Reviews

The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts by Louis de Bernières

pkiwi's review against another edition

3.0

wonderfully weird and satirical, a mix of vonnegut and irving with a bit of magic.

but eventually the magic was too incongruous with the rest of the story, too sudden, and a true underlying meaning or theme seemed to be lacking in the end. therefore, 3 stars for the very enjoyable read and the slightly pointless and empty ending.

book_concierge's review against another edition

4.0

De Bernieres' debut novel begins when Dona Constanza decides to divert the river to fill her swimming pool and by so doing sets in motion a series of events that lead to chaos in the villages of this unnamed South American country. There is a huge cast of characters - military, politicians, industrialists, peasants, Indians, guerrillas, spirits and animals. He also sprinkles in words or phrases in Spanish, Portuguese, and Indian dialects - and even a few that he makes up entirely. De Bernieres includes a fair amount of magical realism which may not appeal to everyone, but I love his writing.

thebobsphere's review against another edition

4.0

 At first I felt The War... pretty frustrating but when de Bernieres stopped giving detailed explanations about each character's background (this takes approximately a 150 pages) then the story becomes addictive AND then you find out that all the faffing about in the beginning was necessary for the plot's development. Like Captain Corelli's Mandolin, I spent about a week getting used to it and then finishing the book in one all nighter (well in my case it was a bus ride during rush hour). Really my only one complaint was that at times I felt like I was reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez, rather than Louis de Bernieres but I do know that his particular style becomes more prominent in Captain Corelli and Birds Without Wings (which I should actually finish as I only read about 50 pages of it ten years ago)

One question

Do the remaining two volumes of the Latin American trilogy have the same characters as in The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts? 

sammyantha's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

3.0

Well I’m am disappointed by this book. It started off so fun and interesting but it slowly went down hill. I felt like the stories didn’t go anywhere?? The last 80 or so pages I didn’t want to read, I just felt it was very scattered. I’m not the biggest fan of tons of characters/storylines

lumiokeefe's review

dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

A raucously funny read. The characters are extremely entertaining without being reduced to caricatures, and whilst the plot borders on fantastical it remains grounded enough to make relevant and cutting points on the tyranny of post-communist Latin America.

leslielu67's review against another edition

5.0

I've read it 3 times - that should tell you! And I think it is better than Corelli's Mandolin (the book - I never saw the movie).

thepancreas11's review against another edition

3.0

Someone told me that this would be even better than Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, so I ordered it the first chance I could. Unfortunately, I think that my opinion of the story is tainted by this comparison. The story is a little rambling for me, darting all over the place, some things left unfinished and almost as a result uninteresting to me, especially because when Hitchhiker's rambles, you almost always get the joke, at least. There were certain parts of the story that felt as though I could have lived without them, elaborate allegories stuffed in almost for effect, a lot of which fell short for me. That being said, I found it witty and very readable. I would recommend it to friends, for sure--I'd just leave out the bit comparing it to something I found even wittier and only slightly less readable.

rachelevolve's review against another edition

3.0

Reading this story was like reading one of those odd dreams you have. I always seem to get so much enjoyment out of magical realism, a genre I never thought I could ever even begin to patronize, or take seriously. But it never disappoints..The only reason I'm giving it only 3 stars is because there was a lot of political party, army, general, soldiers, and stuff like that, which always loses me, but I loved it when I would read about Aurelio, his wife and daughter. I also had a hard time keeping up with the characters, no fault to the book, I was distracted at the time, having to study for tests, etc. But the book was brilliantly written, and i would definitely read the other two that follow.

mrhumpage's review against another edition

Devoured on holiday in two short days, this a fine book by a skilled British author.

I had previously avoided De Bernieres following the hype and popularity of his Corelli novel - however when I was reccomended and read the superb 'Senor Vivo and the cocoa lords' I realised what I had been missing, and this book, another of his trilogy of latin american novels, is no exception.

A brilliant look at socio-political affairs in south & central america, through exaggeration, comedy and caricature this engrossing book tells a deep tale covering a smorgasbord of ethnic groups, class-and-scoietal levels and human stories, from the titular Don Emmanuel through the three armed forces leaders of De Bernieres ficticious country.

Superb.

maddyleedham's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5