Reviews

I wanted to be generous and give this book 2 or even round 2.5 stars to 3 only for the chapters about Shorty and the sad sclerotic man but fuck, I cannot do this. This book contains absolutely the lamest sex scenes I have ever read in my life. I have read and written better smut at 15 and this is not a "my 3 year old can create modern art" kind of rant. I adore Mario Vargas Llosa. He writes sublime literature. He writes amazing violence, glorious sex and perfect political text. This shit reads like a vulgar soap opera written by a teenager who has never actually had sex and whose fantasies and ability to reproduce them are sophomoric at best. Deeply disappointed. If I had managed to finish this minuscule yet extremely boring trash novel a bit earlier, I would have abandoned it in either Oslo or Munich. Now I am stuck with it.

chiara029's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.25

aralluck's review against another edition

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tense slow-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

2.75

notellawilliams's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.0

So bad lol, but loosely enjoyable. how did he win the Nobel prize?? I'm thinking maybe the translation isn't that great, a fun romp, but didn't get a lot else from it but that.

yaredimpp's review against another edition

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3.0

Es un libro que se lee en una sentada, es fluido, lamentablemente le tenía expectativas muy altas y me ha decepcionado un poco, siento que pese a lo rápido que se lee, no llega a desarrollar ninguna de las 3 historias de manera íntegra, todo se da muy por encima. Es como si fuera un resumen, no llegas a conectar con nadie. Le faltó mucha profundidad.

elena_gabriela's review

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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