Reviews

El ABC de Byobu by Ida Vitale

aaacalli's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

Essentially a book of essays, not fictional vignettes. I believe marketing this as experimental fiction is incorrect; I would call it a philosophy book above all else. Byobu as a "character" is simply a way for Vitale to set the scene to realistically share her philosophies...a scapegoat or a logical method? Depends on your perspective. Ironically, one of the essays speaks about how no thought is truly original, but I find many of Vitale's philosophies to be genuinely original, at least in the written word. I feel that many of them are things many of us have thought about before but they remained unwritten because nobody could find the perfect words...until now. The book ends with a ladder of aphorisms that are a bit cheesy but they have profoundness in them as well. When you realize Vitale is pushing one hundred years old and is still alive, it makes you think of this all in a different perspective. If I'm not mistaken, this book is fairly recent, and the translation to English even more so, so I imagine her sense of mortality was really weighing and impending upon her whilst writing this. Sometimes the arguments are a bit self-important and pretentious and I am sure even such a famous writer was not immune to using a thesaurus given how extra some of the diction is, but this really makes you think, it just has a marketing issue. I will buy the physical copy of the English translation for my home to console me on a rainy day. Another note: "Byobu"'s experiences are very reminiscent of those of us on the spectrum.

magicholly's review against another edition

hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

carolinethereader's review against another edition

3.0

The book is 35ish stories about our extremely observant, almost paranoid, main character Byobu. Some incredible, playful use of language throughout. At times lots of fun, at others just so so confusing.
I loved the inventive use of words but finished this book a little unsure of what I'd read. I definitely had a good time though!

erikmikkus's review against another edition

slow-paced

3.0

miwsher's review against another edition

reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, which consists of a series of vignettes of the life of Byobu. The prose is beautiful but I am left thoroughly confused as to what I read, so that I don't feel able to rate this.

lexiesophocli's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

naddie_reads's review against another edition

3.75

Loved this; there are times when I can appreciate books which are laden with beautiful prose, and this one falls into this specific category. (I have a feeling its length plays an important part of my appreciation of such prose too, heh.)

krammedshelf's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

julziez's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

tinyhousebookworm's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Byobu by Ida Vitale (translated from the Spanish by Sean Manning and published by Charco Press)

Byobu is a peculiar character for whom I feel sympathy. Vitale uses vignettes to let us glimpse into Byobu's life. We are not told about his adventures or the outstanding moments in his life, instead we are witnesses of the moments in between, his everyday rituals and ruminations. There's no story or plot but there are beautiful words.

"Byobu is a believer of insignificant knowledge: tidbits of wisdom, condemned to disappear because those who take pleasure in sharing them are scarce".

"He loves the soil, that moist soil underneath, black and loamy, which he rids of its tiny pebbles - placed into a pile - and minute premature bulbs. His enthusiasm takes him to the earthworm, which springs from the darkness, a vibratile thread from the fragrant humus, a contortionist twisting gratuitously in disagreement with the light, aggravating its drama."

"An irrefutable, empty silence envelops him. Someone may think this is what silence is always like. That person hasn't heard the marvellous plenitude of generous silences."

"And on a different note,' said Byobu, who possessed an intractable inclination to complicate topics, multiplying them. He would open parentheses and not always find an opportune time to close them. This unexpected aperture had a propensity for accepting some new thematic offering. Was this a form of charity, not leaving any idea out in the cold, however removed it may be from the topic that was, for everyone else, at hand? The world loves conversations in straight lines and single-minded strides. Intersections divert. Labyrinths confound. Knots are usually despised, since the days of Alexander, when he was yet to be Great. But Byobu doesn't right his rhizomatic prolongations."

I felt sympathy for this character maybe because like Byobu, I also focus on things that are deemed as insignificant by others, I thrive in the in-between moments, and like Byobu I care about forgotten corners. Everyday I try to remember that life is not made by the infrequent big adventures or moments but by tiny moments that if looked at with attention reveal so much beauty.