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eloisesal's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Read this for my reading around the world challenge on Storygraph. That's Angola ticked off!!
I can't say I've ever read anything like this, it is narrated by a gecko and blurs the lines between reality and imagination. I found the story kind of hard to follow at times, and it wasn't much of a page turner, but I loved the musings on truth and life, and learnt a lot about Angola despite it being fiction.
The problem with reading books from places you don't know anything about is that you miss some of the cultural and political significance - I understand that there's a wider relevance to what I'm reading but lack the context to understand. But in this case it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.
I can't say I've ever read anything like this, it is narrated by a gecko and blurs the lines between reality and imagination. I found the story kind of hard to follow at times, and it wasn't much of a page turner, but I loved the musings on truth and life, and learnt a lot about Angola despite it being fiction.
The problem with reading books from places you don't know anything about is that you miss some of the cultural and political significance - I understand that there's a wider relevance to what I'm reading but lack the context to understand. But in this case it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.
theaceofpages's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book had a rather unique narrator which is what initially drew me in. While being a fly, erm gecko (no, not a chameleon), on the wall to some rather interesting occurrences, I did find myself wishing that chapters had been a bit longer as the short snippets did make it feel a bit jumpy at times. That being said, it was still an interesting one.
anaceciliaav's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kba76's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I seem to be in the minority in finding this rather underwhelming.
Our narrator is a gecko that used to be human. The chapters are brief to the point of feeling incoherent at times, and there is no plot to speak of.
A series of thoughts on life and things people encounter. Some of the sections caught my interest but as a whole I’m struggling to find much to say about this.
Our narrator is a gecko that used to be human. The chapters are brief to the point of feeling incoherent at times, and there is no plot to speak of.
A series of thoughts on life and things people encounter. Some of the sections caught my interest but as a whole I’m struggling to find much to say about this.
mi__ela's review against another edition
reflective
4.0
Nothing passes, nor expires. The past is now a sleeping river, seeming dead, just barely breathing–But rouse it and it bursts to life
This is a book about memory and its traps, and about the construction of identities.
It is set in Angola, who was coming out of a Marxist dictatorship and a civil war, and one where people feel the need to reinvent themselves. Our guy, Felix Ventura does that for his clients -- reinvents their past.
I enjoyed a lot the fact that its narrative voice is the voice of a gecko, idk, I found that very entertaining. With a little murder and vengeance sprinkled on the side, I can say that this was a good read while on vacation
autumnallune's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Gun violence
blueyorkie's review against another edition
5.0
Sometimes, on the literary road, we encounter surprising stories, a style, subjects, and poetry that touch us without knowing why. For example, we cannot explain some romances; once the reading ends, we ask ourselves questions about what happened.
That's what happened to me with the merchant of the past. Reading the back cover, I expected anything but that.
The narrator, a gecko who was once a man, like Scheherazade, tells us about the life that passes in the house he has chosen, that of Félix Ventura. Through concise chapters that may seem disjointed between dream and reality, the reader is almost hypnotized by the story.
The strength of José Eduardo Agualusa's novel is not in the story's plot, which is very inconsistent in itself. However, the questions it suggests are about the weight of the past, one's pride, each person's history, the lie, the truncated reality, and the memoir solidities.
Along the way, we will reveal some snippets of Angola's history in the background. Poetic writing is a dreamlike story tinged with a fantasy that we hesitate to qualify as soft or violent—a bizarre reading.
That's what happened to me with the merchant of the past. Reading the back cover, I expected anything but that.
The narrator, a gecko who was once a man, like Scheherazade, tells us about the life that passes in the house he has chosen, that of Félix Ventura. Through concise chapters that may seem disjointed between dream and reality, the reader is almost hypnotized by the story.
The strength of José Eduardo Agualusa's novel is not in the story's plot, which is very inconsistent in itself. However, the questions it suggests are about the weight of the past, one's pride, each person's history, the lie, the truncated reality, and the memoir solidities.
Along the way, we will reveal some snippets of Angola's history in the background. Poetic writing is a dreamlike story tinged with a fantasy that we hesitate to qualify as soft or violent—a bizarre reading.
ana_qq's review against another edition
3.0
Foi o primeiro livro deste escritor que li. O livro tem uma escrita límpida e imaginativa, a começar pelo narrador que é uma osga. A história vai e vem como uma maré de memórias onde se diluem passados e vidas possíveis. Ao lê-lo tive uma vaga e agradável sensação de irrealidade. No entanto a leitura não me prendeu, senti-a equivalente a um passeio ameno de fim de tarde.
ritaralha's review against another edition
4.0
Mais uma estreia e muito boa por sinal.
Uma osga que já foi em tempos um homem e que vive vendo os outros viver.
Um homem que vende passados àqueles que querem mudar o futuro.
Um futuro que não sabemos se é real ou mais uma partida da nossa imaginação.
Uma osga que já foi em tempos um homem e que vive vendo os outros viver.
Um homem que vende passados àqueles que querem mudar o futuro.
Um futuro que não sabemos se é real ou mais uma partida da nossa imaginação.