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jimmylorunning's review against another edition
3.0
Everything belonged to the children. The expansion produced by the measurements and the feeling of contraction that goes with fear were overlaid by the world of childhood. The real universe is measured in millimeters, and it is gigantic. p. 4
Plot: A Chilean family lives temporarily on the roof of a half-built (and otherwise uninhabited) condominium building. The story takes place during the course of a day: New Years Eve. The family gathers for a siesta to celebrate. Meanwhile there are ghosts, fat and naked and covered in a fine uniform white dust, that float about in the formation of the hands of a clock, or just hanging out by the dumpster; sometimes they laugh vigorously. They tempt one of the older daughters to join them in their party, the one the ghosts are holding at midnight. But she would, of course, have to be dead first.
Review: The high-points in the book are considerably great, although over-all, I'd say this is second-rate Aira. You should read [b:An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter|152809|An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter (New Directions Paperbook)|César Aira|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172246706s/152809.jpg|147499] first, as that one is filled with greatness, and [b:How I Became a Nun|152808|How I Became a Nun|César Aira|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172246706s/152808.jpg|147498] next as that one is also very good. Here, I felt like the blending is not working as well for him. The philosophy sticks out too much as Philosophy (with a capital P) rather than just part of the fabric of the whole book. (I love his philosophizing in his other books, because they were just one or two lines tossed out, almost as an aside, very illuminating yet kind of light and joyful). The surreal/ridiculous parts (i.e. ghosts and such) also seem to stick out instead of working together with the mundane. Overall, I felt a little bored through some sections, whereas in other Aira books I felt constantly (and pleasantly) surprised.
Also, NDP needs to do better copy editing. I found at least 10 minor spelling or grammatical errors in this short book. Although, to be fair, they did a GREAT job with the book and cover design.
Each of them seized a car; although the cars were identical, there was an obvious advantage in being able to choose while the other two children were asleep. What a surprise they would get, poor suckers, when they found they could only choose between the two remaining toy cars, which were indistinguishable from the others! p.79
Plot: A Chilean family lives temporarily on the roof of a half-built (and otherwise uninhabited) condominium building. The story takes place during the course of a day: New Years Eve. The family gathers for a siesta to celebrate. Meanwhile there are ghosts, fat and naked and covered in a fine uniform white dust, that float about in the formation of the hands of a clock, or just hanging out by the dumpster; sometimes they laugh vigorously. They tempt one of the older daughters to join them in their party, the one the ghosts are holding at midnight. But she would, of course, have to be dead first.
Review: The high-points in the book are considerably great, although over-all, I'd say this is second-rate Aira. You should read [b:An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter|152809|An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter (New Directions Paperbook)|César Aira|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172246706s/152809.jpg|147499] first, as that one is filled with greatness, and [b:How I Became a Nun|152808|How I Became a Nun|César Aira|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172246706s/152808.jpg|147498] next as that one is also very good. Here, I felt like the blending is not working as well for him. The philosophy sticks out too much as Philosophy (with a capital P) rather than just part of the fabric of the whole book. (I love his philosophizing in his other books, because they were just one or two lines tossed out, almost as an aside, very illuminating yet kind of light and joyful). The surreal/ridiculous parts (i.e. ghosts and such) also seem to stick out instead of working together with the mundane. Overall, I felt a little bored through some sections, whereas in other Aira books I felt constantly (and pleasantly) surprised.
Also, NDP needs to do better copy editing. I found at least 10 minor spelling or grammatical errors in this short book. Although, to be fair, they did a GREAT job with the book and cover design.
Each of them seized a car; although the cars were identical, there was an obvious advantage in being able to choose while the other two children were asleep. What a surprise they would get, poor suckers, when they found they could only choose between the two remaining toy cars, which were indistinguishable from the others! p.79
kingkong's review against another edition
3.0
He seemed to really want us to understand that these ghosts had weiners
isa_acevedo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
dankhill's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
melwisz's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
r__kat's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.0
alexlanz's review against another edition
The dream sequence read like a weird anthropology paper.
kalchainein's review against another edition
I’m pretty big about finishing what I start, and even books I dislike generally have something that grabs me. But every time I picked this up, the next day I’d realize I barely remembered anything from the prior session. And what’s worse is that I didn’t care. DNF’d—with disappointment, because I’ve heard good things about Aira. Maybe another work of his will click with me.
jacob_wren's review against another edition
César Aira writes:
The unbuilt is characteristic of those arts whose realization requires the remunerated work of many people, the purchase of materials, the use of expensive equipment, etc. Cinema is the paradigmatic case: anyone can have an idea for a film, but then you need expertise, finance, personnel, and these obstacles mean that ninety-nine times out of a hundred the film doesn’t get made. Which might make you wonder if the prodigious bother of it all – which technological advances have exacerbated if anything – isn’t actually an essential part of cinema’s charm, since, paradoxically, it gives everyone access to movie-making, in the form of pure daydreaming. It’s the same in the other arts, to a greater or lesser extent. And yet it is possible to imagine an art in which the limitations of reality would be minimized, in which the made and the unmade would be indistinct, an art that would be instantaneously real, without ghosts. And perhaps that art exists, under the name of literature.
drewsof's review against another edition
3.0
I think my taste for Aira is on the wane, sad to say. This is an older one and it's more coherent than some of his others -- loved the long architectural philosophical digressions -- but he's so bad at writing women most of the time and this one felt particularly egregious not just for that but also the weird gay panic about the ghosts?
I did enjoy reading this one though, more than I have several of his other works. I'm sure I'll read the rest that get published, but maybe after taking a few years' break...
I did enjoy reading this one though, more than I have several of his other works. I'm sure I'll read the rest that get published, but maybe after taking a few years' break...