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nainatai's review against another edition
4.0
SUCH a great read! My first book by Llosa, and I love the writing.
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
3.0
I'm about to write a huge sweeping statement that I really shouldn't but here goes.
I just don't do well with South American authors.
That's not fair. I've only read three or four, I think. But I never have a clue what's actually going on. What's real, what's not, what the "not real" things are supposed to represent--I'm just lost. I'm sure it's not them, it's me. But my brain and understanding is all I have to work with, and I just don't get it.
I read this for a reading challenge last year. I did better than I expected but I still have questions.
The "discreet hero" of the title is Felícito Yanaqué. He owns a transportation/trucking business that he built from the ground up. He becomes a hero of the little people when he refuses to bow to the gang that is trying to extort "protection" money from him. Instead of paying the money for the gang to protect his business (i.e., not burn it to the ground themselves), he complains to the police and makes a stand. I could follow Felícito's story and even enjoyed it. He's a feisty little guy who's worked hard all his life and tried his best to do the right thing.
There are two other storylines here, both featuring Don Rigoberto. Don Rigoberto is drawn into the family drama centering around his boss and friend, Ismael Carrera. Ismael has decided to marry his housekeeper and disinherit his worthless sons. Of course the sons fight this decision with every means, legal and illegal, at their disposal. They even make Don Rigoberto's life miserable just because he was a witness at the wedding. As all this is going on, Don Rigoberto is also dealing with his son, Fonchito, and the mysterious man who keeps appearing to him. No one else has ever seen this mysterious stranger. Don Rigoberto doesn't know if his teenage son is losing his mind or having visitations from the devil.
I don't know if he's losing his mind or having visitations from the devil! This is the kind of thing that just loses me. It's just there. I can't make sense of it. I can't see how it relates to one other thing in the novel.
Felícito and Don Rigoberto are in different cities and their stories don't overlap at all. It was like I was reading two completely different books at the same time. I was about to give up hope when there was finally a connection! A straightforward connection that I could understand!
I did enjoy each man's story individually. Well, not the stuff about Fonchito's mysterious visitor, but other than that, I was interested to see whether Felícito would be able to stand firm and hold on to what was his. The same could be said of Don Rigoberto. He's practically under siege but he tries his best to remain loyal to his friend.
The two cities did come to life in these pages, I have to say. I could smell the food cooking, the unsavory smells in the heat of the day, picture Don Rigoberto's house overlooking the beach and imagine the hang gliders floating past his windows. Peru itself is a character in this novel.
This was well-written and well-translated. It was interesting enough but I do prefer my narratives to be a little more straightforward. If you do understand magical realism more than I do, by all means give The Discreet Hero a try. If you're more like me and just want a linear, concrete story, you might want to pass on this one.
I just don't do well with South American authors.
That's not fair. I've only read three or four, I think. But I never have a clue what's actually going on. What's real, what's not, what the "not real" things are supposed to represent--I'm just lost. I'm sure it's not them, it's me. But my brain and understanding is all I have to work with, and I just don't get it.
I read this for a reading challenge last year. I did better than I expected but I still have questions.
The "discreet hero" of the title is Felícito Yanaqué. He owns a transportation/trucking business that he built from the ground up. He becomes a hero of the little people when he refuses to bow to the gang that is trying to extort "protection" money from him. Instead of paying the money for the gang to protect his business (i.e., not burn it to the ground themselves), he complains to the police and makes a stand. I could follow Felícito's story and even enjoyed it. He's a feisty little guy who's worked hard all his life and tried his best to do the right thing.
There are two other storylines here, both featuring Don Rigoberto. Don Rigoberto is drawn into the family drama centering around his boss and friend, Ismael Carrera. Ismael has decided to marry his housekeeper and disinherit his worthless sons. Of course the sons fight this decision with every means, legal and illegal, at their disposal. They even make Don Rigoberto's life miserable just because he was a witness at the wedding. As all this is going on, Don Rigoberto is also dealing with his son, Fonchito, and the mysterious man who keeps appearing to him. No one else has ever seen this mysterious stranger. Don Rigoberto doesn't know if his teenage son is losing his mind or having visitations from the devil.
I don't know if he's losing his mind or having visitations from the devil! This is the kind of thing that just loses me. It's just there. I can't make sense of it. I can't see how it relates to one other thing in the novel.
Felícito and Don Rigoberto are in different cities and their stories don't overlap at all. It was like I was reading two completely different books at the same time. I was about to give up hope when there was finally a connection! A straightforward connection that I could understand!
I did enjoy each man's story individually. Well, not the stuff about Fonchito's mysterious visitor, but other than that, I was interested to see whether Felícito would be able to stand firm and hold on to what was his. The same could be said of Don Rigoberto. He's practically under siege but he tries his best to remain loyal to his friend.
The two cities did come to life in these pages, I have to say. I could smell the food cooking, the unsavory smells in the heat of the day, picture Don Rigoberto's house overlooking the beach and imagine the hang gliders floating past his windows. Peru itself is a character in this novel.
This was well-written and well-translated. It was interesting enough but I do prefer my narratives to be a little more straightforward. If you do understand magical realism more than I do, by all means give The Discreet Hero a try. If you're more like me and just want a linear, concrete story, you might want to pass on this one.
r_musil's review against another edition
1.0
واقعا بد بود، دو داستان موازی پر از شخصیت های به درد نخور
ryanhboyd's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
manaledi's review against another edition
3.0
I was really excited when I started this book because I've been to both Piura and Lima and it's always nice to recognize the locations. It was also weird for me to read Vargas Llosa in English. This book is full of drama, even if not necessarily plot. The characters sometimes say that what's happening to them is like a soap opera, and honestly that's the way it read sometimes. There was some cultural commentary, but it felt almost petty instead of really hitting home on a society I know fairly well. I still admire his writing immensely, all things considered.
rollotreadway's review
3.0
A strong start, that petered out rapidly once the core plotlines were tied up. However, the translation in this copy (Faber & Faber, 2015) was unfortunately very cumbersome, full of stilted language and dialogue that no real person has likely ever used. I realise that translation is an extremely difficult job, one I could certainly never do, and I don't really want to criticise. Sadly, I don't feel it could go unremarked upon in this case.
asad261's review against another edition
3.0
"قهرمان عصر ما نثر ساده و در عین حال به شدت پرکششی داشت،شیوه نگارش"گفتگو در کاتدرال"رو میشد در قسمتهایی از این کتاب دید.(البته نه با آن پیچیدگی و ظرافت). ترجمه کتاب سلیس و روان بود و(خوشبختانه) قسمتهای سانسور شده با سه نقطه مشخص شده بودند. در مجموع خواندنی بود.
donkread's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
kilkilshah's review
4.0
First book I read from Vargas Llosa. Won't be my last. Overall relatively quick read and pretty interesting story. Well-developed plot and characters.