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fscolli93's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not a fan of experimental literature/postmodernism, so didn't expect to like this as much as I did. But it ended up being a funny and touching (and totally bizarre) take on my favourite comic book character! Probably helps not to take Tintin too seriously to begin with, though
littleredhat's review against another edition
2.0
There's a quotation on the back of my edition from The Times, which sums up this book's premise quite well:
"Frederic Tuten grabs Tintin by his quiff, yanks him out of his celibacy, life and innocence and drops him into sex, death, and experience…"
The book is controversial - and in some cases, outright despised - among Tintin fans for its portrayal of their beloved reporter hero. The book's title is not only a reference to its South American setting, but the protagnist's state of mind. Having long since dwelled in the realm of fanfiction and seen how certain writers warp other beloved characters, this wasn't a massive concern for me, but I have learnt the skill of separating the author's original creation from the fanon one in my head. If you are a big Tintin fan who's curious about this work and really don't like the idea of a more adult portrayal, you may want to mentally distance Hergé's Tintin from Tuten's before you pick this up.
I also knew up front that this book wasn't a Hergé story (although it was presumably published with his or the estate's blessing), but an avant-garde philosophical novel. All the same, far too much of the book was devoted to the discussion of ideas - society and its political structures, the importance and nature of art, and human frailties, among others - for my personal taste, due to the absence of any major plot. I found myself skimming paragraphs on more than one occasion.
That being said, there were a couple of standout moments. One chapter is devoted to a dream wherein Tintin lives out an entire lifetime at Marlinspike with his new love. This was beautifully written, and would arguably make an excellent short story on its own. There were also one or two ideas or motifs that did get me pondering, like Tintin's presumably eternal youth being linked to his innocence, and the suggestion that the letter sent to Tintin that allows him to "Follow now [his] destined but alterable track" as being sent by Hergé himself - a notion I didn't find too far-fetched, given that Hergé did write at least one public letter to his creation during his lifetime.
Would I have read this if it didn't feature Tintin as a character? Highly unlikely. Would I read it again? Probably not, except maybe to gloss over the dream chapter once more. Would I recommend it? If you like philosophical reads, then perhaps, but if it's a classic Tintin adventure you're after, stick with Hergé.
"Frederic Tuten grabs Tintin by his quiff, yanks him out of his celibacy, life and innocence and drops him into sex, death, and experience…"
The book is controversial - and in some cases, outright despised - among Tintin fans for its portrayal of their beloved reporter hero. The book's title is not only a reference to its South American setting, but the protagnist's state of mind. Having long since dwelled in the realm of fanfiction and seen how certain writers warp other beloved characters, this wasn't a massive concern for me, but I have learnt the skill of separating the author's original creation from the fanon one in my head. If you are a big Tintin fan who's curious about this work and really don't like the idea of a more adult portrayal, you may want to mentally distance Hergé's Tintin from Tuten's before you pick this up.
I also knew up front that this book wasn't a Hergé story (although it was presumably published with his or the estate's blessing), but an avant-garde philosophical novel. All the same, far too much of the book was devoted to the discussion of ideas - society and its political structures, the importance and nature of art, and human frailties, among others - for my personal taste, due to the absence of any major plot. I found myself skimming paragraphs on more than one occasion.
That being said, there were a couple of standout moments. One chapter is devoted to a dream wherein Tintin lives out an entire lifetime at Marlinspike with his new love. This was beautifully written, and would arguably make an excellent short story on its own. There were also one or two ideas or motifs that did get me pondering, like Tintin's presumably eternal youth being linked to his innocence, and the suggestion that the letter sent to Tintin that allows him to "Follow now [his] destined but alterable track" as being sent by Hergé himself - a notion I didn't find too far-fetched, given that Hergé did write at least one public letter to his creation during his lifetime.
Would I have read this if it didn't feature Tintin as a character? Highly unlikely. Would I read it again? Probably not, except maybe to gloss over the dream chapter once more. Would I recommend it? If you like philosophical reads, then perhaps, but if it's a classic Tintin adventure you're after, stick with Hergé.
lieslindi's review against another edition
Tintin! So when I happened across it, knowing nothing about it, I picked it up. It started out well, with Snowy having thoughtful asides and Tintin not knowing what to make of James N. Cain. That amused me because Camus called Cain an influence, which baffles me.
If there are cultural references besides Tintin that would help it make sense, I didn't get them. Also I was sure it was in translation and I just wasn't getting the frainchness of the style. The copyright page doesn't cite a translation, however, so I'm letting the book go (far, far away, I hope) with a dismissal of boring and baffling.
If there are cultural references besides Tintin that would help it make sense, I didn't get them. Also I was sure it was in translation and I just wasn't getting the frainchness of the style. The copyright page doesn't cite a translation, however, so I'm letting the book go (far, far away, I hope) with a dismissal of boring and baffling.
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