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dameguillotine's review against another edition
2.0
Me pareció francamente pésimo, aunque tiene algún momento aislado que logra cautivar, sea por la escena o el lenguaje.
La historia es desestructurada, lo que en ciertas ocasiones puede ser algo muy bueno, pero claramente no lo es en este caso: parece querer insistirnos en cuál es el relato que estamos siguiendo, pero la realidad es que relato hay más bien poco. Todo lo que podría haber sido interesante se pierde en un mar de datos y personajes, quizás en la insistencia de una solidez, una exactitud, que la misma narradora alega no perseguir. El resultado es tedioso y aburrido. Me recordó más a hojear artículos de diario que a leer una novela.
Lo que realmente lo volvió insoportable para mí, y lo llevó de lo que podría haber sido un 3/5 a un 2, es el lenguaje. Algunas oraciones sobresalen como un grano reventado; metáforas innecesarias, reflexiones filosóficas casi vacías y, en mi opinión lo más molesto, un sinnúmero de citas de autoridad y referencias. Como mínimo una vez por página (no exagero) la narradora prefacia sus pensamientos con un "hay una famosa frase de" o un "como dicen" o un "recuerdo el pasaje de". Me llamaron la atención desde un principio, pero hacia la mitad del libro ya había encontrado tantos que me empezó a costar naturalizarlos, y cada uno me daba más ganas de abandonar el libro. Llegado un cierto punto empecé a sentirlo como un copypaste, como si la autora hubiera agarrado la sección de frases célebres de Wikipedia y hubiera elegido unas cincuenta para insertar en su novela. Para colmo, junto a las frases armadas vienen los nombres, los poemas, las canciones, las líneas de películas... todo menos la voz propia del libro que uno espera encontrar cuando empieza a leer.
Rescato los cambios en el estilo de prosa; particularmente el catálogo de subasta de las pertenencias de Lydis se me hizo muy lindo. Más allá de eso, es un collage, y en mi opinión uno bastante mal logrado.
La historia es desestructurada, lo que en ciertas ocasiones puede ser algo muy bueno, pero claramente no lo es en este caso: parece querer insistirnos en cuál es el relato que estamos siguiendo, pero la realidad es que relato hay más bien poco. Todo lo que podría haber sido interesante se pierde en un mar de datos y personajes, quizás en la insistencia de una solidez, una exactitud, que la misma narradora alega no perseguir. El resultado es tedioso y aburrido. Me recordó más a hojear artículos de diario que a leer una novela.
Lo que realmente lo volvió insoportable para mí, y lo llevó de lo que podría haber sido un 3/5 a un 2, es el lenguaje. Algunas oraciones sobresalen como un grano reventado; metáforas innecesarias, reflexiones filosóficas casi vacías y, en mi opinión lo más molesto, un sinnúmero de citas de autoridad y referencias. Como mínimo una vez por página (no exagero) la narradora prefacia sus pensamientos con un "hay una famosa frase de" o un "como dicen" o un "recuerdo el pasaje de". Me llamaron la atención desde un principio, pero hacia la mitad del libro ya había encontrado tantos que me empezó a costar naturalizarlos, y cada uno me daba más ganas de abandonar el libro. Llegado un cierto punto empecé a sentirlo como un copypaste, como si la autora hubiera agarrado la sección de frases célebres de Wikipedia y hubiera elegido unas cincuenta para insertar en su novela. Para colmo, junto a las frases armadas vienen los nombres, los poemas, las canciones, las líneas de películas... todo menos la voz propia del libro que uno espera encontrar cuando empieza a leer.
Rescato los cambios en el estilo de prosa; particularmente el catálogo de subasta de las pertenencias de Lydis se me hizo muy lindo. Más allá de eso, es un collage, y en mi opinión uno bastante mal logrado.
booksaremypeople's review against another edition
4.0
Written in impressionistic vignettes, this novel takes place in Argentina in the 1960’s and the story is told through an unnamed narrator who used to be a well-known art critic until she was seduced by the dark side of counterfeit art. In her early 20’s she was taken under the wing of a woman named Enriqueta who confessed that she’d been forging art certificates of authenticity for over four decades. The forgery, for Enriquita was never about making money, it was about deeper, more philosophical questions about arts itself, like, what makes art valuable and, if it’s in the aesthetics, can’t a replica bring about the same sort of pleasure. Once Enriquetta passes away, the narrator is at the center of a new catalogue involving a famous painter’s objects, supposedly carried with them while fleeing the Nazi’s from Vienna to Argentina. The story, narrated by someone the readers understand to be a con artist, makes for a mind-bending read, because we don’t quite know how much we can trust that she is telling us. This is a book about art and the relationship between art and story and I think this book will appeal to fans of Rachel Cusk, art enthusiasts and people who enjoy reading books in translation. To learn more about this and other books, listen to my book recommendation podcast, Books Are My People.
soy_sputnik's review against another edition
4.0
Me encanta cómo cuenta las cosas maría gainza. Es graciosa a su manera. Y esa forma de ser graciosa además está cargada de inteligencia y astucia y conocimiento sobre detalles del arte que yo desconozco pero quisiera conocer más. Quiero seguirla leyendo.
laurenrdsteis's review against another edition
2.0
This was a huge miss for me. Maybe it was because I listened to the audio rather than reading the physical book? Maybe just not in the right headspace for it now? Maybe I set unfair expectations? I went into it really excited about the art forgery aspect but was unimpressed. I feel unsatisfied and almost gave up on it entirely but it's such a short read so I stuck it out. Just not my cup of tea I suppose!
the_spines's review against another edition
4.0
Lovely and very ethereal. Did a lot of underlining in this book! Art and forgeries are of particular interest to me so I could see it being a little less entertaining for those who aren't as into the subject matter. But gorgeously written, such vibes.
booksnpunks's review against another edition
3.0
This was a really strange book which is heavily inspired by surrealism and I feel art movements of the 1930s. We follow a woman who is entering the world of art forgery and doing what she can to track down the mastermind behind the forgeries her new employer used to work for. Through the novel we learn the history of a group of artists and intellectuals who banded together to pull of some of the most famous and scandalous art forgeries and make loads of money.
I adored the first part of the novel where we are following the narrator in her new job and getting to know her new boss and the art world. I felt like in the middle it got really strange and this was the part where I felt the inspiration from surrealist movement was most at play as I found it went off track a bit and I wasn’t as interested. As it got nearer to the end I started to like it a bit more again but I just wished it had sustained it’s narrative and pace a bit better as I would have enjoyed it a lot more. I know that the change in form is important to the book in how it mirrors art movements such as Dadaism but for a reading experience and narrative point of view I felt like it took away rather than added.
I adored the first part of the novel where we are following the narrator in her new job and getting to know her new boss and the art world. I felt like in the middle it got really strange and this was the part where I felt the inspiration from surrealist movement was most at play as I found it went off track a bit and I wasn’t as interested. As it got nearer to the end I started to like it a bit more again but I just wished it had sustained it’s narrative and pace a bit better as I would have enjoyed it a lot more. I know that the change in form is important to the book in how it mirrors art movements such as Dadaism but for a reading experience and narrative point of view I felt like it took away rather than added.
tormentademar's review against another edition
3.0
“Curioso: he notado que una no escribe ni para recordar ni para olvidar, ni para encontrar alivio ni para curarse de una pena. Una escribe para auscultarse, para entender qué tiene dentro”
shilten_k's review
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
sonyalaw5's review against another edition
4.0
“Any person reading this ought not to expect names, numbers, or dates. The stuff of my tale has slipped through my fingers, all that remains now is a little of the atmosphere; my techniques are those of the impressionist, and not even the neo-kind.”
elliottfinch's review against another edition
4.0
discusses the value of authenticity in art in a truly impressionistic way. beautifully written and a pleasure to read, but at times difficult to understand. individual characters glow like portrait subjects. you see an image of them exactly how they would like to be seen, and then they are gone. a unique book that is definitely not for everyone.