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lexiscott1's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-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? It's complicated
2.0
cant remember anything , it was just too political and oh my days i cannot remember all those names (Dostoyevsky style )
dariuskay's review against another edition
3.0
This is a book that feels long in every section. The first 250 pages are largely introductory, although the initial campaigns to put down the Canudos rebels do happen in the beginning parts. The story and reserved style (and rich imagination) do much to make the book compelling, but ultimately this is very fatiguing.
mariafernandagama's review against another edition
4.0
As a Brazilian who learned about Canudos in school, I have to say I didn't really know much about it before reading this book. I had no idea that three military expeditions were crushed trying to reach the community, and most surprisingly, I had no idea that 25 thousand people were killed when the fourth one finally succeeded. It makes me sad to think that I don't know my own history as much as I should.
But anyway, this book, although inspired by true events, is mostly fiction. Several characters, their lives and their complex feelings and morals were invented by the author, and some of the characters that did exist are also reimagined by the author in their intimate and private lives. I feel this is a testament to the author's ability to create characters that are entirely human and therefore are deeply flawed, even though their intentions might be good. I felt weirdly fascinated by the way he pictures Galileo Gall: we never doubt his radical beliefs are real in his heart, but we also get to despise him for being so profoundly alienated to the people he believes he's trying to protect. He dismisses the religious core that is the base to the rebellion, instead convincing himself that this is just an unimportant mask to the real revolutionary reasons that are making poor people finally stand up to their opressors. His arrogance blinds him to the fact that he too is not capable of taking them seriously. And when he turns out to be a disgusting rapist and disgraces a young woman for life, he can't respect her enough to understand that he has disturbed a very serious tradition, and that now he is expected to die by the hands of her husband.
This woman is my favourite character, by the way. I love her journey from unimportant side character to becoming a big and powerful influence by the end of the book. I also love how she is able to find happiness and love in the midst of chaos and absolute violence. She deserves it, after spending her life catering to men's desires.
And there are so many other interesting characters, I could spend hours and hours talking about them. Curiously, the one character that doesn't inspire much attention is the one that started this whole mess - Antonio Conselheiro. I feel like this is the only possible way to teel this story, though. We can never know if he really believed the things he preached, so it makes sense that in the book, as in real life, he has no other alternative but to remain a mistery to us. Through his words and his blessing, terrible assassins transformed into pious, repented believers. He convinced 25 thousand people to deny the government and everything else and isolate themselves in a community that was bound to be dismantled from the beginning. This is what we know about him, and the rest we can only imagine.
But anyway, this book, although inspired by true events, is mostly fiction. Several characters, their lives and their complex feelings and morals were invented by the author, and some of the characters that did exist are also reimagined by the author in their intimate and private lives. I feel this is a testament to the author's ability to create characters that are entirely human and therefore are deeply flawed, even though their intentions might be good. I felt weirdly fascinated by the way he pictures Galileo Gall: we never doubt his radical beliefs are real in his heart, but we also get to despise him for being so profoundly alienated to the people he believes he's trying to protect. He dismisses the religious core that is the base to the rebellion, instead convincing himself that this is just an unimportant mask to the real revolutionary reasons that are making poor people finally stand up to their opressors. His arrogance blinds him to the fact that he too is not capable of taking them seriously. And when he turns out to be a disgusting rapist and disgraces a young woman for life, he can't respect her enough to understand that he has disturbed a very serious tradition, and that now he is expected to die by the hands of her husband.
This woman is my favourite character, by the way. I love her journey from unimportant side character to becoming a big and powerful influence by the end of the book. I also love how she is able to find happiness and love in the midst of chaos and absolute violence. She deserves it, after spending her life catering to men's desires.
And there are so many other interesting characters, I could spend hours and hours talking about them. Curiously, the one character that doesn't inspire much attention is the one that started this whole mess - Antonio Conselheiro. I feel like this is the only possible way to teel this story, though. We can never know if he really believed the things he preached, so it makes sense that in the book, as in real life, he has no other alternative but to remain a mistery to us. Through his words and his blessing, terrible assassins transformed into pious, repented believers. He convinced 25 thousand people to deny the government and everything else and isolate themselves in a community that was bound to be dismantled from the beginning. This is what we know about him, and the rest we can only imagine.
angeladobre's review against another edition
5.0
https://booknation.ro/recenzie-razboiul-sfarsitului-lumii-de-mario-vargas-llosa/
alexbirsan's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
jayrinehart's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.25
mandydragn's review against another edition
3.0
At first I didn't think I would like it, but the author creates really interesting characters that come to life. I became emotionally invested in them and couldn't wait to find out what happened to them.
megea's review against another edition
3.0
I had a hard time focusing on this novel. Maybe it was timing. I started reading it while I was in the last throes of my Ph.D. Or maybe it's just a difficult book. It seemed like there was a new character introduced about every five pages, most of whom were named either João or Antônio. Consequently, because the same action was described as it affected several different characters, the narration was not so much linear as hopscotchy. All of which made it hard to keep exactly what was going on straight. About a quarter of the way in I turned in my dissertation, Vargas Llosa more or less settled on a final cast of characters (though a few more were picked up along the way, just not at such a rapid rate as before), and the novel gained momentum. But still, I'm not sure if it was all worth it...
orlion's review against another edition
5.0
Whew! What a ride. I should qualify that: it is not a 'thriller' sort of ride, though there is some suspense. It is a very literary sort of ride, where the human condition and soul are examined clearly with the rose-tinted glasses shattered on the ground. As a result, this is the most brutal, honest book that I have read to date. It is also, at least according to the brief experience I've had in a Hispanic country, accurate in its portrayal of noble and peasant classes; of ideologies with the type of people that follow and fight for them; of the stubborn persistence of humanity to preserve life even in the most insufferable conditions.
The War of the End of the World is about the Canudos War in Brazil at the end of the 19th century. The Brazilian monarchy had just been overthrown and replaced with the Republic. During this politically unstable time, Bahia ( a northern state of Brazil) has just been decimated by famine, plagues, and roving bands of merciless outlaws. Into this apocalyptic state wanders the enigmatic and charismatic Counselor, a wondering religious teacher around which gather the poor, the prosecuted, and the criminal seeking salvation. When the Republic tries to raise taxes and institute civil marriage in all its districts, the Counselor denounces the Republic as the Anti-Christ and convinces his followers to renounce money, civil marriage, and the metric system as devices of the Dog (Satan) and his Protestant/Freemason followers. They establish themselves in a remote town of Canudos where they establish their own peaceful society, and where the Republic will send armies to squash the rebellion.
Any familiar with these historic events will realize that Llosa's book is not going to be a pretty read. For those who know nothing of these events (the vast majority of English readers, I imagine) I shall list: this book is full of violence, war atrocities, human suffering caused by natural and man-made situations, famine, torture, rape, bombardments, and so forth. If you, as a reader, can not tolerate any or all of this list, it is recommended that you pick another book. I hear that Mario Vargas Llosa's Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter is a much more lighthearted read. Then again, I feel that for those of us who are more fortunate to not be born in terrible situations such as these, it is our duty to seek out the best written accounts on the subject so that we know of these situations and understand how the world behaves better.
As for the writing style, Llosa uses very interesting techniques. The book is divided into four sections. Each depicts a specific time period of the conflict. Within each section, however, Llosa does not follow a strictly chronological portrayal of events. He jumps around in time depending on the structure of the section (each one has a different structure). I was able to follow events easily, but this could prove difficult to less experienced readers. There is also a lot of characters. A lot of information. A lot of plot, where one line twenty, fifty, four hundred pages before is key to the current passage you are reading. As a result, this book requires your attention and would not make a good 'fluff read' (in case you still think it could be after I've talked about the subject matter).
Overall, it is a very worthwhile read. Nowhere else have I seen a war between ideologies portrayed as well and as humanly as in these pages. Each character, whether they fight for Canudos or for the Republic is portrayed as a separate human being. An entity with good qualities and bad qualities, one that may help some around them and hurt others. In particular, I think of General Moira Cesar nicknamed Throat-slitter. A general who brutally puts down any rebellion against the Republic, often causing prisoners to be killed like an animal about to be butchered (even though he has to know that the peasants believe this will automatically consign their souls to hell). And yet, he does all this because of his love for the Brazilian people. Often times, running across poor, emaciated women and children on his way to Canudos he will order that rations be provided for them. It is made quite clear that he does all that he does and supports the Republic because he feels it is the best way to succor the downtrodden.
The subject matter and the masterful writing makes this book a tough read. But it is a worthwhile read... perhaps one of the best gifts to Western literature.
The War of the End of the World is about the Canudos War in Brazil at the end of the 19th century. The Brazilian monarchy had just been overthrown and replaced with the Republic. During this politically unstable time, Bahia ( a northern state of Brazil) has just been decimated by famine, plagues, and roving bands of merciless outlaws. Into this apocalyptic state wanders the enigmatic and charismatic Counselor, a wondering religious teacher around which gather the poor, the prosecuted, and the criminal seeking salvation. When the Republic tries to raise taxes and institute civil marriage in all its districts, the Counselor denounces the Republic as the Anti-Christ and convinces his followers to renounce money, civil marriage, and the metric system as devices of the Dog (Satan) and his Protestant/Freemason followers. They establish themselves in a remote town of Canudos where they establish their own peaceful society, and where the Republic will send armies to squash the rebellion.
Any familiar with these historic events will realize that Llosa's book is not going to be a pretty read. For those who know nothing of these events (the vast majority of English readers, I imagine) I shall list: this book is full of violence, war atrocities, human suffering caused by natural and man-made situations, famine, torture, rape, bombardments, and so forth. If you, as a reader, can not tolerate any or all of this list, it is recommended that you pick another book. I hear that Mario Vargas Llosa's Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter is a much more lighthearted read. Then again, I feel that for those of us who are more fortunate to not be born in terrible situations such as these, it is our duty to seek out the best written accounts on the subject so that we know of these situations and understand how the world behaves better.
As for the writing style, Llosa uses very interesting techniques. The book is divided into four sections. Each depicts a specific time period of the conflict. Within each section, however, Llosa does not follow a strictly chronological portrayal of events. He jumps around in time depending on the structure of the section (each one has a different structure). I was able to follow events easily, but this could prove difficult to less experienced readers. There is also a lot of characters. A lot of information. A lot of plot, where one line twenty, fifty, four hundred pages before is key to the current passage you are reading. As a result, this book requires your attention and would not make a good 'fluff read' (in case you still think it could be after I've talked about the subject matter).
Overall, it is a very worthwhile read. Nowhere else have I seen a war between ideologies portrayed as well and as humanly as in these pages. Each character, whether they fight for Canudos or for the Republic is portrayed as a separate human being. An entity with good qualities and bad qualities, one that may help some around them and hurt others. In particular, I think of General Moira Cesar nicknamed Throat-slitter. A general who brutally puts down any rebellion against the Republic, often causing prisoners to be killed like an animal about to be butchered (even though he has to know that the peasants believe this will automatically consign their souls to hell). And yet, he does all this because of his love for the Brazilian people. Often times, running across poor, emaciated women and children on his way to Canudos he will order that rations be provided for them. It is made quite clear that he does all that he does and supports the Republic because he feels it is the best way to succor the downtrodden.
The subject matter and the masterful writing makes this book a tough read. But it is a worthwhile read... perhaps one of the best gifts to Western literature.
msgtdameron's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Llosa has written a GREAT novel. Full of sound, fury, love, heroism, lust, compassion, and a host of other emotions and feelings. I mourned the loss of some characters and was excited that some got their throats slit. Some survive others die. Some are heroic on both sides and some are real scumbags on both sides. All in all this is a great read. I definitely see why it won a Nobel Prize for lit.