Reviews

شام by César Aira

mollitorm's review against another edition

dark funny reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

ars410's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No

5.0

My husband recommended this book after he read it and loved it, and at his urging I picked it up this morning and finished it in the same day. I went in without any notion of the plot and am glad I did! I enjoyed the writing style and pacing, and the use of commas and semicolons. Highly recommend if you want something really interesting that you can read in one or two sittings!

juperez's review against another edition

4.0

Reading César Aira is always a treat: bizarre plots and philosophical ramblings meld to deliver a tightly packed fable of sorts. This one concerns memory, identity and a solid fifty pages of the undead set loose upon the inhabitants of a small Argentinian town.

wildgurl's review against another edition

5.0

This slim novel by Argentina Aira, I read in one night, and really enjoyed the book, most esp the ending. The town of Pringle is over run with walking corpses, risen out of their burials.....no one is safe as they demolish everyone in their path to crack their skills and suck out the endorphins. Nothing stops them or slows their pace.........I really liked this book. Familiar but not so familiar......Scarry but not terrifying,unless you live in Pringle......and the ending is so worth the ride for me. Loved it.

michellelouise's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

cl456's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

4.25

time_to_read_23's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.5

elnechnntt's review against another edition

4.0

Impossible to pass on a book endorsed by Patti Smith, and I’m also a sucker for Argentinian literature so double kudos.

This was the first of Cèsar Aira’s books I’ve devoured and it was sublime. Nothing is as it seems in this (satire?) driven novella. At less than 100 pages this is a snack of a book worth your time. I’m definitely invested in seeking out his other works.

rachel_the_managing_editor's review against another edition

3.0

3.54

I kept waiting for the zombies to appear, but by the time they did, I missed the dinner table conversation and the events leading up to the “disaster.” There were some nice anecdotes in there.

Thanks for introducing me to a new word, César by way of Katherine, the translator: oneiric (used twice).

Now I just want Pringles. Sour cream and onion, please.

ananotanna's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0