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A review by lucysbookshelf
The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas by Machado de Assis
5.0
This was a recommendation from one of my friends who is from Brazil and since he read this book, he wouldn't stop praising Machado de Assis' genius and his witty writing.
Starting this book I had some big expectations about the writing being witty, fun and flowing freely and those were met perfectly.
The idea of a man writing his memoirs being already dead is so original and it's a mix of fun and melancholy. Given that our author is dead, he doesn't shy away from criticizing, showing his love and his resentment, his joys and his regrets (mostly the latter) and of making fun of people he once met.
The funniest thing was the descriptions he made, such as "lame Venus" and "concentrated hospital", both being allusions to characters.
The story had moments where Brás' thoughts intercepted and showed us his philosophy, his shame at something to come or his true feelings about it. It also flowed well with short chapters and the author's unique perception of people, their intentions and their weaknesses. And something that I always enjoy in books is when the author talks to the reader directly to judge or try to influence.
What impacted me the most, was how the character kept regretting not having kids, asking himself who would he leave his legacy of human misery, but the answer is pretty simple and it's that he is leaving that legacy to us, his readers.
I'll say that if you enjoy some dark humor, negativity in characters and are not looking for the perfect hero, then you'll love this book as much as I have.
Starting this book I had some big expectations about the writing being witty, fun and flowing freely and those were met perfectly.
The idea of a man writing his memoirs being already dead is so original and it's a mix of fun and melancholy. Given that our author is dead, he doesn't shy away from criticizing, showing his love and his resentment, his joys and his regrets (mostly the latter) and of making fun of people he once met.
The funniest thing was the descriptions he made, such as "lame Venus" and "concentrated hospital", both being allusions to characters.
The story had moments where Brás' thoughts intercepted and showed us his philosophy, his shame at something to come or his true feelings about it. It also flowed well with short chapters and the author's unique perception of people, their intentions and their weaknesses. And something that I always enjoy in books is when the author talks to the reader directly to judge or try to influence.
What impacted me the most, was how the character kept regretting not having kids, asking himself who would he leave his legacy of human misery, but the answer is pretty simple and it's that he is leaving that legacy to us, his readers.
I'll say that if you enjoy some dark humor, negativity in characters and are not looking for the perfect hero, then you'll love this book as much as I have.