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lbast's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
lep42's review against another edition
3.0
Review that I posted on the Goodreads Ireland discussion thread
"Well despite having had the book out from the library for 6 week and having been the one to nominate it, I didn't finish this until yesterday due to an incredibly hectic June.
I struggled with whether to rate this 3 or 4 stars. I ultimately gave it 3 because I thought a well done biography could have actually given us just a good of a sense of Casement's life, motivations, and feelings, as did this fictionalized biography. I could have given it 4 stars if Llosa had taken better advantage of the literary form. I found the quote "That was history, a branch of fable writing attempting to be science." interesting. Did Llosa write his book about Casement as a fictionalized biography, because he feels that the telling of history is always distorted anyway?
Another favorite quote of mine was having Casement say "Though it seems obscene to establish hierarchies among crimes of this magnitude." That one seems like it could be a direct quotation from Casement's writings. I would have liked to have seen an afterward that talked about Llosa's research and writing process
I was bothered by the passages that described Casement lusting after boys. I'm not sure what historical evidence he had that the objections of Casement's fantasies (or actual encounters) were teens. I was also a bit bothered by Casement's tendency to romanticize(or Llosa's tendency to have Casement romanticize) the natives of the Amazon as closer to nature and less prudish. One problem with it being a work of fiction and not a biography, was that it made it harder to tell what was conjecture on the part of the author.
Unlike most people, I enjoyed the Congo section better than the Amazonia section, perhaps because it was more succinct. I also was more familiar (but just a tiny bit) with the history of Congo and Belgian colonialism (and its recent historical and present day reverberations) than I was with the Amazonia region.
It was also interesting that Casement knew the author Joseph Conrad. Heart of Darkness was one of my favorite books I read in high school. I think I may be due to for a reread of it soon. The question of what drives men to commit horrific acts is one which Casement, Conrad, and Llosa are all concerned with.
Overall I thought this book was a solid introduction to a historical figure I knew nothing about. I'm glad to have read it. I would be extremely interested in checking out the book Alan mentioned that's a side by side comparison of the White and Black diaries.
Finally, can anyone recommend a good biography of either Patrick Pearse or Joseph Plunkett? I'd also be interested in a book on Cumann na mBan."
"Well despite having had the book out from the library for 6 week and having been the one to nominate it, I didn't finish this until yesterday due to an incredibly hectic June.
I struggled with whether to rate this 3 or 4 stars. I ultimately gave it 3 because I thought a well done biography could have actually given us just a good of a sense of Casement's life, motivations, and feelings, as did this fictionalized biography. I could have given it 4 stars if Llosa had taken better advantage of the literary form. I found the quote "That was history, a branch of fable writing attempting to be science." interesting. Did Llosa write his book about Casement as a fictionalized biography, because he feels that the telling of history is always distorted anyway?
Another favorite quote of mine was having Casement say "Though it seems obscene to establish hierarchies among crimes of this magnitude." That one seems like it could be a direct quotation from Casement's writings. I would have liked to have seen an afterward that talked about Llosa's research and writing process
I was bothered by the passages that described Casement lusting after boys. I'm not sure what historical evidence he had that the objections of Casement's fantasies (or actual encounters) were teens. I was also a bit bothered by Casement's tendency to romanticize(or Llosa's tendency to have Casement romanticize) the natives of the Amazon as closer to nature and less prudish. One problem with it being a work of fiction and not a biography, was that it made it harder to tell what was conjecture on the part of the author.
Unlike most people, I enjoyed the Congo section better than the Amazonia section, perhaps because it was more succinct. I also was more familiar (but just a tiny bit) with the history of Congo and Belgian colonialism (and its recent historical and present day reverberations) than I was with the Amazonia region.
It was also interesting that Casement knew the author Joseph Conrad. Heart of Darkness was one of my favorite books I read in high school. I think I may be due to for a reread of it soon. The question of what drives men to commit horrific acts is one which Casement, Conrad, and Llosa are all concerned with.
Overall I thought this book was a solid introduction to a historical figure I knew nothing about. I'm glad to have read it. I would be extremely interested in checking out the book Alan mentioned that's a side by side comparison of the White and Black diaries.
Finally, can anyone recommend a good biography of either Patrick Pearse or Joseph Plunkett? I'd also be interested in a book on Cumann na mBan."
girlvsbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
“Slowly his compatriots became resigned to accepting that a hero and martyr is not an abstract prototype or a model of perfection but a human being made of contradictions and contrast, weakness and greatness”
This is an odd book - purportedly a fictionalised account of the life of Roger Casement, it definitely feels more like a straight biography, with lots of ‘telling’ rather than ‘showing’ of events. I found the start of the book about Casement’s work in the Belgian Congo to be quite dry & slow-going. Things picked up later in the book, though, and I became quite immersed in the story of his time in Peru and his involvement in Irish nationalism. What a life he led. There is lots of food for thought about the muddying of the waters between humanitarianism and colonialism, the fine line between patriotism and nationalism, and the lasting impact that homophobia has had on this man’s legacy.
This is an odd book - purportedly a fictionalised account of the life of Roger Casement, it definitely feels more like a straight biography, with lots of ‘telling’ rather than ‘showing’ of events. I found the start of the book about Casement’s work in the Belgian Congo to be quite dry & slow-going. Things picked up later in the book, though, and I became quite immersed in the story of his time in Peru and his involvement in Irish nationalism. What a life he led. There is lots of food for thought about the muddying of the waters between humanitarianism and colonialism, the fine line between patriotism and nationalism, and the lasting impact that homophobia has had on this man’s legacy.
upokyin's review against another edition
3.0
After reading Conrad's Heart of Darkness, I wanted to read more about the history of the Congo and had difficulty deciding between Rothschilde's King Leopold's Ghost, Tim Butcher's Blood River and Packenham's Scramble for Africa. Then I heard about this book and it seemed to be the one for me. However, I cannot say that I really enjoyed it. Some sections (Congo and Ireland) I found very interesting. Other parts were a bit of a slog. From my knowledge of Irish history Mr. Llosa has conducted his research impeccably and I trust that the material on Amazonia and Germany is just as accurate.
Still, I think that this is a very important book and am glad not only that it was written and that it has received a good deal of attention. I hope many people will read it. However I found the approach a bit too broad. For me Mr. Llosa has tried to cram in too many details while at the same time not going deep enough. As a result the style is very dry and rather detached. Less would have been more!
N.B.
This is coming from someone who prefers nonfiction to fiction for the very reason that I find novelists delve too deeply into their particular subject.
Still, I think that this is a very important book and am glad not only that it was written and that it has received a good deal of attention. I hope many people will read it. However I found the approach a bit too broad. For me Mr. Llosa has tried to cram in too many details while at the same time not going deep enough. As a result the style is very dry and rather detached. Less would have been more!
N.B.
This is coming from someone who prefers nonfiction to fiction for the very reason that I find novelists delve too deeply into their particular subject.
kpjayan's review against another edition
3.0
Though this do not stand among his best books, it is better than the previous one. Despite the uneven narrative towards the end, it still holds pretty well as a strong powerful tale. The narratives technique is brilliant often moving between the present ( 1916 at Pentonville Jail) to the respective continents. The ease of shifting of the narrative space is amazing. The language is fluid and poetic at many places. Again, not amongst his best, good nonetheless.
eddie's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first book by Vargas Llosa I have read and I did enjoy it - enough to explore his other work. At first I was surprised at the lack of literary pretension (or stylistic ambition) in this Nobel laureate's novel: his prose is almost journalistic in feel. However, it's very readable and the pages fly by quickly. I do have sympathy with criticisms that there is too much repetition but for me this was outweighed by the inherent interest of the story, as Llosa explores the journey of Roger Casement from Imperialist idealist to human rights activist to Irish Nationalist radical and ultimate martyr for the cause. His gay side is not massively foregrounded - Llosa clearly is focussing on issues of colonial exploitation - and he does not clearly indicate if Casement's 'Black Diaries' were British fabrications or authentic, or if they recalled real incidents or fantasy. It is clear from the record the British authorities used the diaries to besmirch Casement's name, and Llosa seems to suggest the diaries are genuine but a mixture of fantasy and reality. He cleverly keeps his central character in prison and incommunicado throughout (the story unfolds as a series of flashbacks) so although he knows the diaries have been revealed and are having a public effect the details are hidden from him (and by extension the reader).
Part of the pleasure of this book for me was that it joins a list of remarkable works dealing with the Belgian near-genocidal exploitation of the Congo in the 19th century: first and foremost Conrad's masterpiece "Heart of Darkness" (both novel and author feature in Llosa's book as Conrad was a friend of and co-activist with Casement, as well as having personal experience in the Congo), Adam Hochschild's extraordinary and chilling history "King Leopold's Ghost", and Barbara Kingsolver's poetic and visionary "The Poisonwood Bible". For me Llosa's novel is less literary than them all (even the history) but as a genuinely felt examination of Casement's humanitarian work (epic and heroic in scale by any standard) he does manage to rescue him somewhat from the still fraught political considerations of UK politics and history.
Part of the pleasure of this book for me was that it joins a list of remarkable works dealing with the Belgian near-genocidal exploitation of the Congo in the 19th century: first and foremost Conrad's masterpiece "Heart of Darkness" (both novel and author feature in Llosa's book as Conrad was a friend of and co-activist with Casement, as well as having personal experience in the Congo), Adam Hochschild's extraordinary and chilling history "King Leopold's Ghost", and Barbara Kingsolver's poetic and visionary "The Poisonwood Bible". For me Llosa's novel is less literary than them all (even the history) but as a genuinely felt examination of Casement's humanitarian work (epic and heroic in scale by any standard) he does manage to rescue him somewhat from the still fraught political considerations of UK politics and history.
stephend81d5's review against another edition
3.0
enjoyed llosa's novel based on the life of sir roger casement who was executed in the aftermath of the 1916 easter rising in Dublin and looks at his work in congo, Amazonia. problem some people may have with the novel as it drifts from 1916 to his past while still he is still in pentonville prison. the book itself has been researched well with a lot of historical content but may not be eveyones cup of tea though.
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