zachwerb's review against another edition
This is a wild book. Whole chapters go from straight narrative to a broken surreal one, clipped into a board of text. I can't even say I fully enjoyed this book or comprehended all of it, but it was a good read and taught me some of the history of Ecuador.
adrianasturalvarez's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
A writer's writer in that what dazzled me was the scrapbook of narrative techniques Cárdenas employed, presumably, to more deeply access the emotional underpinnings of his work: the painful loss of youth, innocence/experience, the great loss of country, and even the loss of hope. Unfortunately, along with his bursts of creativity, Cárdenas also displays some big "I am very smart" energy. Even if I sympathize I still rolled my eyes more than a few times. There are moments reading this when one feels the author resisting his vulnerability so intensely he is willing to push the reader away hard. Whole chapters, for example, are presented in untranslated Spanish. Please.
But this is a debut novel, which means it points in a direction the author wants to go. He certainly loves Bolaño and his puppy dog imitation felt like affection, not hackery: a new writer placing himself in a specific corner of dinner table conversation. Well good for him. There is certainly enough promise in this novel that I will read more of his work. I think it's worth reading for fans of experimental literature, too. Cárdenas may not be inventing anything new but with this debut he has confidently placed himself in an admirable category... and he belongs there.
A writer's writer in that what dazzled me was the scrapbook of narrative techniques Cárdenas employed, presumably, to more deeply access the emotional underpinnings of his work: the painful loss of youth, innocence/experience, the great loss of country, and even the loss of hope. Unfortunately, along with his bursts of creativity, Cárdenas also displays some big "I am very smart" energy. Even if I sympathize I still rolled my eyes more than a few times. There are moments reading this when one feels the author resisting his vulnerability so intensely he is willing to push the reader away hard. Whole chapters, for example, are presented in untranslated Spanish. Please.
But this is a debut novel, which means it points in a direction the author wants to go. He certainly loves Bolaño and his puppy dog imitation felt like affection, not hackery: a new writer placing himself in a specific corner of dinner table conversation. Well good for him. There is certainly enough promise in this novel that I will read more of his work. I think it's worth reading for fans of experimental literature, too. Cárdenas may not be inventing anything new but with this debut he has confidently placed himself in an admirable category... and he belongs there.
blue_has_no_value's review against another edition
3.0
I rarely challenge myself with "experimental" novels, but I'm glad I read this one. It's a electric work examining political and religious alienation among a group of now-adult friends who attended the same Catholic high school in Ecuador, a country struggling to lift up its people and shake free of its corrupt political class.
With no quotation marks, few paragraph breaks, and a discursive stream-of-consciousness style, this is not an easy read. Cardenas, in writing characters who often get lost in their own minds, sometimes falls into the same trap himself. But there's enough humor and insight here to forgive the self-indulgence.
With no quotation marks, few paragraph breaks, and a discursive stream-of-consciousness style, this is not an easy read. Cardenas, in writing characters who often get lost in their own minds, sometimes falls into the same trap himself. But there's enough humor and insight here to forgive the self-indulgence.
catherineofalx's review against another edition
5.0
Phenomenal. Experimental to the point of frustration, which speaks to how much I had to love it to fight my way through! I couldn't recap the plot, but the atmosphere was everything. The dialogue, the characters, the turns of phrase, it was just very emotional to read and I enjoy that so much. This book made me appreciate the CRAFT of it and that is one of the best things to feel as a writer reading. Augh. So, so, so good.
cjf's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent. Read by review at Music & Literature:
http://www.musicandliterature.org/reviews/2016/9/13/mauro-javier-cardenas-the-revolutionaries-try-again
http://www.musicandliterature.org/reviews/2016/9/13/mauro-javier-cardenas-the-revolutionaries-try-again
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