Classic de Bernieres, very enjoyable, but not as good as "Corelli's Mandolin" and "Birds Without Wings."

Heavenly. Such a treasure to discover this series. Brilliant, witty, wry, intellectually stimulating, wonderful characters, fantastic events....Must request next book in series from library. Happiness is de Bernieres.

I can't praise de Bernières enough. Ever. Intelligent and brilliant writing as always. I should be used to laughing out loud one minute and feeling nauseated and shocked the next with his books but it still hits me hard when it happens. His writing is brilliant and hilarious, yet at times outrageous and shocking. The shocking part in this novel was rather graphic...I had to force myself through it and hope that I'd be laughing again in the next chapter. I was.

I LOVE the magic realism in this trilogy. He does it so brilliantly.

Second book in the trilogy though not very clearly stated - Read "The War on Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts" first to appreciate this novel.

A couple of loose threads didn't stop me from avoiding this, generally speaking, although there were times when I was uncertain why it was that I was continuing to read it. The final part of the book written as a piece of journalism was fantastic and attributed Vivo with a further sense of heroism that I was hoping for.

So much better than Captain Correlli. Forget that book and read this series. Quirky, intelligent, mysterious; well rewritten. Nearest series I can think of is Dr Siri by Colin Cotterill.

I am definately in the minority in giving this a 2-star rating but I will stick to my guns. This book is mainly an exercise in intellectual mast**bation. I like to learn new words so I didn't mind having to reach for the dictionary every second page and even used online translation for some of the Spanish words.

de Bernier's style is florid and overly self-indulgent, perhaps in an effort to mimic the storytelling style of overexcited Mexican housewives or boastful gauchos. I liked the way the story blends the supernatural with the mundane and some of thee turns of phrase are wonderful and made me laugh out loud.

Sadly though, the elborate descriptions began to grate. Chapter 23 very nearly made me throw down the book in frustration because of it's utter incomprehensibility and irrelevance. The author plays loose with the timelines mixing past history with a recap on events that occur to individuals after the period that the book is set in. A number of characters appear to be included for frivolous amusement rather than because they contribute to the plot. There's a really lazy plot fixup that I can't reveal that allows the author to keep his hero and heroine together for a month after they should have been separated. All of this leading up to a final showdown between the main protagonists that is a real damp squib. I can't recall reading a book that caused me such a mixute of delight, rage and frustration and disappointment all in one.

This book is serious..... it's the third of an amazing trilogy and takes place in a fictional South American country (a sort of blend between all South and Central American countries) in the 60's-70's during a time of extreme corruption, violence, kidnapping and guerrilla warfare. It's an awsome book overloaded with a wierd mix of creative imagination and harsh reality.
Read them all.

*Sigh* I couldn't read this series now. The violence would really upset me these days. Indeed, there is one scene in this that still haunts me! But the magical realism is delightful as is the wonderful cast of characters. I love that Cochadebajo and those glorious big cats:-) Wish I could read it again one day.

Similar humor as "The War of Don Emmanuel's Netherparts," but with a darker side.

I have expected something similar to the Captain Corelli's Mandolin but it's completely different. It's crazy, it's mad, full of sex references and full of awful atrocities coca lords perform on people they so violently kill. It's supposed to be a satirical book that hides a very true story of cocaine problem in Latin America. I am stunned and thrown at the same time. The writing reminded me of Gabriel Garcia Marquez - funny, flippant, raw, sharp and straightforward. I laughed a lot and was scared a lot but it's not something I will ever re-read.

Kendimi ne kadar zorlasam da, konu ne kadar ilginç olsa da zannediyorum yazarın üslubu beni cezbetmedi. Yarısında bırakıyorum maalesef.

A random book I pulled off the shelves and decided to read, this book pleasently surprised me. I would have liked it so much more if the ending wasn't so sickening. I loved the courtship of the first half of the book as well as all the silly things that occurred. The rape scene scarred me though and I felt myself getting sick to my stomache at the gruesome detail to which the author went. Nothing upset me quite as much as having to get though that chapter. I still think about it and get upset.