Reviews

Ghosts by César Aira

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Haunted slice of life with a woozy, pleasant appeal. I liked the sense of place, the camaraderie of both the family and the builders. I struggled to connect with the themes, however—maybe there’s some cultural significance I’m missing? The headier, more philosophical passages also dragged for me and seemed like essays awkwardly shoehorned into a novella.

Also, unrelated to the story itself, but yikes there’s a lot of typos in this thing.

rachel_the_managing_editor's review

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3.0

3.5 stars

A quick read, and one that spans just a day in the life of some construction workers, a family, and a number of, well, title characters. (Why are the ghosts lurking in the halls of a building that's under construction, anyway?) The premise is interesting, the writing lyrical, and the developments toward the end had me quickly turning pages, but there wasn't quite enough here to sink my teeth into. It feels either too short or too long.

earlyandalone's review

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5.0

This book is an unexpected little gem. It focuses on a new condo's work foreman's family in Argentina. All of the action takes place over a single New Year's Eve, and in the space of that one day, and in 139 tiny pages, the author beautifully renders a family on the crux of change. The characters stand in stark contrast to the strange ghosts that haunt the unfinished building, which only the family can see. The ghosts serve to remind us of what's "real" and what's not in our worlds, and how that line gets blurred. It's a fascinating and beautiful read, with a kicker of an ending.

robhughes's review

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4.0

Argentinian author who is well worth a gander as soon as you get the chance. Intimate stream of consciousness style that transports you to Buenos Aires and ties you to the fate of a girl called Patri on New Years Eve- i aren't sure if i understand the moral but i definitely enjoyed the journey.

sarful's review

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4.0

This philosophical stream of consciousness ultimately boils down to the choice of a young woman. I dug it. Very different kind of read from the usual standard plot driven stories.

blurrysaurus's review against another edition

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2.0

2.5

"Los hombres tenían ese defecto: no eran definitivos".

electricbrain's review against another edition

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4.0

Kūrinys, visiškai išsprūstantis ne tik iš žanro, bet ir iš naratyvo konstravimo rėmų. Labai ilgą laiką jį skaitant sunku suprasti, kas jame vyksta, kas svarbu, o kas – ne. Tiksliau, atrodo, kad viskas nesvarbu ir tu tiesiog stebi vienos šeimos gyvenimą vieną dieną, patiri jį su daug detalių ir smulkmenų, kurios iš esmės neturi daugiau prasmės nei detalės ir smulkmenos, kurias bet kuris žmogus patiria kiekvieną dieną.
Pagrindinė istorijos linija iš visos krūvos pojūčų, dialogų, buities detalių netikėtai išnyra antrojoje kūrinio pusėje. Ji lyg ir dramatiška, bet kita vertus – ne, nes viskas šiame kūrinyje labai sapniška, vyksta lyg ir ne iš tikro.
Iš esmės net sunku pasakyti apie ką šis kūrinys – atrodo, kad jis turi bent keletą plotmių ir priverčia mintimis grįžti prie jo vėl ir vėl, mėginant suprasti, kas ir ką jame reiškia.
Jis man tikrai patiko savo neįprastumu, keistumu ir nepaklusimu jokioms taisyklėms. Ir dar kažkuo – labai noriu suprasti kuo, bet dar nepavyko.

ek4therin4h's review against another edition

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a premissa é legal, mas a execução me exige mais do que estou disposta no momento. Não sei se é um autor para mim e já é a terceira vez que tento ler algo dele.