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3.07 AVERAGE
3.07 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Debo confesar que es el primer libro que leo del autor, y creo que debe ser la edad, porque es un libro muy pobre para un premio Nobel.
Se trata de varias historias que van entrelazándose para contarnos de la vida en Perú en los últimos años de Fujimori y sobre el poder la prensa.
La historia es buena, las subtramas se enlazan de manera correcta, y hay momentos de la narrativa que son buenos. Pero la mayor parte es narrativa muy simple, y hasta por momentos ridícula, sobre todo el erotismo es de nivel super básico.
Vale la pena quizá por las reflexiones y la historia interesante.
Aún así, voy a tener que tomar uno de sus clásicos para quitarme el mal sabor de boca. Si son fans del autor, quizá quieran abstenerse o léanlo bajo su propio riesgo.
Se trata de varias historias que van entrelazándose para contarnos de la vida en Perú en los últimos años de Fujimori y sobre el poder la prensa.
La historia es buena, las subtramas se enlazan de manera correcta, y hay momentos de la narrativa que son buenos. Pero la mayor parte es narrativa muy simple, y hasta por momentos ridícula, sobre todo el erotismo es de nivel super básico.
Vale la pena quizá por las reflexiones y la historia interesante.
Aún así, voy a tener que tomar uno de sus clásicos para quitarme el mal sabor de boca. Si son fans del autor, quizá quieran abstenerse o léanlo bajo su propio riesgo.
This sufficiently engaging political thriller is probably better in Spanish. I grabbed it from the new releases shelf at the library on a whim, and don't regret the impulse. But like that of most great Spanish-language writers, Vargas Llosa's language and intent feels somewhat hamstrung in translation. There were phrases here and there that I could imagine in the original language and wished that's what I were reading instead. The story of a sex scandal turned murder plot is not so surprising in what happens so much in how it unfolds, culminating in a chapter in which every revelatory scene is revealed all at once. Quick and easy, but by Vargas Llosa there's better.
Qué feas que son las copias. Y todo lo pirata en general. Si recurrimos a ellas es por necesidad. Pero, como dice el slogan: prefiera un original (en este caso libros como "Conversación en La Catedral").
Reseña completa: http://0enliteratura.blogspot.pe/2016/03/cinco-esquinas-mario-vargas-llosa.html#.VvlBMeLhC02
Reseña completa: http://0enliteratura.blogspot.pe/2016/03/cinco-esquinas-mario-vargas-llosa.html#.VvlBMeLhC02
Español / English
En este libro seguimos los eventos que ocurren alrededor de 2 grupos de personas: a) dos parejas casadas de gente rica que son muy amigos. Las dos esposas comienzan un romance en secreto, mientras que uno de los esposos es chantajeado con arruinar su imagen pública poniendo fotos suyas durante una orgía en una revista de chismes. b) Miembros de la revista Destapes, cuyo líder quiere chantajear al marido que ya mencioné. El libro explora la política, corrupción, dictadura y el chantaje periodístico que ocurría durante el gobierno del presidente Fujimori en Perú.
La parte de atrás del libro indicaba que sería un romance lésbico entre las dos esposas y por eso lo saqué de la biblioteca, cabe decir que ese tema casi no se tocó más que para agregar descripciones "eróticas" de las relaciones entre las dos mujeres. Claro, con un lenguaje a veces ridículo, que me hizo recordar las críticas a la trilogía de "50 Sombras de Grey". Ningún personaje despierta simpatía, quizá sólo el ingeniero Enrique Cárdenas, que está siendo chantajeado por el jefe de Destapes. Por lo demás, todos los demás personajes se sienten falsos y vacíos, así como unidimensionales.
La escritura es tan rara, que me tuve que recordar muchas veces que esto no es una traducción: esta es la forma en que el autor quiso publicar su obra. La única personaje interesante, La Retaquita, al final tiene un giro en personalidad de 180° sin previo aviso ni sugerencia de que eso pueda ocurrir. Las últimas 100 páginas se sienten como el epílogo más largo del mundo, ya que el conflicto principal se soluciona alrededor de la página 200!!! para qué hacerlo 100 páginas más largo?
En resumen: meeeh, no pierdan su tiempo.
_____________________________________
In this book we follow the events that happen around two main groups of people: a) 2 married couples who are great friends, and the wives start having a romantic/sexual affair. All while one of the husbands gets treats to be publicly humiliated by publishing pics of him during an orgy in a gossips magazine. b) Said magazine's editorial team, and their leader who is the one who tries to blackmail the husband I just mentioned. This book tries to explore politics, corruption and all the messy tactics used by the Fujimori's goverment in Perú.
The summary of this book on its back cover said that it was about a lesbian romance/sexual affair and that was why I checked it out of my library. You'll guess it, that topic was barely mentioned it, except for when we got weird and awkward descriptions of their sexual interactions, that made me thought of "50 Shades of Grey", well, Holy Cow! hahahaha. No character is likable, except maybe the husband who is being blackmailed, but other than that, nope, all of them feel empty and one dimensional characters.
What is even worse is that the writing is so weird that I had to remind myself a couple of times that this in not a translation in any way: this is how the author wrote his book. The only interesting Character, Julieta "La Retaquita" did something by the end that had nothing to do with her character or personality up until that point. And the last 100 pages felt like the biggest epilogue ever!!!! The main conflict felt resolved around page 200, why would you make this a 300 pages book? agh
As a summary I can just say this: meeeeh, don't waste your time
En este libro seguimos los eventos que ocurren alrededor de 2 grupos de personas: a) dos parejas casadas de gente rica que son muy amigos. Las dos esposas comienzan un romance en secreto, mientras que uno de los esposos es chantajeado con arruinar su imagen pública poniendo fotos suyas durante una orgía en una revista de chismes. b) Miembros de la revista Destapes, cuyo líder quiere chantajear al marido que ya mencioné. El libro explora la política, corrupción, dictadura y el chantaje periodístico que ocurría durante el gobierno del presidente Fujimori en Perú.
La parte de atrás del libro indicaba que sería un romance lésbico entre las dos esposas y por eso lo saqué de la biblioteca, cabe decir que ese tema casi no se tocó más que para agregar descripciones "eróticas" de las relaciones entre las dos mujeres. Claro, con un lenguaje a veces ridículo, que me hizo recordar las críticas a la trilogía de "50 Sombras de Grey". Ningún personaje despierta simpatía, quizá sólo el ingeniero Enrique Cárdenas, que está siendo chantajeado por el jefe de Destapes. Por lo demás, todos los demás personajes se sienten falsos y vacíos, así como unidimensionales.
La escritura es tan rara, que me tuve que recordar muchas veces que esto no es una traducción: esta es la forma en que el autor quiso publicar su obra. La única personaje interesante, La Retaquita, al final tiene un giro en personalidad de 180° sin previo aviso ni sugerencia de que eso pueda ocurrir. Las últimas 100 páginas se sienten como el epílogo más largo del mundo, ya que el conflicto principal se soluciona alrededor de la página 200!!! para qué hacerlo 100 páginas más largo?
En resumen: meeeh, no pierdan su tiempo.
_____________________________________
In this book we follow the events that happen around two main groups of people: a) 2 married couples who are great friends, and the wives start having a romantic/sexual affair. All while one of the husbands gets treats to be publicly humiliated by publishing pics of him during an orgy in a gossips magazine. b) Said magazine's editorial team, and their leader who is the one who tries to blackmail the husband I just mentioned. This book tries to explore politics, corruption and all the messy tactics used by the Fujimori's goverment in Perú.
The summary of this book on its back cover said that it was about a lesbian romance/sexual affair and that was why I checked it out of my library. You'll guess it, that topic was barely mentioned it, except for when we got weird and awkward descriptions of their sexual interactions, that made me thought of "50 Shades of Grey", well, Holy Cow! hahahaha. No character is likable, except maybe the husband who is being blackmailed, but other than that, nope, all of them feel empty and one dimensional characters.
What is even worse is that the writing is so weird that I had to remind myself a couple of times that this in not a translation in any way: this is how the author wrote his book. The only interesting Character, Julieta "La Retaquita" did something by the end that had nothing to do with her character or personality up until that point. And the last 100 pages felt like the biggest epilogue ever!!!! The main conflict felt resolved around page 200, why would you make this a 300 pages book? agh
As a summary I can just say this: meeeeh, don't waste your time
dark
informative
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I don't know if the writing is stilted and awkward or if the translation is... the story was interesting though!
I expected more from Vargas Llosa but this is a failed effort. I have liked his books for a long time but this one is not up to par. The Feast of the Goat and The War of The End of the World are my favorites. Which is why this one is a disappointment. The characters are one-note, one-dimensional. The chapters are repetitive and voyeuristic. More on the context of Peru during the late years of the Fujimori regime, and more on the doings of infamous Vladimiro Montesinos, along with doings of the Shining Path and MRTA would have added some dimensions and depth. Instead, it's mostly rich people complaining about how tiresome the curfew, and terrorism, and kidnappings are. Give this one a hard pass.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I have been reading a lot of authors lately that I have been meaning to try for a long time, which leads me to pick up The Neighborhood by Mario Vargas Llosa. The novel follows two wealthy couples that find themselves embroiled in a salacious scandal, starting with a politically motivated blackmail that lead to photos being published in a gossip magazine. While the actions of one man, this scandal affects not only his own wife but also his lawyer and his wife.
Set in 1990s Lima, The Neighborhood explores the not only the effects of one person’s actions but also the seedy underbelly of Peruvian privilege. Most people are aware of my love for political turmoil in my literature, so this was a book I knew I would need to read. However it was not the political elements that ended up interesting me but the personal affects a scandal had on the people around him. While Enrique is navigating through the blackmail and threats of exposure, his wife is in the midst of a passionate love affair with his lawyer’s wife.
This brings me to the major problem with the novel, sex. I am beginning to wonder why male writers even attempt to write sex scenes because they far too often come across as cringe worthy. The lesbian affair was one of the most interesting aspects of the story but whenever Mario Vargas Llosa started writing about sex, the novel becomes unreadable. This is probably some of the worst sex scenes I have read, and I mean they are worse than people like Haruki Murakami and I think he has won the Bad Sex in Fiction award. (Note: Murakami has not won the award but has been nominated numerous times. Also it is interesting to note the ratio of Men to Women who have won the award; 22 to 2).
Mario Vargas Llosa has this great ability to demonstrate just what is going on in at the time politically. I wanted to learn more about the corruption and politics of 1990s Peru. I think he has a unique ability to blend the political landscape into a personal story. Exploring not just the effects of the country but how it personally affects an individual. Judging by the book, I could not tell you what political views has, but if I had to guess, I would say he was in the centre of the spectrum with a slight lean to the left.
There is so much to really enjoy about The Neighborhood, it is just a shame a vital part of the novel lets the entire book down. Rather than Vargas Llosa writing out his lustful fantasies about lesbians, he could have talked more about the world. Alberto Fujimori was the president at the times and there is a lot there that would be worth mentioning. I would rather explore that to descriptions of armpit licking. Mario Vargas Llosa won the Nobel Prize in Literature, “for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual’s resistance, revolt, and defeat.” To be fair, this was done to perfection. If there were not any sex scenes I would confidently pick up more Mario Vargas Llosa novels, but at the moment, I am too worried.
This review originally appeared on my blog; http://www.knowledgelost.org/book-reviews/genre/contemporary/the-neighborhood-by-mario-vargas-llosa/
Set in 1990s Lima, The Neighborhood explores the not only the effects of one person’s actions but also the seedy underbelly of Peruvian privilege. Most people are aware of my love for political turmoil in my literature, so this was a book I knew I would need to read. However it was not the political elements that ended up interesting me but the personal affects a scandal had on the people around him. While Enrique is navigating through the blackmail and threats of exposure, his wife is in the midst of a passionate love affair with his lawyer’s wife.
This brings me to the major problem with the novel, sex. I am beginning to wonder why male writers even attempt to write sex scenes because they far too often come across as cringe worthy. The lesbian affair was one of the most interesting aspects of the story but whenever Mario Vargas Llosa started writing about sex, the novel becomes unreadable. This is probably some of the worst sex scenes I have read, and I mean they are worse than people like Haruki Murakami and I think he has won the Bad Sex in Fiction award. (Note: Murakami has not won the award but has been nominated numerous times. Also it is interesting to note the ratio of Men to Women who have won the award; 22 to 2).
Mario Vargas Llosa has this great ability to demonstrate just what is going on in at the time politically. I wanted to learn more about the corruption and politics of 1990s Peru. I think he has a unique ability to blend the political landscape into a personal story. Exploring not just the effects of the country but how it personally affects an individual. Judging by the book, I could not tell you what political views has, but if I had to guess, I would say he was in the centre of the spectrum with a slight lean to the left.
There is so much to really enjoy about The Neighborhood, it is just a shame a vital part of the novel lets the entire book down. Rather than Vargas Llosa writing out his lustful fantasies about lesbians, he could have talked more about the world. Alberto Fujimori was the president at the times and there is a lot there that would be worth mentioning. I would rather explore that to descriptions of armpit licking. Mario Vargas Llosa won the Nobel Prize in Literature, “for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual’s resistance, revolt, and defeat.” To be fair, this was done to perfection. If there were not any sex scenes I would confidently pick up more Mario Vargas Llosa novels, but at the moment, I am too worried.
This review originally appeared on my blog; http://www.knowledgelost.org/book-reviews/genre/contemporary/the-neighborhood-by-mario-vargas-llosa/