Reviews

An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter by César Aira

wirawin_aria's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.0

tomrubenreads's review against another edition

5.0

Bedwelmende samenzwering van een imposant landschap met een hallucinerend hoofdpersonage, tegen het decor van een fascinerende geschiedschrijving. Nogmaals lezen!

abbey_l's review against another edition

adventurous funny informative medium-paced

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

4.0

chrisafiskon's review against another edition

5.0

A little gem of a book.

rodrovich's review against another edition

3.0

This started out somewhat light-hearted and quaint, with Rugendas and his traveling companions trekking through Argentinian natural terrains. However, the tone became significantly more intense, and honestly, all the better for it. I liked the (unfortunately sparse) moments of reflection on art and the spirit that Aira took in his biographical fiction of a narrative, and the bits of comedy added to the surreal feeling in the last leg of the book. Still, I wish the book's first 20 pages or so weren't relatively as dry and slow-paced.

7/10

d_saff's review against another edition

4.0

Review posted here: https://55booksin52weeks.wordpress.com/2017/02/12/review-an-episode-in-the-life-of-a-landscape-painter/

mmillerb's review

5.0

subtle. really like aira. a very different book than the one of his i’d read previously (shantytown). take it from bolaño: “if there is one contemporary writer who defies classification…”

joeduncan's review against another edition

5.0

This book is great. It's a tiny novella, but with a scope tuned for a novel three times its size. Aira's writing style is so incisive and direct that it still works on a smaller scale. That would be an accomplishment of its own, but the real treat is a slow-burn transition from picturesque landscapes to surreal body-horror, which is paced so elegantly that it all feels cohesive. I read it because of the intro by Bolano, but I'll definitely come back to this guy.

chicola's review against another edition

4.0

Really lovely. Almost mystical.

devilmann69's review against another edition

adventurous reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0