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isabel_laranjo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.75
thebobsphere's review against another edition
5.0
No change in the rating at all. A powerful first read and now a gut punch of a second.
Before I start the actual review I would like to say how I came across Vista Chinesa:
I befriended (or vice versa??) a Portuguese translator on Instagram and she told me that I had to read Vista Chinesa. She then sent the English translation to me. A big thank you!
I have always said many times that literature has a knack of expressing those sentiments that we are unable to convey or even focus on a topic which would make people uncomfortable to talk about in public, as is the case of Vista Chinesa. I will be blunt, the book is about rape.
I understand this is not a topic that is easy to talk about, especially in the light of terrible incidents that happened over the past few years and what makes it worse is that films like Noe’s Irreversible or Kubrick’s adaptation of A Clockwork Orange glorify this heinous act. However Tatiana Salem Levy treats the topic with care and it is based on a real life incident.
Taking the form of a testimony to her children, Júlia is out jogging in the Vista Chinesa area in Rio where she is sexually assaulted. In the hands of of an amateur writer this would be the first this mentioned but the actual act is described somewhere near the middle. What the main focus is as this stage is the trauma Júlia experiences: the embarrassment of undressing in front of her husband, Michel, the unease she feels when touched by her own parents (as an aside this is the first book I’ve read in a long time where the mother/daughter relationship is actually positive), the deepening of Júlia’s relationship with her woman friend ,the psychological breakdowns experienced when being interrogated. Later on when Júlia regains trust in her husband she is pregnant with twins and is scared to discover that one will be a girl, thus fearing that history will repeat itself.
The book goes deeper and also acts as a criticism of how the law treats such cases and it also is a jab at how the Brazilian government spent thousands in 2016 to make Rio acceptable for tourists when all these places are no longer being used and Rio still has the highest assault rate in Brazil.
Tatiana Salem Levy does not glorify the actual assault in anyway. It’s all told in a matter of fact way. Neither is this book a diatribe against males. If anything when Júlia has to start identifying suspects she feels guilty that the majority of the men are actually innocent.
Vista Chinesa can be uncomfortable to read but there is no denying that it is a VERY powerful novel and I can guarantee that it will stay with the reader for a long time. It is also under 140 pages but despite being a book one can read in a couple of hours, it has many layers and complexities to it, and more importantly, it opens eyes. This book makes us realise what it’s like to go through when such an incident happens and how it never leaves the mind and how these acts are still happening without stricter laws.
I do think Vista Chinesa is, indeed, a book one must read, yes, topics like this can make us uneasy but literature is there to open our minds and tackling a subject such as sexual assault in such a way helps create awareness for men and see the bigger picture. Without wanting to sound hyperbolic, I consider Vista Chinesa to be a work of genius. This is a bold daring book that will change your life once read.
Before I start the actual review I would like to say how I came across Vista Chinesa:
I befriended (or vice versa??) a Portuguese translator on Instagram and she told me that I had to read Vista Chinesa. She then sent the English translation to me. A big thank you!
I have always said many times that literature has a knack of expressing those sentiments that we are unable to convey or even focus on a topic which would make people uncomfortable to talk about in public, as is the case of Vista Chinesa. I will be blunt, the book is about rape.
I understand this is not a topic that is easy to talk about, especially in the light of terrible incidents that happened over the past few years and what makes it worse is that films like Noe’s Irreversible or Kubrick’s adaptation of A Clockwork Orange glorify this heinous act. However Tatiana Salem Levy treats the topic with care and it is based on a real life incident.
Taking the form of a testimony to her children, Júlia is out jogging in the Vista Chinesa area in Rio where she is sexually assaulted. In the hands of of an amateur writer this would be the first this mentioned but the actual act is described somewhere near the middle. What the main focus is as this stage is the trauma Júlia experiences: the embarrassment of undressing in front of her husband, Michel, the unease she feels when touched by her own parents (as an aside this is the first book I’ve read in a long time where the mother/daughter relationship is actually positive), the deepening of Júlia’s relationship with her woman friend ,the psychological breakdowns experienced when being interrogated. Later on when Júlia regains trust in her husband she is pregnant with twins and is scared to discover that one will be a girl, thus fearing that history will repeat itself.
The book goes deeper and also acts as a criticism of how the law treats such cases and it also is a jab at how the Brazilian government spent thousands in 2016 to make Rio acceptable for tourists when all these places are no longer being used and Rio still has the highest assault rate in Brazil.
Tatiana Salem Levy does not glorify the actual assault in anyway. It’s all told in a matter of fact way. Neither is this book a diatribe against males. If anything when Júlia has to start identifying suspects she feels guilty that the majority of the men are actually innocent.
Vista Chinesa can be uncomfortable to read but there is no denying that it is a VERY powerful novel and I can guarantee that it will stay with the reader for a long time. It is also under 140 pages but despite being a book one can read in a couple of hours, it has many layers and complexities to it, and more importantly, it opens eyes. This book makes us realise what it’s like to go through when such an incident happens and how it never leaves the mind and how these acts are still happening without stricter laws.
I do think Vista Chinesa is, indeed, a book one must read, yes, topics like this can make us uneasy but literature is there to open our minds and tackling a subject such as sexual assault in such a way helps create awareness for men and see the bigger picture. Without wanting to sound hyperbolic, I consider Vista Chinesa to be a work of genius. This is a bold daring book that will change your life once read.
nataliamar's review against another edition
4.0
Pesadissimo. Se você tem o mínimo gatilho, tavez seja melhor passar.
leggendocosebelle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
keeley_allen's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
tenhogui's review against another edition
4.0
Livro que nos tira o fôlego, nos situa tão próximos a personagem, mas, ao mesmo tempo sabe ser sútil ao tratar do trauma e da vida vindoura.
carmensittttt's review against another edition
5.0
TW: violación, agresión sexual
«¿Hay una dosis de azar en este hecho que me destruyó y sigue destruyéndome? Sin duda. Pero hay algo que trasciende el azar: el odio de ese hombre, la violencia de ese hombre, el permiso que se dio para violar mi cuerpo. Eso no fue azar. Ese fue mi encuentro fortuito con el mal.»
Un relato desgarrador, basado en hechos reales, sobre una mujer que salió a correr y volvió, pero no siendo la misma. Sobre cómo el sistema revictimiza a quien ya será víctima para toda su vida y la de su descendencia. Extremadamente explícito en algunas partes y también caótico, como sería el proceso de pensamiento de alguien a quien le hacen esto. Not for the faint of heart.
«¿Hay una dosis de azar en este hecho que me destruyó y sigue destruyéndome? Sin duda. Pero hay algo que trasciende el azar: el odio de ese hombre, la violencia de ese hombre, el permiso que se dio para violar mi cuerpo. Eso no fue azar. Ese fue mi encuentro fortuito con el mal.»
Un relato desgarrador, basado en hechos reales, sobre una mujer que salió a correr y volvió, pero no siendo la misma. Sobre cómo el sistema revictimiza a quien ya será víctima para toda su vida y la de su descendencia. Extremadamente explícito en algunas partes y también caótico, como sería el proceso de pensamiento de alguien a quien le hacen esto. Not for the faint of heart.
antmarques's review against another edition
4.0
Já passaram por algo tão forte que abala os alicerces da vossa existência? Algo que, por muito que o queiram esquecer, rasgou sem remendo as vestes da vossa alma? Júlia sofreu algo assim. Júlia foi violada. Arrancada vil e bruscamente da sua vida e levada para o meio de uma mata, agredida e abusada, temendo pela vida com uma arma encostada à cabeça.
"Nunca me conformei com a ideia de que um único instante mude para sempre a história de uma pessoa... o facto seria menos terrível se eu pudesse não levá-lo adiante. Se o horror se mantivesse naquele dia, naquela hora, naquele local."
Vista Chinesa de Tatiana Salem Levy é cru, perturbador e por vezes obsceno. Lembro-me do que li e o peito aperta um pouco. Lê-se às golfadas para ter tempo de recuperar. É o relato de Júlia, uma mulher casada de classe média, que habitualmente fazia desporto antes de ir trabalhar. Mas desta vez a corrida termina de forma terrível perto da Vista Chinesa, um dos miradouros mais famosos do Rio de Janeiro. Uma vista tão bela junto a acontecimentos tão horrendos baseados numa história verídica, que exemplifica tantas vítimas ao longo dos tempos.
A obra é escrita como se fosse uma carta/memória e é centrada em grande parte no pós violação, com uma neblina permanente de dúvida. Terei culpa? Como será agora o meu casamento? Serei capaz de reconhecer o culpado? O meu corpo irá recuperar? E a minha mente?
A escrita é compulsiva e com saltos temporais. Temos o sofrimento do presente, a memória alegre do passado e as interrogações do futuro. O estilo também não é linear. Varia entre pensamentos que surgem em torrente incontrolável ou reflexões mais alongadas. Há uma espécie de caos ordenado próprio de uma mente traumatizada e desordenada.
"Se em algum momento parecer que enlouqueci, saibam que ninguém é verdadeiro na lucidez".
Foi o meu primeiro encontro com Tatiana Salem Levy, com vista para uma paisagem de sofrimento, violência, injustiça e impotência. Marcaremos com certeza novo encontro...
"Nunca me conformei com a ideia de que um único instante mude para sempre a história de uma pessoa... o facto seria menos terrível se eu pudesse não levá-lo adiante. Se o horror se mantivesse naquele dia, naquela hora, naquele local."
Vista Chinesa de Tatiana Salem Levy é cru, perturbador e por vezes obsceno. Lembro-me do que li e o peito aperta um pouco. Lê-se às golfadas para ter tempo de recuperar. É o relato de Júlia, uma mulher casada de classe média, que habitualmente fazia desporto antes de ir trabalhar. Mas desta vez a corrida termina de forma terrível perto da Vista Chinesa, um dos miradouros mais famosos do Rio de Janeiro. Uma vista tão bela junto a acontecimentos tão horrendos baseados numa história verídica, que exemplifica tantas vítimas ao longo dos tempos.
A obra é escrita como se fosse uma carta/memória e é centrada em grande parte no pós violação, com uma neblina permanente de dúvida. Terei culpa? Como será agora o meu casamento? Serei capaz de reconhecer o culpado? O meu corpo irá recuperar? E a minha mente?
A escrita é compulsiva e com saltos temporais. Temos o sofrimento do presente, a memória alegre do passado e as interrogações do futuro. O estilo também não é linear. Varia entre pensamentos que surgem em torrente incontrolável ou reflexões mais alongadas. Há uma espécie de caos ordenado próprio de uma mente traumatizada e desordenada.
"Se em algum momento parecer que enlouqueci, saibam que ninguém é verdadeiro na lucidez".
Foi o meu primeiro encontro com Tatiana Salem Levy, com vista para uma paisagem de sofrimento, violência, injustiça e impotência. Marcaremos com certeza novo encontro...