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narbanian's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
racheladventure's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting but depressing read. The narrator reads as a commentary on a sort of general PTSD in Bogota from the violent past (exhibiting an inability to get past what has happened, while those who were not part of the history seem to be the only ones who can move forward). Well written, and a good read for when I was in Bogota. I need to study more of the history.
londonno's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
samyukta_24's review
4.0
It is an introspective book about the life of a man during the height of drug trafficking in Colombia, during the reign of Pablo Escobar and how a single chance event turns his life around, making him an amateur detective, trying to piece together the events of his life before and after the 1970s. All in all, the words flowed like a tranquil river and I couldn’t put the book down.
jorge5408's review against another edition
3.0
Esperaba demasiado de este libro y terminé medio decepcionado. La historia está muy bien construida, interesa mucho saber todos los datos de la vida de Laverde, pero en su totalidad, me parece un texto bastante convencional. Aprecié más /Las reputaciones/ del mismo autor.
quietdomino's review against another edition
This came at the right time in my life, definitely, but I really enjoyed this book and the way that it (fairly unsympathetically) investigated the ongoingness of experience after a traumatic event.
lizaroo71's review against another edition
3.0
The description of this book is a bit deceptive. It claims to be about Colombia during the reign of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. But the story really focuses on a man, Antonio, that grew up during this volatile time period during the 80's. As an adult, he meets a man in a pool hall. Antonio doesn't really know much about this man except he has just been released from prison. Antonio himself is on the cusp of change when he finds out he is going to be a father. What happens then is a gunshot rings out and changes Antonio's trajectory in life. And this is what the book really focuses on. Yes, we do meet characters that did live through Escobar's drug-ridddled Colombia, but that is not really the point.
It has a surreal quality to it that made it an easy read for me. I was drawn into the story and I liked the characters, but I didn't feel there was much plot to what happens. That said, I will seek out other books by this author.
It has a surreal quality to it that made it an easy read for me. I was drawn into the story and I liked the characters, but I didn't feel there was much plot to what happens. That said, I will seek out other books by this author.
marianacastroe8's review against another edition
3.0
La temática del narcotráfico me produce cierto rechazo porque la siento gastada, tanto en la literatura como en la televisión y el cine colombianos. Esta novela, en todo caso, aborda más que todo el miedo de una generación marcada por una época, con cicatrices no siempre visibles. Por eso me gustó tanto la historia, porque los protagonistas no son los “capos” o “sicarios”. La forma en la que Juan Gabriel Vásquez narra sin esfuerzo resulta envolvente de principio a fin, y sus diálogos me parecieron genuinos en todos los niveles.
¿Habrá algo que nos una más que nuestros muertos y nuestros miedos? Claramente no. Maya y Antonio son la muestra de cómo una generación colombiana comparte los mismos traumas y recuerdos; los mismos dolores y decepciones de un país que se perdió con el narcotráfico.
Lo único que criticaría del libro es cierta liviandad en los personajes, y superficialidad en las relaciones. Pudo haber mejor desarrollo de la relación entre varios de los protagonistas. Solo eso.
¿Habrá algo que nos una más que nuestros muertos y nuestros miedos? Claramente no. Maya y Antonio son la muestra de cómo una generación colombiana comparte los mismos traumas y recuerdos; los mismos dolores y decepciones de un país que se perdió con el narcotráfico.
Lo único que criticaría del libro es cierta liviandad en los personajes, y superficialidad en las relaciones. Pudo haber mejor desarrollo de la relación entre varios de los protagonistas. Solo eso.
bhouse's review against another edition
5.0
loved this book, read like a fever dream, it pulled me in and I couldn't put down.