captainfez's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
booccmaster's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
alostarre's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-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? Yes
4.0
freewaygods's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
This book will put you in a trance, a state of religious ecstacy. Glossolalia, transubstantiation, the fulfillment of all prophecy. It's hard to describe beyond the fact that this book offers a transformative experience, getting lost in its millenary prose.
patrickkanouse's review against another edition
5.0
A masterpiece of a fiction. Impossible to summarize.
jake_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
While reading it I was happy to sail along on this sea of words; while not reading it I found myself confused and frustrated at what all of it meant. There are a number of memorable scenes and images, and the ambition of the book is admirable, but I couldn't identify a sufficiently strong unifying theme or feeling while or after reading it. To get the most out of this, you should be someone who 1) likes modernist and maximalist books, 2) likes surreal imagery which is at times gothic, at times religious, at times mythical, at times putrescent, 3) has not only an interest but also some knowledge and understanding of Latin American literature, culture and history.
Edit: I have fond memories of this book - I would recommend it despite my relatively low rating and I may read it again in the future.
Edit: I have fond memories of this book - I would recommend it despite my relatively low rating and I may read it again in the future.
dadoodoflow's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
kingkong's review
5.0
Everyone in this book is insane and is trying to fuck, kill or mutilate someone, and its also about history repeating itself like all his other books
zah2102's review
5.0
The post-script says it all: "Terra Nostra is an immense dream in which history is performed by endlessly reincarnated characters who say to us: it is always us, we are the same who go on playing the game of history." You have to be very ambitious, persistent and patient to take on this book-- fragmented in time and space, and purposefully relentless in its repetition, it seeks to orient the mind around character constructs, and demonstrate how endless elaboration of these character constructs over time created the trajectory of Latin American history and politics.