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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
This would have been even more phenomenal if I hadn't had to rush it for school! I didn't always follow the plot, but I didn't need to. The things Fuentes does with non-linear narrative and poetic second-person future are enough to justify a revisit soon.
Why can't I give a book negative stars? This book was a miserable read. Artemio is a corrupt man who is on his death bed thinking about his horrible past throughout the entire book. Not just that, but you have to bushwhack your way through the changing 1st person, 2nd person,3rd person, present tense, past tense, future tense..... blah blah blah. It's awful. Never read this book.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There are a lot of compelling things about this novel and then there are a lot of things that are extremely detrimental to the text. The blatant sexism is one of those detrimental things. And I don't even mean the "you belong in the kitchen" kind of sexism, I mean the "women can enjoy being raped and come to love their rapist if they're honorable enough" kind of sexism. The form of this novel is great, and I found myself really taken by the doubles/pairs/repetition that occurs here as well as the play with time. It's intentionally foggy, which is frustrating at first, but you get used to it. There are really well-written scenes, and it's very complex. BUT it felt too over-the-top with the toxic masculinity, and I could not get into it too much because of that.
The format of the novel must be unraveled first. The last moments of his life as a sick old man are accompanied by strong memories and a desperate effort to make sense of his existence. Knowledge of Mexican history in the 1st half of century is helpful. Reading the classics of Latin American lit. Pleased to have tackled this one. Second reading would be even more pleasurable I think.
This is a wonderful character study of a great/horrible man on his deathbed as he reflects on his life - also maybe a character study for a Mexican national identity that coincides with the life of Artemio Cruz. Very well done and quite interesting in parts but too vague in others - the missing pieces of his life didn't make me ponder so much as lose interest.
This is a really mixed bag. The bits that are good are really good, but they are too spaced out and I found myself frustrated by the style.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes