You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
Beautiful translation, I wanted to read certain passages over and over. The ending frustrated me at first, but after thinking about Mallarino and who he is as a character (and narrator), the ending makes perfect sense.
I don't really know how I felt about this one... It was interesting enough and thankfully short enough too, as I think any longer and I might have given up... Not because it was bad, but because I just couldn't really understand it??? I'm not sure if that is a fault of mine for not being 'intellectual' enough or simply not being from that culture - that is South American and hyper critical of the politics in my country especially when the risk of harming myself or others through that criticism is very real.
I did enjoy his writing style so I might have a look and see if his other work sounds interesting enough AND has been translated. Unfortunately I don't love him enough to attempt to read it in the original Spanish, unlike how I felt after reading [b:Signs Preceding the End of the World|21535546|Signs Preceding the End of the World|Yuri Herrera|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1398195367s/21535546.jpg|15089950] by [a:Yuri Herrera|1822424|Yuri Herrera|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1354560366p2/1822424.jpg].
https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress.com/
I did enjoy his writing style so I might have a look and see if his other work sounds interesting enough AND has been translated. Unfortunately I don't love him enough to attempt to read it in the original Spanish, unlike how I felt after reading [b:Signs Preceding the End of the World|21535546|Signs Preceding the End of the World|Yuri Herrera|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1398195367s/21535546.jpg|15089950] by [a:Yuri Herrera|1822424|Yuri Herrera|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1354560366p2/1822424.jpg].
https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress.com/
This is my second book by Vasquez and it is refreshing to read a current story about Columbia that is not dripping in blood and violence. Vasquez strikes me a a writer more influenced by Europe and America than by Columbia. In Reputation, political cartoonist - Javier Mallarino is being awarded a national honor and we aware that he is indeed a national treasure for Columbia, loved and admired by those who have no power; despised by those that do. In the story, a story from his past come back to haunt him, casting doubt to himself about his integrity. A short and very enjoyable read.
I have a writer’s crush on Juan Gabriel Vasquez. This younger generation of great Colombian writers is the anti-magical realist. He’s all about realism. His powerful novels implicate dirty politicians and angry zealots and in Reputations he tackles the impact of media on the politics and perversions of the culture and the individual. I have no idea what it takes to make a great translation. I only know there is a difference between them. So it is no mean feat to read a novel written in Spanish, translated by Anne McLean, that feels as if we are reading the language where it is set and miraculously understanding every word. Javier Mallarino, the protagonist, is the country’s most influential political cartoonist. He defers to no one and has caricatured just about everyone of importance. His cartoons have influenced legal decisions and destroyed careers. Those in power revere him and the story revolves around an event where he is honored for his lifetime’s work, and when he is approached by a young woman in pursuit of understanding her own history, which is revealed to be intertwined with the master cartoonist. Through simple elegant prose and a seemingly straightforward story, JGV invites the reader to consider how our lives intersect and change in a moment, even those we never notice or considered of consequence, until it is. And what does influence really mean for any one individual? If you haven’t yet experienced Juan Gabriel Vasquez, start with my favorite, The Sound of Things Falling, which take a hard unflinchingly honest look at the Colombian culture.
Juan Gabriel Vásquez is an incredibly good writer. His book [b:The Sound of Things Falling|16171259|The Sound of Things Falling|Juan Gabriel Vásquez|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1356199047s/16171259.jpg|16294155] was one of the great surprise pleasure reads of last year for me. That book perfectly encapsulates the difficult and lost years of an entire generation of young people in Columbia. The narrative thread moving back and forth in time felt perfectly placed, and the many small shocks that rippled through the story all resonated through my spine. I will carry some of the images of that book with me for a long time. Reputations is a lighter story, with a simpler plot, but it still explores questions of responsibility and honor. I was not as enamored with the romantic subplot, nor was I as surprised or delighted by the unfolding story. I found the ending slightly too clever and opaque. That said, Vásquez is a wonderful writer and I was eager to turn each page while reading this book. What more can be hoped than that?
“The important thing in our society is not what goes on, but who tells us what goes on.” So says Javier Mallarino, the most important political cartoonist in his country. Feared and adored equally for his ruthless drawings interpreting current events, his self-regard is as large as his legend. But when a visitor from his past appears with a devastating accusation, he begins to examine his legacy and question his life’s work. This novel shines a light on the dark psychological corners of self-righteous indignation.
A quiet, reflective novel concerning the power and vulnerability of reputations. This slim work may have a minimalist storyline, but it carries strong perceptions. This likely explains the mixed reviews; the plot might be a little too slow for some, but others probably came away impressed with it's implications. I fall somewhere in between. It is certainly good, however.
Maybe 3.5 stars.
Vásquez's writing is beautiful. Reputations is about a political cartoonist named Javier Mallarino and his legacy, it reflects on how he got to be so acclaimed and puts the idea of a person's reputation under a microscope.
My one complaint, which is a pretty large one, is that the storyline with Samanta Leal was glossed over. I wish it had been fleshed out or resolved a little more. However, it does make sense that Mallarino was more concerned with himself and his role in the incident.
Vásquez's writing is beautiful. Reputations is about a political cartoonist named Javier Mallarino and his legacy, it reflects on how he got to be so acclaimed and puts the idea of a person's reputation under a microscope.
My one complaint, which is a pretty large one, is that the storyline with Samanta Leal was glossed over. I wish it had been fleshed out or resolved a little more. However, it does make sense that Mallarino was more concerned with himself and his role in the incident.
For me, the most enjoyable part of this book was its use of language- its detailed sentences, lengthy but controlled. I'm not an expert on translations but this seemed like a very strong one (the prose was absolutely gorgeous, and I kept forgetting that it was actually a translation). In terms of plot, I wasn't blown away, but that's largely since it was too male-POV-centric for my taste, and not much really happens (it's definitely a novella-sized plot). However, I kept reading it for its lovely sentences, such as:
"But where is it? Where does the past go when it changes? In which folds of our world are they hiding, cowardly and ashamed, the events that had been unable to remain, to keep being true in spite of the wear and tear of time, to win their place in human history?" (144) Pretty resonant in this first week of "alternative facts."
and:
"There, thought Mallarino, lay the origin of our dissatisfaction and sadness: the impossibility of sharing memory with others." (145)
"But where is it? Where does the past go when it changes? In which folds of our world are they hiding, cowardly and ashamed, the events that had been unable to remain, to keep being true in spite of the wear and tear of time, to win their place in human history?" (144) Pretty resonant in this first week of "alternative facts."
and:
"There, thought Mallarino, lay the origin of our dissatisfaction and sadness: the impossibility of sharing memory with others." (145)