jbojkov's review against another edition
2.0
I recall very little from this book, but I do remember I did not like it much. I think there was some violence that just seemed gratuitous- not necessary to the story- but it's been awhile since I read the book. Maybe b/c we read Bel Canto the month before- also set a South American country and it was much better.
bloodravenlib's review against another edition
4.0
I think I read this in large measure because it was an award winner, and at the time, a few people were talking about it. That it dealt with a historical figure in Latin America also caught my eye. In my journal back then I wrote:
>>. . .a historical novel about Paraguayan dictator 19th century dictator Francisco Solano Lopez and his Irish mistress Ella Lynch. The novel does present history in a dramatic way, good narrative, even if it borders a bit on "chick lit" (it is mostly from Ella's view, but not all). Francisco basically ruins the country in a war against other South American nations. Overall, it is a book I would recommend to those who like historical fiction. I borrowed this from the library I used to work at.
>>. . .a historical novel about Paraguayan dictator 19th century dictator Francisco Solano Lopez and his Irish mistress Ella Lynch. The novel does present history in a dramatic way, good narrative, even if it borders a bit on "chick lit" (it is mostly from Ella's view, but not all). Francisco basically ruins the country in a war against other South American nations. Overall, it is a book I would recommend to those who like historical fiction. I borrowed this from the library I used to work at.
hbelle01's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
tcbbroadway22's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
niceread's review against another edition
3.0
It is interesting that this was based on a true story. It was well written, but the war period at the end just dragged on too, too long. The plot relied too heavily on the shocking brutality of the dictator Franco than the actual narrative or events.
austen_to_zafon's review against another edition
1.0
At first I was intrigued by this book. The writing is descriptive and the details of life in Paris and South America at the end of the 19th century were interesting. The characters weren't very likable (a woman who has renamed and reinvented herself several times, who is selfish and oblivious, and a man who views women mostly as an avenue for sex), but it was still fairly compelling.
The man (Franco), a young, egotistical and somewhat cruel diplomat from Paraguay, pursues the woman (Ella), quickly winning her and taking her to Paraguay along with her beloved horse, her maid, and a Spanish woman to teach Ella the language. His plan is to remake Paraguay when his father dies and he rules. Based on real events with some fictional characters thrown in, the story charts the stupidity and pig-headedness of Franco as, unprovoked, he goes to war against his neighbor Brazil, conscripting first all the men he can find, then the boys, and finally the women and the girls. Pretty much everyone dies and there is passage after graphic passage detailing the tortures, the rapes, the starvation, and the madness that ensue. About half way through, I had to start skimming because it was all so repetitive and crass. I could see they were all going to die and I didn't need the details of each specific death, especially of the children. The only death I read with relish was the death of Franco. I'm glad I skimmed so much and I wish I'd started skimming earlier or had perhaps never opened the damn thing at all.
The man (Franco), a young, egotistical and somewhat cruel diplomat from Paraguay, pursues the woman (Ella), quickly winning her and taking her to Paraguay along with her beloved horse, her maid, and a Spanish woman to teach Ella the language. His plan is to remake Paraguay when his father dies and he rules. Based on real events with some fictional characters thrown in, the story charts the stupidity and pig-headedness of Franco as, unprovoked, he goes to war against his neighbor Brazil, conscripting first all the men he can find, then the boys, and finally the women and the girls. Pretty much everyone dies and there is passage after graphic passage detailing the tortures, the rapes, the starvation, and the madness that ensue. About half way through, I had to start skimming because it was all so repetitive and crass. I could see they were all going to die and I didn't need the details of each specific death, especially of the children. The only death I read with relish was the death of Franco. I'm glad I skimmed so much and I wish I'd started skimming earlier or had perhaps never opened the damn thing at all.
livlosiewicz's review against another edition
1.0
(1.5 stars)
Ella Lynch moves from Paris to Paraguay, where she lives as mistress to the dictator of Paraguay, Francisco Solano. She writes home to her friend of the war, motherhood, and her trials and tribulations as the unmarried partner of an important person.
Pros:
•it’s short and pretty quick
•A lot of stuff happens
•Theoretically cool to learn about this war through fiction but honestly I thought those parts were boring and didn’t retain much information
Cons:
•I truly could not have been less interested in the characters, which made it difficult to be interested in any part of the book
•A lot of stuff happens and the book jumps around from all kinds of death and things that should be dramatic, but jumps so quickly and often never returns to certain points that everything feels meaningless
Recommendation: Maybe I was just in a place where I couldn’t quite focus, but I thought this book was pretty boring and am hesitant to recommend it. It’s not hard to understand or anything, but I constantly found myself zoning out. It feels like a lot of what happens doesn’t connect with other parts of the book (at least not right away), which made it hard to grasp onto anything to pay attention to. There is some insight into Paraguayan history here, which is cool, so maybe read if you are interested in that. Beware there’s lots of sex thrown into this book and a fair amount of violence as well. It’s not that I hate this book (I wish I did- that's always more interesting to review), it’s just that it really didn’t do anything for me.
Ella Lynch moves from Paris to Paraguay, where she lives as mistress to the dictator of Paraguay, Francisco Solano. She writes home to her friend of the war, motherhood, and her trials and tribulations as the unmarried partner of an important person.
Pros:
•it’s short and pretty quick
•A lot of stuff happens
•Theoretically cool to learn about this war through fiction but honestly I thought those parts were boring and didn’t retain much information
Cons:
•I truly could not have been less interested in the characters, which made it difficult to be interested in any part of the book
•A lot of stuff happens and the book jumps around from all kinds of death and things that should be dramatic, but jumps so quickly and often never returns to certain points that everything feels meaningless
Recommendation: Maybe I was just in a place where I couldn’t quite focus, but I thought this book was pretty boring and am hesitant to recommend it. It’s not hard to understand or anything, but I constantly found myself zoning out. It feels like a lot of what happens doesn’t connect with other parts of the book (at least not right away), which made it hard to grasp onto anything to pay attention to. There is some insight into Paraguayan history here, which is cool, so maybe read if you are interested in that. Beware there’s lots of sex thrown into this book and a fair amount of violence as well. It’s not that I hate this book (I wish I did- that's always more interesting to review), it’s just that it really didn’t do anything for me.
cobalt920's review against another edition
1.0
Didn't know the book was historical fiction until after I finished it. While there were lots of events and places that could have been exciting, I didn't look forward to what was going to happen next.
nferre's review against another edition
1.0
I kept waiting for this one to get better. It got rave reviews and was a National Book Award finalist, but I just did not like it.
It's a piece of historical fiction, revolving around a young lady who becomes the mistress of the dictator of Paraguay in the 1850's. The writing was choppy, every paragraph a new vignette with very little flow. To top that off, many of the words in Spanish were misspelled, with missing accents or accents on the wrong syllable, and I question some of the historical data.
It's a piece of historical fiction, revolving around a young lady who becomes the mistress of the dictator of Paraguay in the 1850's. The writing was choppy, every paragraph a new vignette with very little flow. To top that off, many of the words in Spanish were misspelled, with missing accents or accents on the wrong syllable, and I question some of the historical data.