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andreea27's review against another edition
5.0
Un "Fiul risipitor" inversat, romanul lui Llosa urmareste viata lui Ricardo Somocurcio, un romantic incurabil indragostit fara speranta de "niña mala", fata rea care il paraseste si se comporta intocmai ca personajul masculin din romanul anterior mentionat de Radu Tudoran. O poveste de dragoste bolnava, pasionala si absoluta si nenumarate referinte istorice care plimba cititorul prin diversele curente culturale aparute dupa 1950, romanul este de o extraordinara frumusete, si totodata, din punctul meu de vedere, o capodopera a unei relatii de iubire memorabile.
msgtdameron's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is the story of a self centered, egotistical, hedonistic, social climbing, witch, who destroys everything she touches and in turn is herself destroyed by the obsession for money property and prestige. Along the way she by turns is the greatest love and the worst nightmare to Ricardo our hero. The simple hard working translator who both loves and loathes the "Bad Girl". Quick interesting love story.
gadicohen93's review against another edition
2.0
"Tell me some more cheap, sentimental things."
The Bad Girl says this to Ricardito like a hundred times in this book, and each time she does, it becomes more and more eye-rollingly irritating. I mean, the first time it happens I was totally okay with it -- the story begins on a high note and crescendos up for the first 100 pages or so, with the Chilean girls and Miraflores and then the beginning of the Paris section -- all of which engrossed me. The simple, honest writing style smelled authentic and Spanish to me, and Ricardito as the crushing, aimless writer only kept me a sympathetic reader.
But then the plotline started to loop like a 70s sitcom. Ricardito has a fling with the Bad Girl, she breaks his heart again because she's an evil fuck with no personality, his best friend leaves him and dies, etc. -- repeat. The only constant (other than the repeating plotline) is Ricardito's blind love for the Bad Girl, that terribly-drawn gold digger. Her dialogue leaves everything to be desired -- as does every other depiction of her. She's not a real person. Llosa makes that clear by christening her as a trope -- "The Bad Girl," the unsympathetic "skinny bitch," conniving and ambitious and mean.
We're supposed to feel for poor Ricardito, with his endless stream of cheap, sentimental sayings and his obsessive love for the girl who's given him a life-long case of the blue balls. But once you reduce his life to a constantly looping chain of predictable events, an endless stream of caricatured characters who ebb and flow every 70 pages or so, and an abiding obsession with a shit of an individual, Ricardito becomes the least interesting protagonist ever.
After reading this book, I don't understand why Llosa is so renowned. I liked parts of it -- the first ~100 pages, and the last ~30, and some descriptions rang true to my life. But, in addition to the above flaws, Llosa's writing becomes as repetitive as his plot past a certain point. And the way he treats certain things in this book -- the AIDS epidemic, BDSM, women in general -- comes off as careless and reductionist, products of a narrow-minded writer.
The Bad Girl says this to Ricardito like a hundred times in this book, and each time she does, it becomes more and more eye-rollingly irritating. I mean, the first time it happens I was totally okay with it -- the story begins on a high note and crescendos up for the first 100 pages or so, with the Chilean girls and Miraflores and then the beginning of the Paris section -- all of which engrossed me. The simple, honest writing style smelled authentic and Spanish to me, and Ricardito as the crushing, aimless writer only kept me a sympathetic reader.
But then the plotline started to loop like a 70s sitcom. Ricardito has a fling with the Bad Girl, she breaks his heart again because she's an evil fuck with no personality, his best friend leaves him and dies, etc. -- repeat. The only constant (other than the repeating plotline) is Ricardito's blind love for the Bad Girl, that terribly-drawn gold digger. Her dialogue leaves everything to be desired -- as does every other depiction of her. She's not a real person. Llosa makes that clear by christening her as a trope -- "The Bad Girl," the unsympathetic "skinny bitch," conniving and ambitious and mean.
We're supposed to feel for poor Ricardito, with his endless stream of cheap, sentimental sayings and his obsessive love for the girl who's given him a life-long case of the blue balls. But once you reduce his life to a constantly looping chain of predictable events, an endless stream of caricatured characters who ebb and flow every 70 pages or so, and an abiding obsession with a shit of an individual, Ricardito becomes the least interesting protagonist ever.
After reading this book, I don't understand why Llosa is so renowned. I liked parts of it -- the first ~100 pages, and the last ~30, and some descriptions rang true to my life. But, in addition to the above flaws, Llosa's writing becomes as repetitive as his plot past a certain point. And the way he treats certain things in this book -- the AIDS epidemic, BDSM, women in general -- comes off as careless and reductionist, products of a narrow-minded writer.
davirodcz's review against another edition
5.0
Que baita romance! Llosa aqui escreveu uma obra de arte. A narrativa é totalmente instigante e bem construída, com um pano de fundo cheio de referências históricas.
Esta história de um amor obsessivo e caótico me encantou demais. Tanto Ricardo quanto a Chilenita são personagens interessantíssimos. Confesso que em alguns momentos do livro tive vontade de rasgar a cara de tanta raiva, o relacionamento dos dois é fácil fácil um dos piores que já vi, mas mesmo assim, em alguns breves instantes, os dois pareciam serem feitos um para o outro.
Como já disse, um baita romance, recomendo demais!
Esta história de um amor obsessivo e caótico me encantou demais. Tanto Ricardo quanto a Chilenita são personagens interessantíssimos. Confesso que em alguns momentos do livro tive vontade de rasgar a cara de tanta raiva, o relacionamento dos dois é fácil fácil um dos piores que já vi, mas mesmo assim, em alguns breves instantes, os dois pareciam serem feitos um para o outro.
Como já disse, um baita romance, recomendo demais!
smusie's review against another edition
2.0
Read for my book club. Came to despise the good boy even more than the bad girl. I don't think I'll be reading any more Vargas Llosa; it cuts into my Philip Roth reading time too much.
nataliamar's review against another edition
4.0
Gosto de livros que me causem alguma coisa e esse me causou. Muita muita muita raiva. Vários momentos quis jogar o livro na parede. Aos poucos fui me dando conta de que talvez a minha raiva fosse por me identificar mais do que gostaria com as atitudes de Ricardo. Acho ele um babaca e a menina má extremamente má, dois insuportáveis, mas me causaram algo e isso é muito válido. A escrita é tranquila e fácil, li o terço final de uma só vez. Destaquei várias frases por fazerem sentido com a minha vida no momento, guardadas as devidas proporções. Se tivesse lido em outro momento provavelmente minha nota seria bem mais baixa.
Não é meu livro favorito da vida, como é de amigas minhas, mas hoje vale 4 estrelas.
Não é meu livro favorito da vida, como é de amigas minhas, mas hoje vale 4 estrelas.
delaguila19's review against another edition
4.0
Esta es una novela que genera varias emociones, en lo personal el primer capítulo me transporta a una situación similar en lo sentimental pero distinta en edad, lo que le pasó a Ricardo Somocurcio al conocer a la "chilena" en esa etapa adolescente lo marca de por vida y por increíbles casualidades de la vida; se va encontrando con ella durante varios estadios de su tranquila y monótona existencia. Creo que todos los seres humanos nos encontramos en alguna situación parecida a la de Ricardo , el final de la historia se me hizo muy rapido y sin muchas explicaciones pero igual creo que esta bien para cerrar la historia de la Niña Mala.
martmann47's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25