Loved it, tragic though it was. Am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the third in the trilogy...

(Later) This was by far my favorite of the three. Horribly violent, but so, so good.

I love this book. It is a great satire describing one man's fight agaist the evil of the drug cartels in a fictional South American country. It sets a beautiful love story against a violent backdrop. With gentle humour and sarcasm he contrasts the simple truths set out by Dionesis Vivo a professor of philosophy with the incomprehensible lunacy filling the country. The story is told in a magic realist style - homage to South American masters but, again, this blunts the impact of the brutality described -somehow, nothing but magic can explain much of what happens.
It is a book of contrasts - mysticism vs hard cold reality, deeply felt love vs random brutality
It is told as a series of intertwining storylines, in brief chapters as though we are wandering through the country looking here and there. By telling it in the third person vs the first person, some of the tragedy is blunted - we are on the outside looking in so we know that there is in fact an outside. The people of the country on the other hand are seemingly trapped hopelessly between the brutality of the Drug Lords and the incompetence and corruption of the government.
As depressing as it sounds - De Bernieres keeps a very light touch which lets the humour and spirit and quiet nobility of the people shine through .
At his best - De Bernieres is a great writer and this is certainly great work

This is the wacky book I was writing about. A South American tribe roams the mountains and hallucinates up a storm. It sounds weird, but he book is actually a lot of fun.

I'm not a big fan of Mr. de Berniers work. But this really rocked my world. "Senior Vivo and the Coca Lord" Third in the trilogy. I must read the other two... ;o)

The story follows the progress of a College Lecturer (Senior Vivo) who manages to unset the biggest cocaine barons in South America by writing letters to a the local newspaper...

It's sharp to the point of bleeding, humorous and kept me interested until the bitter end. A bloody good read.

Having now read all three novels in the South American trilogy, I think Don Vivo is the best. It continues to flesh out the characters so beautifully crafted in the first book while containing more of the romance and heartbreak with a bit less of the magical realism of Don Emanuel. De Bernieres doesnt lose a step in terms of plot, characterization, tone, etc. He is, at this point, probably my favorite contemporary English writer. I haven't read anything of his more recent than Birds Without Wings, so he may have fallen off. However, all four novels of his that I have read have impressed me deeply, not only with his skills but with the consistency and strength of his voice. De Bernieres should be read by all, but in particular, by postadolescent young men.

I'm not sure why this one didn't satisfy me as much as the others? I consumed the book and I loved each section as I read it.(did the violence against women finally get to me?? I can't see why as there is equal violence meted out against both sexes and the women portrayed are as strong, kookie and magical as all the men) Was it the fragmented nature of the narrative? ( can't see why, all the narratives have been fragmented) I am willing to concede it may be the horrific and progressively worsening flu I'm laboring under. Am giving this the usual four stars because I think ill health has affected my enjoyment rather than the book itself.

This is the second in De Bernieres wildly imaginiative Latin American trilogy, after The War Of Don Emmanuels Nether Parts. Whereas the first focuses primarily on politics, this story is a scathing attack on the drug trade. The eponymous hero, Dionisio, is a philosophy professor who provokes the wrath of the cartels with his public letter writing campaign.

Yet, when the drug lords send hit men to get rid of him they inexplicably fail every time. Baffled by his seeming invincibility, a myth builds up, that Dionisio is in fact a ‘brujo’ (sorcerer) and shouldn’t be messed with. As a result, he acquires a wide following, with women trekking across the country in the hope of bearing his children.

Seemingly oblivious to his influence, and ignoring the pleas of his best friend Ramon and girlfriend Anica, Dionisio continues his campaign with some help along the way from some familiar faces from the first novel, including Aurelio, Don Emmanuel and the mysteriously tame jaguars.

When the cartels realise they can’t get to Dio directly, they decide to pick off the people closest to him. This results in some truly horrific and heartbreaking scenes, which, ten years after first reading this book, still stay with me to this day. But they are not the only element. There’s also romance, and quite believable romance too, not all mushy and soppy. There’s a sub-plot involving Lazaro, a poor leper seeking salvation which I also found devastating, and Father Garcia, a levitating priest. Once again, there’s a heap of magical realism here, but the whole plot is peppered with such colourful, bright, distinctive characters which give the entire trilogy an immense sense of fun. This is its greatest triumph. Ten years after reading it, it’s still among my favourite ever books and remains vivid in my mind. Just writing this has made me realise that I need to go off and read it again and I recommend you do too.

Fantastic. Evocative writing that swings from hilarity to heartbreaking brutality.

A huge and absorbing story that as with all the best magical realism, manages to be flippant and cynical yet deadly serious; hilarious yet horrifying; beautiful yet intensely tragic, leaving you with the feeling that your own life isn't quite as real as what you have just read. There are gorgeous lines like "...but no one wanted to believe a story of such banality, and anyone who related it was ridiculed and shouted down until even they began to believe the mythologised version" and "Valledupar, a city so frivolous that the natives hang pineapples on lemon trees just to confuse the tourists" that, for me, put de Bernieres right up there with Allende and Garcia Marquez.

2.5 STARS

"A sequel to "The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts". Dionisio Vivo, a young South American lecturer in philosophy, leads a charmed life in a world where the supernatural is routine. He is insulated from attacks by the local coca lord's hit-men, by a sense of justice and pig-headed integrity." (From Amazon)

I like de Bernieres writting but I'm not into this series but will finish it.

Livin' la Vivo Coca!

This was my second reading of this rambunctious book. I pored over it quite a while back, not realising that it was just one part of a trilogy, duh!
(Kinda doesn't matter anyway).

Following in the footsteps of Gabriel García Márquez, de Bernières' delightful brand of magical realism is a joy to behold.
Set in a fictional South American country (imagine Colombia), the author introduces us to Señor Vivo, a philosophising intellectual who imagines he can take on murderous drug cartels by writing condemnatory letters to a national newspaper. This, of course, is a farcical endeavour, but such is the timbre of this outlandish story.

Hip, hip hooray, for de Bernières' luxuriant imagination, which he uses to great effect, creating a madcap tale of spellbinding exuberance and artistic lunacy.
Hold onto your asientos, for the author has organised a fiesta of assassinations, hallucinations and sweaty assignations. Thrown into the mix is an uproarious whorehouse brawl that Tarantino would dearly wish he had imagined first.

And there is genius in de Bernières' ability to create voluminous environs in our minds, using only a handful of words. He describes a shanty town where 'cats were not philosophical and elegant, but scabby and dishonest.' In my mind, such descriptive imagery is ¡maravilloso!

I once more declare my admiration for Louis de Bernières.
The man was born to write.

I really loved this one and have moved directly on to the third and final installment. I know I'll be sad when I'm done but I can't wait. de Barnieres is my new favorite author, or at least in my top three at this point.