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A review by saraireads
The War of the End of the World by Mario Vargas Llosa
4.0
Video review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBLkyVcNQjk
This is a novelization of a real conflict that occurred in early 19th century Brazil, in a town called Canudos. A man referred to as The Counselor would visit towns in the area and speak to people that were often looked over or banished--the poor, ill, disabled, criminals, etc. He would preach about forgiveness and salvation, and he amassed thousands of followers in a short amount of time.
His followers settled in Canudos, a remote village, and over time developed their own politics and culture. They don't exchange money, they have different ideas of marriage, they don't have a census, and want to be a free and just society. The Brazilian government has a problem with this, and so they send a very small army to deal with the settlers. They do not succeed, and in fact suffer heavy losses, and they're left with little choice but to send a huge army to wage war against The Counselor and his followers.
Llosa attempts to give the reader an overview of how the Counselor came to lead thousands of followers, how politics played a role, the major players in the war, and various other characters who were part of the conflict in one way or another. There are dozens of POVs in the story, and each of them have a unique viewpoint/motivation for why they want to take down Canudos or be a part of it.
Through these various POVs you can get an idea of how religion and politics can clash, how religious fanatics cannot be "dealt with" given their strong beliefs, how war can happen based on misunderstandings, and most importantly, how you can't kill religion.
This was a well-structured, captivating novel. I ended up annotating a lot of it because I was fascinated by the followers of the Counselor, how they risked their lives for a man they believed was sent from God, and how it's very clear that religious fanatics cannot be beaten in the end--you can kill the person, but you can't kill the idea. It made me think a lot about the state of the Middle East and the religious warfare that has occurred over the years. It also made me think of cults, and the power of groupthink mentality.
However, the book was very long, almost 600 pages, and covered so much detail and so many different characters, that it started to become a chore. Towards the end I just wanted the story to wrap up, to see how it all would end for the army, the settlers, and the various characters in the novel. While it was very well-written, I had to dock a star for the length and the dragging on of certain scenes/POVs. If you're a fan of historical fiction, are interested in the Canudos war in Brazil, or are interested in the religious warfare aspect, then I recommend you give it a try.
This is a novelization of a real conflict that occurred in early 19th century Brazil, in a town called Canudos. A man referred to as The Counselor would visit towns in the area and speak to people that were often looked over or banished--the poor, ill, disabled, criminals, etc. He would preach about forgiveness and salvation, and he amassed thousands of followers in a short amount of time.
His followers settled in Canudos, a remote village, and over time developed their own politics and culture. They don't exchange money, they have different ideas of marriage, they don't have a census, and want to be a free and just society. The Brazilian government has a problem with this, and so they send a very small army to deal with the settlers. They do not succeed, and in fact suffer heavy losses, and they're left with little choice but to send a huge army to wage war against The Counselor and his followers.
Llosa attempts to give the reader an overview of how the Counselor came to lead thousands of followers, how politics played a role, the major players in the war, and various other characters who were part of the conflict in one way or another. There are dozens of POVs in the story, and each of them have a unique viewpoint/motivation for why they want to take down Canudos or be a part of it.
Through these various POVs you can get an idea of how religion and politics can clash, how religious fanatics cannot be "dealt with" given their strong beliefs, how war can happen based on misunderstandings, and most importantly, how you can't kill religion.
This was a well-structured, captivating novel. I ended up annotating a lot of it because I was fascinated by the followers of the Counselor, how they risked their lives for a man they believed was sent from God, and how it's very clear that religious fanatics cannot be beaten in the end--you can kill the person, but you can't kill the idea. It made me think a lot about the state of the Middle East and the religious warfare that has occurred over the years. It also made me think of cults, and the power of groupthink mentality.
However, the book was very long, almost 600 pages, and covered so much detail and so many different characters, that it started to become a chore. Towards the end I just wanted the story to wrap up, to see how it all would end for the army, the settlers, and the various characters in the novel. While it was very well-written, I had to dock a star for the length and the dragging on of certain scenes/POVs. If you're a fan of historical fiction, are interested in the Canudos war in Brazil, or are interested in the religious warfare aspect, then I recommend you give it a try.