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jarrigy's review
3.0
Picaresque and even on occasion devastatingly timely in its satire sure. But not enough to really convince you that Henry doesn’t seem to enjoy the thrill of the games and machinations that transpire in his little imagining of sinister American imperialism at work in its backyard. At worst it plays out like a Mark Twain-written history of Pinochet’s coup, and the complete lack of empathy and general racism towards it’s Central American subjects certainly won’t do anything to help its case.
rjvrtiska's review against another edition
3.0
Read in response to the connection to “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. Some really entertaining hijinks and some sobering examples of colonialism.
natasha_edgell's review
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
lauren_endnotes's review
3.0
A collection of stories set in a fictional "banana republic" of Anchuria, likely modeled after Honduras, where the author, O. Henry, spent some time evading the law after embezzlement and tax evasion charges. The characters are largely American businessmen and government officials, who are all to happy to pull fast cons and loaf about in hammocks, pining for their lost loves and failed dealings in the States. There is humor, primarily slapstick style, in the vaudevillian antics of the expats. The reader can easily glean O. Henry's political leanings and prevalent opinions regarding American expansionism / manifest destiny, race, and corporate business in the Caribbean/Central America.
maggies's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
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