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lars_k's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
e_forrester's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
carljwood's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ellsoquent's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
solarpunkwitch's review
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, and Violence
bfrearson's review against another edition
2.0
Definitely didn’t get this one. I found the story to be rambling and oddly paced and it feels as if the author has overused his thesaurus in an attempt to show intellectual prowess. In fact the whole story reads like there is some intellectual joke. Maybe I’m not intelligent enough to read it on a deeper level, but even the premise didn’t sit right. The elements of magic don’t serve any purpose except perhaps as a deus ex machina, and the novel would have been the same without it.
Several characters have narratives that have no bearing on the main plot and appear and disappear at random. Act 2 drags and neither advances the plot nor explores the characters more than could be done in a couple of chapters. Act 3 has been hinted at for half of the book and yet amounts to just a handful of pages.
This story manages to ignore the exciting setting and interesting characters, resulting in simple list of events that happen. As I said at the start, maybe I just don’t get it, but overall a disappointing read.
Several characters have narratives that have no bearing on the main plot and appear and disappear at random. Act 2 drags and neither advances the plot nor explores the characters more than could be done in a couple of chapters. Act 3 has been hinted at for half of the book and yet amounts to just a handful of pages.
This story manages to ignore the exciting setting and interesting characters, resulting in simple list of events that happen. As I said at the start, maybe I just don’t get it, but overall a disappointing read.
elviolet's review
5.0
In a very unique story, de Berniéres explores the violence of the Colombian cocaine trade through magical realism and light-hearted comedy. The result is a narrative which combines magical elements and the horrific actions of members of the cartel who torture and murder people in excruciating detail. An evocative, heart-wrenching read.
according_to_jojo's review against another edition
3.0
I'm going to be honest and say I struggled a bit with this book. I really enjoyed the main narrative, although some of the chapters were very difficult (and graphic). Some of the side narratives I found distracting but thankfully chapters are short so were easily digestible. Unlike anything else I've ever read.
patsy12's review
4.0
It doesn’t matter that this is part of a trilogy!!! Just read it!!!
I’m hesitant to say people will like it, but I think magical realism has just become one of my favorite genres :)
I really liked this book, it was very fun and animated with cooky characters. Senor Vivo reminded me of inspector crusoe from the pink panther films (live action), he survives many assassination attempts and doesn’t seem to realize he is the one people want to kill. BUT this book is very sneaky, you get to know the characters, you learn to love them and think ahhhh this is all very happy then BAM the coca lords strike and I am sad and I think oh god drugs and the government and the gringos have done South America very bad. I thought it was very clever, the way the story is so unbelievable but there are elements of truth and idk it’s just good to read something out of your comfort zone.
I also liked the talk about religion in these area, the weird rituals and meshing of religions from the conquistadors, slaves and indigenous people.
Mark really pulled through XD
I’m hesitant to say people will like it, but I think magical realism has just become one of my favorite genres :)
I really liked this book, it was very fun and animated with cooky characters. Senor Vivo reminded me of inspector crusoe from the pink panther films (live action), he survives many assassination attempts and doesn’t seem to realize he is the one people want to kill. BUT this book is very sneaky, you get to know the characters, you learn to love them and think ahhhh this is all very happy then BAM the coca lords strike and I am sad and I think oh god drugs and the government and the gringos have done South America very bad. I thought it was very clever, the way the story is so unbelievable but there are elements of truth and idk it’s just good to read something out of your comfort zone.
I also liked the talk about religion in these area, the weird rituals and meshing of religions from the conquistadors, slaves and indigenous people.
Mark really pulled through XD
tangleroot_eli's review against another edition
4.0
The lushness of magical realism combined with the dry smart-assery of more modern writers. I thought it was a bit of a cop-out to have the climactic show-down described via newspaper article, but other than that, pretty danged awesome.