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krissshto's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
anyajulchen's review against another edition
5.0
Un mes me tomó terminar este libro. No porque fuera malo ni por falta de tiempo, más bien, no quería que se terminara. El personaje de Roger Casement es interesante, por decir menos, además que la pluma de Vargas Llosa sabe agregarle un tono mítico, casi celestial, que siempre ha sido mi debilidad a la hora de la lectura.
Es un libro que me ha despertado muchos sentimientos y reflexionar. Fue un buen viaje.
Es un libro que me ha despertado muchos sentimientos y reflexionar. Fue un buen viaje.
uhambe_nami's review against another edition
3.0
El sueño del celta (Dream of the Celt) is the story of Roger Casement who exposed the atrocities committed by King Leopold II in Congo and by Julio Arana's rubber company in the Peruvian Amazon, and was executed for treason in 1916 after his involvement with the Irish independence movement.
Vargas Llosa chose to tell this story in the format of a historical novel. At the opening of the novel, we find Casement in his prison cell, longing for a bath and musing over the events of his life. What follows is an overview of his experiences in Congo, where he met with Henry M. Stanley and with Joseph Conrad and slowly became aware of the awful reality of slavery and exploitation of the Congolese; in the Amazon where indigenous workers were forced to collect rubber under horrible circumstances, and finally his activities for the Irish independence movement. The novel doesn't shy away from the issues around his homosexuality that were revealed through his "Black Diaries" with cryptic entries such as "Public bathroom. Enormous, very hard, at least nine inches" which were considered scandalous at that time and (unfairly, I think) used against him at his trial.
Vargas Llosa was a journalist before he became a writer, and it shows. He certainly did his research well, but that is where the problem lies with the book. The historical facts are summed up as if it were a collage of encyclopaedia entries and newspaper clippings, full of facts, dates and more facts. After pages and pages of historical facts, it becomes tedious and one feels tempted to skim through the information rather than reading it all line by line.
Which is a pity, because the history of Roger Casement is the story of an extraordinary man whose courage and battle for human rights should never be forgotten.
Vargas Llosa chose to tell this story in the format of a historical novel. At the opening of the novel, we find Casement in his prison cell, longing for a bath and musing over the events of his life. What follows is an overview of his experiences in Congo, where he met with Henry M. Stanley and with Joseph Conrad and slowly became aware of the awful reality of slavery and exploitation of the Congolese; in the Amazon where indigenous workers were forced to collect rubber under horrible circumstances, and finally his activities for the Irish independence movement. The novel doesn't shy away from the issues around his homosexuality that were revealed through his "Black Diaries" with cryptic entries such as "Public bathroom. Enormous, very hard, at least nine inches" which were considered scandalous at that time and (unfairly, I think) used against him at his trial.
Vargas Llosa was a journalist before he became a writer, and it shows. He certainly did his research well, but that is where the problem lies with the book. The historical facts are summed up as if it were a collage of encyclopaedia entries and newspaper clippings, full of facts, dates and more facts. After pages and pages of historical facts, it becomes tedious and one feels tempted to skim through the information rather than reading it all line by line.
Which is a pity, because the history of Roger Casement is the story of an extraordinary man whose courage and battle for human rights should never be forgotten.
angeladobre's review against another edition
4.0
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ashkitty93's review
2.0
This feels like it probably should/would have been a nonfiction piece save for the dialogue. It comes across as a mass of information, and any story takes a hard backseat because things bounce around so much. I applaud Vargas Llosa's clearly exhaustive research, but this is not what I was hoping for.
Popsugar 2022: Latinx author
Popsugar 2022: Latinx author
niha42's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sarahbringhurstfamilia's review
4.0
I read the first 50 pages of this book in the original Spanish, but then switched over to the English translation because #1 I'm too lazy to spend that much time with the dictionary and #2 it was just too weird to picture this Irish guy speaking Spanish.
I really liked the intermittent flashback format, because it gave the book (and the main character's life) coherence. Whatever the later controversies of his life, Roger Casement has my respect and admiration for his tireless and self-sacrificing quest to rid the world of injustice. Over a couple of decades, he courageously persevered in exposing the Rubber Barons' horrific abuses of native peoples in the Congo and Peru, despite death threats, severe illness, and extreme emotional strain.
The last third of the book, which deals with the struggle for Irish independence, is not as readable. Casement's claim that colonialism in Ireland was essentially the same as in the Congo is not really credible. Still, I have a soft spot for Irish revolutionaries, and I am so glad that he can rest in peace now knowing that his country is free.
The work is subtitled "A Novel," but it reads much more like a biography. I wish that Llosa had included something at the end to assist the reader in separating fact from fiction. I'd like to know how much the Roger Casement I grew to care about is like the real one.
Although the "Black Diaries" are admittedly an important part of the plot (and I think it's sick and tragic how the British government made use of them), I didn't really appreciate reading so much out of them. Llosa's claim that they were authored by Casement but largely fantasies rather than descriptions of real exploits seemed a little weird, but I'm not really qualified to judge its merits.
Advisory: For those who, like me, are prudish to some degree, be aware that there is some sexual content (i.e. the contents of said "black diaries") in this book.
I really liked the intermittent flashback format, because it gave the book (and the main character's life) coherence. Whatever the later controversies of his life, Roger Casement has my respect and admiration for his tireless and self-sacrificing quest to rid the world of injustice. Over a couple of decades, he courageously persevered in exposing the Rubber Barons' horrific abuses of native peoples in the Congo and Peru, despite death threats, severe illness, and extreme emotional strain.
The last third of the book, which deals with the struggle for Irish independence, is not as readable. Casement's claim that colonialism in Ireland was essentially the same as in the Congo is not really credible. Still, I have a soft spot for Irish revolutionaries, and I am so glad that he can rest in peace now knowing that his country is free.
The work is subtitled "A Novel," but it reads much more like a biography. I wish that Llosa had included something at the end to assist the reader in separating fact from fiction. I'd like to know how much the Roger Casement I grew to care about is like the real one.
Although the "Black Diaries" are admittedly an important part of the plot (and I think it's sick and tragic how the British government made use of them), I didn't really appreciate reading so much out of them. Llosa's claim that they were authored by Casement but largely fantasies rather than descriptions of real exploits seemed a little weird, but I'm not really qualified to judge its merits.
Advisory: For those who, like me, are prudish to some degree, be aware that there is some sexual content (i.e. the contents of said "black diaries") in this book.
humito's review against another edition
challenging
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0