling...just wait. There is another side.
To the author; Bravo and well done. You've captured so many different sides of humanity; ugly and beautiful, disturbing and peaceful. Moral and Immoral. Thank you for this piece of art in words. It was a powerful read
August 9, 2015
This was such a beautiful book. It offered some insightful philosophies about day to day life in a very interesting and unique way!
September 15, 2015
An interesting read. I found it informative and original. I would recommend
November 24, 2015
I’m all for experimenting with the written word, to break free from the restraints author’s feel forced they must stick to in order to tell their story. And because of that, I applaud author Gian Andrea for going outside of the mold. I can usually read a book fairly quickly. For a novella, you would think even more so. Unfortunately, I found myself repeatedly going back to the beginning to try and see if I missed something.
From the start, editing and lack of basic structure was evident, finding multiple typos within the text. It didn’t read smoothly, at least for me, because I had to keep pausing to think things through—and not in a good way. I love philosophy and art, so that was not the problem. I understood those parts. The problem for me, was, the lack of character build, finding myself wondering who was speaking and how the dialogue was chopped up, trying to find a reason to care about these characters. We find ourselves jumping back and forth between mostly ghost characters, and I’m still uncertain who the main one was (a journalist, I’m assuming?). We have no indication of where this is taking place, apart from a university, or when. I couldn’t use my imagination to fill in the gaps, even with one as vivid as mine. However, with that being said, the one thing I could relate to was the lack of feeling when it came to touch (dissociation).
Once I reached the halfway mark, I had to re-read this passage many times:
“I get up from the desk and ask myself if this is really a case of abuse, when you can’t feel anything and nothing can harm you, where’s the violence, where’s the wounds?”
As a survivor, this is blatant ignorance on the part of the author—sadly, a large part of society as a whole. Whether or not it was intentionally written to evoke deeper thought doesn’t matter. It’s important to know your potential audience with the subject matter chosen. Wounds and violence does not dictate whether or not it’s abuse. If that were the case, you might as well say that emotional abuse does not exist, as there are no outward signs apart from the survivor’s internal scars. I ALMOST stopped reading at this point.
I would have preferred the filler at the end of the book to be interwoven within the story, but that is just my personal preference. I’m still rating it a 4 because the concepts of philosophy and art was interestingly explored. The plot was highly original and thought provoking. The author made it his own with his unique style of writing. I will be reading it again.
From the start, editing and lack of basic structure was evident, finding multiple typos within the text. It didn’t read smoothly, at least for me, because I had to keep pausing to think things through—and not in a good way. I love philosophy and art, so that was not the problem. I understood those parts. The problem for me, was, the lack of character build, finding myself wondering who was speaking and how the dialogue was chopped up, trying to find a reason to care about these characters. We find ourselves jumping back and forth between mostly ghost characters, and I’m still uncertain who the main one was (a journalist, I’m assuming?). We have no indication of where this is taking place, apart from a university, or when. I couldn’t use my imagination to fill in the gaps, even with one as vivid as mine. However, with that being said, the one thing I could relate to was the lack of feeling when it came to touch (dissociation).
Once I reached the halfway mark, I had to re-read this passage many times:
“I get up from the desk and ask myself if this is really a case of abuse, when you can’t feel anything and nothing can harm you, where’s the violence, where’s the wounds?”
As a survivor, this is blatant ignorance on the part of the author—sadly, a large part of society as a whole. Whether or not it was intentionally written to evoke deeper thought doesn’t matter. It’s important to know your potential audience with the subject matter chosen. Wounds and violence does not dictate whether or not it’s abuse. If that were the case, you might as well say that emotional abuse does not exist, as there are no outward signs apart from the survivor’s internal scars. I ALMOST stopped reading at this point.
I would have preferred the filler at the end of the book to be interwoven within the story, but that is just my personal preference. I’m still rating it a 4 because the concepts of philosophy and art was interestingly explored. The plot was highly original and thought provoking. The author made it his own with his unique style of writing. I will be reading it again.
May 8, 2016
When I first saw the original cover of this book, I wondered if the book was for men. I like the new cover better. I read some of the reviews and the bio of Gian Andrea and was intrigued enough to buy it. It's a fairly quick read, written almost like a bad nightmare. You want to know more about Agita, but at the same time it is painful to observe her as she exists in the world we all live in, without having the sense of touch. She is like an alien in her own skin, child-like and even those who profess to care about her or love her abuse her simply because they can. Professionals who have taken a code of ethics do the same, again merely because she does not even know what they are doing. I understand the significance of the cover shot now, don't let it put you off. If you're looking for a totally different and unique read, this is the book for you.
September 25, 2015
This is one of the most unusual books I have ever read. It takes a while to adjust to the writer's unique writing style, but it is well worth the effort.
Agida has lost the ability of touch, but this book is far more than a chronicle of her life. The author is clearly one who feels things deeply and he has translated that passion to the written word.
'We spend our lives, we do waste our lives, doing all the wrong things.' This book is peppered with such quotes that resonate with every reader.
There is so much depth to this book, it is a book that will leave you questioning many aspects of life, and Agida will echo in your mind for a long time after finishing. Highly recommended.
Agida has lost the ability of touch, but this book is far more than a chronicle of her life. The author is clearly one who feels things deeply and he has translated that passion to the written word.
'We spend our lives, we do waste our lives, doing all the wrong things.' This book is peppered with such quotes that resonate with every reader.
There is so much depth to this book, it is a book that will leave you questioning many aspects of life, and Agida will echo in your mind for a long time after finishing. Highly recommended.
January 7, 2017
It took me quite some time to get the hang of the author's writing style, the short, statement-like sentences and his choice of a lesser-used POV. By the midpoint, I was confused but also intrigued by Agida's story.
However, the intrigue didn't go on to outweigh my confusion and I finished the book no less nonplussed than when I started.
I can see the merits in this story based on the many glowing reviews to date but, unfortunately, they didn't gel with me.
An interesting concept, nonetheless, just a little too erratic in style for me.
However, the intrigue didn't go on to outweigh my confusion and I finished the book no less nonplussed than when I started.
I can see the merits in this story based on the many glowing reviews to date but, unfortunately, they didn't gel with me.
An interesting concept, nonetheless, just a little too erratic in style for me.
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February 5, 2017DNF at 26%. I just couldn't get into the writing style. The choppy sentences, spelling errors, punctuation (or lack thereof), vagueness when it came to which character was speaking and when speakers changed, lack of character identity, etc. The concept was definitely intriguing but this was just not for me.
November 16, 2015
Beautiful thought provoking book
This book isn't for everyone. The author has a way with words and his meaning that make you stop and think about what he is actually putting on paper. It is actually a strange but beautiful story. I liked it.
This book isn't for everyone. The author has a way with words and his meaning that make you stop and think about what he is actually putting on paper. It is actually a strange but beautiful story. I liked it.
September 27, 2016
It is an interesting story about a woman, Agida, who no longer have the sense of touch. It took me a while to understand what about I was reading, the beginning is a little confunsing but once I got it I enjoy the readiang.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews