#Nobel Prize 2010 Mario Vargas Llosa
Finish date: 15.11.2024
Genre: novel (600 pg)
Rating: A+++++
#Nobel Prize 2010
Good News: This was an extraordinary reading experience! Vargas Llosa won the Noble Prize 2010 and he deserves this prestigious award!
Good News: The meeting of Santiago and Ambrosio initiates a four-hour conversation in The Cathedral, the bar-restaurant-brothel ( = 600 pg!) where Santiago and Ambrosio go to drink and reminisce. The “hook” draws the reader into the story on the first pages: the writing is atmospheric, authentic and caters to the readers senses. Writing is art, and art has to make you feel something. We feel the jostling, sweat, smells of the working class in the bar-restaurant.
Bad News: Writing style – Once you leave chapter one…be prepared to concentrate on the reading 100%. The dialogue contains another dialogue that contains another dialogue, and so on.
Each dialogue involves different characters speaking at different times and different spaces.
#MajorReadingChallenge
Good News: I found the first 25% of the book difficult to read (overlapping dialogues). It takes time to get used it. Do not let that discourage your reading. The book only gets better and better. Perserver and you will not be disappointed.
Good News: Knowing the structure of the book will make the reading easier. The book would linger in my mind while I tried to put the puzzle pieces together. There are four parts and they do NOT follow chronologically: Part 4|1|3|2…so Vargas Llosa begins the book with the ending!
Personal: I stumbled upon this book by chance b/c it was a recommendation in the Goodreads group: Never Too Late To Read Classic. So glad I finally read this novel. Vargas Llosa is a superb writer but the reader must be up for the challenge!
Reading time: 19 hours
#MustReadClassic
NancyElin.blog 
I have The Discreet Hero on my TBR for one day when I’m up for the challenge!
When it comes to Vargas Llosa I’m always up to the challenge.
He is an amazing writer.
I started off thinking I’d read this, but the more of your comments I read, the less familiar it sounded. Then I realised I was thinking of Explosion in a Cathedral by Alejo Carpentier. No wonder I was confused!
Hope you enjoyed my review!
I did indeed, but I probably won’t be reading it. I enjoyed Death in the Andes, but that was only 300 and something pages. I also have his Feast of the Goat to read: 485 pages.