Reviews

The Musical Brain: And Other Stories by Chris Andrews, César Aira

terryskylark's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny mysterious reflective

4.5

huffmaneric's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

katie_killebrew's review against another edition

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4.0

Unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Utterly bizarre, mind-bending stories that never went the way I expected them to. An enjoyable reading romp.

rekakovacs's review against another edition

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challenging lighthearted reflective slow-paced

3.0

pontieurr's review against another edition

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1.0

Aunque hay relatos interesantes (A Brick Wall, El Perro, Picasso) la mayoría resultan caóticos y confusos. Esa fuga hacia adelante que es el estilo de escritura tan icónico de Aira le permite una libertad enorme para los temas a tocar, sin embargo al mismo tiempo se lo ve como su mayor flaqueza en la mayoría de estos relatos.

En ocasiones farragosos, suele irse por las ramas con muchísima frecuencia. Es difícil seguirle el ritmo y aunque lo haga no está garantizado que el texto te vaya a recompensar por tu esfuerzo, porque en ocasiones el final llega sintiéndose apresurado, no como una conclusión de todo lo expuesto anteriormente por el escritor sino como que el texto debe terminar en algún lugar. (Por otra parte, puedo imaginarme a Aira escribiendo un relato respecto a este tema, y cómo no es deber del texto recompensar al lector sino que el buen lector debería recompensar al texto, quizá).

Un hombre que escribe 3 libros al año sin mirar atrás desde ya que va a ser inestable respecto a la calidad de lo que produce, pero esta colección se siente como un cash-grab por parte de la editorial que quiso reunir relatos sin mayor criterio que ser de César Aira.

Para más inri estoy seguro que la edición en inglés es totalmente diferente, porque he visto mencionar relatos que no están acá.

bhaines's review against another edition

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> Even our respective techniques were similar: progressing by imperceptible increments, which add up to make a long journey; not looking too far ahead; urban themes

A couple got a little convoluted/abstract. Liked it. Self reflective. Precise writing, elaborate layers but free. Not afraid of a stupid joke.

The all that plows through the nothing, the cart, the infinite.

undofaq's review

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challenging funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

maddestmax's review against another edition

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I wanted to love this!!! I was so excited about this collection. I got about halfway through it, and I just couldn’t find it in me to keep going. There were some really nice moments but overall I found it kind of tedious and trying too hard. 

daphpunk's review

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emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

beepbeepbooks's review

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adventurous challenging funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

a masterpiece