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mrsthrift's review against another edition
4.0
It is New Years Eve and a Chilean family is preparing to celebrate with family and friends. The book is set almost entirely in an unfinished luxury high rise in Argentina, where the Vinas family stays during a short-term job assignment (security detail for the building). The condo is also haunted by a collection of nude male ghosts. The oldest daughter, Patri, is invited to a party that will cost her her life. Can her mother's love save her? Does she need to be saved? The story is creepy, even a little unsettling. The relationships and characters are authentic in the way that magical realist characters can be, a sincere earnest way just beyond your peripheral vision. A thoughtful experiment in magical realism, GHOSTS meanders through some philosophical ruminations, and the reader slogs along. Aira muses over great ideas - life, love, boredom, etc. The reader is repaid for their patience, however, with culminating weirdness at the end. This book is really short, but if you are the type to absorb vague philosophies from fiction & get lost in daydream, you might find it takes a surprisingly long time to get through the 138 pages.
chervbim's review against another edition
3.0
This was weird and a little slow for me for the first half, but I liked the last 30 pages a lot and thought there was some good character development that happened in such a short space, which was interesting to read in the very least
bosstweed's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really expected a lot more but this book was hard to follow and just so slow. It was extremely meditative in its writing which wasn’t my favorite because there were a lot of thoughts going at once. Maybe it wouldn’t been Better to read in a less busy time and I would’ve been able to appreciate it more but it just wasn’t my favorite read.
kinginthedork's review against another edition
3.0
A very timeless book but tries to be too many things at once
michaelkurt's review against another edition
5.0
"Ghosts" is a wonderful piece of magic realism. It has a hint of existentialism, but that may just be because I am always looking out for familiar existentialist themes!
The writing is very specific for this short novel. It plays with how people speak to each other by grouping dialogue more by theme and not so much by who is talking. For example, if someone is telling the main character about her children Aira will group the entire conversation (from both sides) into one long paragraph. This, to me, gives certain subjects more importance than others because you tend to get lost in a conversation when reading a larger paragraph and the small paragraphs (or one sentence paragraphs) stick out as important.
The introductory description is all one paragraph that lasts 7(ish) pages and describes the building - in which the entire story takes place - and its residents / construction workers. This gives the characters the same importance as the building itself - which is an important theme for the novel.
This was a great introduction to magic realism because the magical elements are minimal but very important to how the story progresses.
The writing is very specific for this short novel. It plays with how people speak to each other by grouping dialogue more by theme and not so much by who is talking. For example, if someone is telling the main character about her children Aira will group the entire conversation (from both sides) into one long paragraph. This, to me, gives certain subjects more importance than others because you tend to get lost in a conversation when reading a larger paragraph and the small paragraphs (or one sentence paragraphs) stick out as important.
The introductory description is all one paragraph that lasts 7(ish) pages and describes the building - in which the entire story takes place - and its residents / construction workers. This gives the characters the same importance as the building itself - which is an important theme for the novel.
This was a great introduction to magic realism because the magical elements are minimal but very important to how the story progresses.
katgand's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
urtencija's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
3.0
Gal ne veltui knyga lyginama su sapnu, mat pagal kriterijų "pamiršti vos pasibaigia" atitinka.
Knygoje daug veikėjų (pasakojimas vis šokinėja nuo vieno prie kito), gan daug filosofavimo. Bet istorijos neradau - tik daug įvairių minčių įvairiausiomis temomis.
Knygoje daug veikėjų (pasakojimas vis šokinėja nuo vieno prie kito), gan daug filosofavimo. Bet istorijos neradau - tik daug įvairių minčių įvairiausiomis temomis.
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