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adamjcalhoun's review against another edition
4.0
Originally intended as a collection of stories each emphasizing one sense (smell, sound, etc.), Calvino died before he could finish them. He probably didn't even fully finish editing them. The title story (Under The Jaguar Sun, taste) is a little banal, though of course the writing is great. This short collection of stories is worth reading, though, for the story about sound. Never have I read anything that gives such a great feel for hearing through the written word.
karnakjr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.5
kitty20's review
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
analyticali's review against another edition
5.0
Blurs the line between sensory, sensuous, and sensual. Gorgeous prose though at times momentarily grotesque descriptions.
Unforgettable. Having read the stories over several months, each story is now attached to a rush of memories entwined with the moments surrounding the reading of each intricate and intense story.
Unforgettable. Having read the stories over several months, each story is now attached to a rush of memories entwined with the moments surrounding the reading of each intricate and intense story.
fruity_basil's review against another edition
4.0
It’s all been said before but basically: exploration of life through the senses!
Under the Jaguar Sun:
Beautiful. The tone and language was incredibly sensual but in a way that actually fit the theme of the cycle of life explored through consumption as a medium. There’s a fascination with the morbidity of cannibalism (honestly it’s so close to being vore if I were to make a joke about it) but not in a way that condemns it from some moral high ground and what not. Cool stuff!! Also, ouroboros imagery, references to the snake (both abrahamic and coatl) and the cyclic nature of native Mexican (a generalisation) beliefs? Love it.
A King Listens:
Cool cool cool cool cool. The paranoia and anxiety is shown through both the tone and his wild conception of everything he hears. His nerve wracked state of mind really shines through, which is neat. Extremely fun stuff: the voice/loss of voice. The paralleling and juxtaposition of the king and his predecessor, questioning who is truly free and which the prisoner. Was all the stress and anxiety and ultimately failed tight control even worth it in the end, when he eventually got trapped in his palace of supposed luxury?
The Name, The Nose:
Olfactory exploration. It was... ok? The transitions can be a bit jarring but that’s just my opinion. Nice lines when he talks about chasing a unique scent but being overwhelmed and losing it in the process. There’s an animalistic quality to it, and the different eras of men all going through the chase following the same sense of smell. “By keeping my nose suspended up here in the air, I lose a lot of things: information you get... but you get other instead... you can pick up distant smells carried by the wind“ sums it up really, the gap between the rich gentleman and the animal, though it could also work as a metaphor for class divide and social mobility, about knowledge lost and experiences and opportunities gained but that’s just one way to read it. There’s probably something to be said about how what they desperately chase all turns out dead and rotting but I’m too tired to do a proper analysis rn.
Under the Jaguar Sun:
Beautiful. The tone and language was incredibly sensual but in a way that actually fit the theme of the cycle of life explored through consumption as a medium. There’s a fascination with the morbidity of cannibalism (honestly it’s so close to being vore if I were to make a joke about it) but not in a way that condemns it from some moral high ground and what not. Cool stuff!! Also, ouroboros imagery, references to the snake (both abrahamic and coatl) and the cyclic nature of native Mexican (a generalisation) beliefs? Love it.
A King Listens:
Cool cool cool cool cool. The paranoia and anxiety is shown through both the tone and his wild conception of everything he hears. His nerve wracked state of mind really shines through, which is neat. Extremely fun stuff: the voice/loss of voice. The paralleling and juxtaposition of the king and his predecessor, questioning who is truly free and which the prisoner. Was all the stress and anxiety and ultimately failed tight control even worth it in the end, when he eventually got trapped in his palace of supposed luxury?
The Name, The Nose:
Olfactory exploration. It was... ok? The transitions can be a bit jarring but that’s just my opinion. Nice lines when he talks about chasing a unique scent but being overwhelmed and losing it in the process. There’s an animalistic quality to it, and the different eras of men all going through the chase following the same sense of smell. “By keeping my nose suspended up here in the air, I lose a lot of things: information you get... but you get other instead... you can pick up distant smells carried by the wind“ sums it up really, the gap between the rich gentleman and the animal, though it could also work as a metaphor for class divide and social mobility, about knowledge lost and experiences and opportunities gained but that’s just one way to read it. There’s probably something to be said about how what they desperately chase all turns out dead and rotting but I’m too tired to do a proper analysis rn.
junegloome's review against another edition
5.0
Had Calvino gotten the chance to finish this collection, I believe it would have been a masterpiece. I love all three stories, nonetheless.
Written completely focused on taste, sound and smell makes these stories incredibly unique, but I never expect anything less from Calvino.
Written completely focused on taste, sound and smell makes these stories incredibly unique, but I never expect anything less from Calvino.
nearit's review against another edition
4.0
An unfinished suite of stories about the sense, what's here is maybe a bit too intoxicated by the *idea* of women but the writing is vivid and suggests the absent frame: everything leads, maze like, back into the head
kikuchiyo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
melp92's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25