Although it's a dense, long book, I am enjoying it a lot (I haven't finished it yet, I must say :) I think that, this one, can be cnsidered as a masterpiece.
I think that the complexity of the book and the big amount of different characters are a good 'picture' of Brazil's society in a moment of time, and many things/situations are descriptive of other societies (mainly from South America, but not only) as well. The author has been very brave and ambitious writing this novel and I think that he has succeeded with it (so far, I hope the end will not disappoint me :)
Some people have said that this book could be better with two hundred pages less; so far I don't agree, I am enjoying it as it is.
Looking forward for your comments!
Best,
Jorge
I agree with Jorge. I am also enjoying the book and it does not seem long to me. I am behind the schedule and I don´t want to read the comments of the final section... I am finishing the third part and I am delighted with the unexpected events: death of Gall and the General, and the defeat of the troops.
ReplyDeleteI like how Llosa shows the battle from three angles: Jurema's and the journalist's, secondary characters now being the witnesses, and finally from the epicenter in Canudos...but I need to keep on reading to know a bit more.
I don’t feel capable of discussing whether this is a masterpiece or not, but I have to agree with Fenia that some parts are just too violent and too descriptive, that makes the story slow and heavy and uninteresting at points.
ReplyDeleteI cannot ignore the fact that Vargas Llosa is a great writer and how difficult it is to write a book like this, but maybe it is not my style.
I am glad we chose this book since I was curious about Vargas Llosa but never read one of his books before. But I think if it was not for the book club, I wouldn't have finished it (and I hate not finishing books!).
I liked the way the book pushed me to think about certain issues I don't normally think about.