This last book of the series was structured similar to his previous book and brings the tale full circle. Since some of the themes were somewhat predictable I did not give it 5 stars as the other two but definitely a must read.

This was my least favorite of the trilogy, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, esp. because all of the characters from the first two volumes came together in this one. I was really sad to finish this trilogy...

Full of the delight and the grotesque that marked the first two books of this trilogy, though I felt like this lacked a bit of the sparkle and cruelty of the previous books. In particular, it made me want to go back and re-read Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord. For all of the profound horror and heartbreak of that book, it did a better job of capturing De Bernieres's magic.

So not bad--just overshadowed.

I didn't finish the book as I lost interest towards the end. I managed well over three quarters but left it on the table for a couple of days and then decided not to pick it up again.

There is no doubt that Louis is a great writer and one with a vivid imagination but then there is imagination and then sheer ridiculousness. This book borders on ridiculousness. Some of the chapters are funnier than others, some are ludicrously satirical that they make no sense at all. His character study is admirable as are his descriptive passages.

I really wanted to like the book but I am not sure it is a book that can be liked.

What an amazing ending to an amazing trilogy.

very weird and romantic and sad and funny. kind of gross (raunchy) (but also grotesque and misogynistic hahaha

Bernieres yine şahane bir roman yazmış, hatta Latin Amerika üçlemesinin en sevdiğim üyesi de bu oldu. Kitap okumayı neden seviyorsun sorusuna cevap olarak sadece Bernieres'i göstersem yeterli olur herhalde, çünkü onun eserlerini okurken gülüyorum, mutlu oluyorum, hüzünleniyorum, sinirleniyorum, heyecanlanıyorum, hayrete düşüyorum. Yani bir kitabın bana yaşatabileceği neredeyse bütün duyguları tek bir Bernieres romanında yaşayabiliyorum.

Daha önce toprak ağalarının ve uyuşturucu baronlarının Latin Amerika halkına çektirdiklerini anlatan yazar bu sefer de din adamlarını, kiliseyi hedef tahtasına koymuş. Halkı dine döndürmek adına yola çıkıp karşılaştığı her kasabayı yıkan, yağmalayan, başlarındaki Monsenyör'ün cennet vaadiyle istediği kadar tecavüz edip yine de günaha girmeyen bir Haçlı Seferi'nin son durağı önceki eserlerden aşina olduğumuz Cochadebajo de los Gatos'tur. Bir yandan bu seferin nasıl ortaya çıktığını ve neler yaptığını okurken bir yandan da çikolata yiyen jaguarlarıyla ve hepsi birbirinden tuhaf sakinleriyle ünlü (dünyayı şeytanın yarattığına inanıp vaaz verirken yerden yükselen rahipten tutun da üç yüz yıl sonra yeniden dirilen İspanyol askerlerine kadar) Cochadebajo de los Gatos'taki günlük yaşantıya, zorluklara ve eğlencelere tanık oluyoruz. İki koldan ilerleyen hikaye finalde birleşiyor ve üçlemeye şahane bir şekilde son veriyor. Böylece yeni karakterlerin yanı sıra eskilerin de hikayeleri bir sonuca bağlanmış.

Kitapla ilgili tek sıkıntım çevirisi, keşke öncekilerde olduğu gibi yine Bülent O. Doğan çevirseymiş. Gülden Şen'in çevirisi fena olmasa da bazı uzun cümleleri anlamak için baya çaba sarf etmem gerekti. Bunun dışında kesinlikle mükemmel bir roman, hatta mükemmel bir üçleme. Bildiğim kadarıyla Bernieres diğer eserlerinde büyülü gerçekçilikten vazgeçip Avrupa'da geçen tarihi hikayeler anlatıyor. Bendeki kredisi çok fazla, onlara da bir şans vereceğim.

Overall I really liked this book. The author's style is fascinating but sometimes dense. I had to give myself a pep talk once or twice to get through it, but it was well worth it in the end.

Blurb on the back: While the economy of his small South American country collapses, President Veracruz joins his improbable populace of ex-soldiers, former guerrillas, unfrocked priests and reformed - though by no means inactive - whores, in a bizarre search for sexual fulfillment.

But for Cardinal Guzman, a man tormented by his own private daemons, their stupendous, hedonistic fiestas represent the epicentre of all heresies. Heresies that must be challenged with a horrifying new inquisition destined to climax in a spectacular confrontation.

My Thoughts: This is part three of Louis de Bernières Latin American Trilogy. I have read the first one (The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts) but couldn't get my hands on the second part which is Senor Vivo and the Coca Lords. But nonetheless it was a great read although I am not sure how it'll fare as a stand alone book. It was a pleasure revisiting all the old characters and am glad that none of them went through any transformations or lost their edge. However, as I haven't read the second, and the constant referrals to one subplot or another left me feeling a bit let out. Like the story of Dioniso and Anica. A little back story would have helped. Also I didn't really get the role of the Mexican musicologist and why he was afforded a first-person POV at the beginning of the book but not at the end. This book is full of guffaws and heartbreaks, full of heartwarming and bone chilling moments, full of everlasting love and unheard of violence. All of this covered with a thick layer of beautifully descriptive prose. de Bernieres has always been one of my favourite authors but I think it's unfair to compare him with Marquez. de Bernieres' work although classified as Magic Realism is grounded in reality and pathos of the being human. I just wish that I had read the second book before I read this one because I always felt like I am missing some crucial subplot.

An impressive that left me wondering how on earth de Bernieres can write convincingly about South America and Greece and Surrey! A great talent.
It is a monumental work with many funny and illuminating passages and wonderful characters but it is gruesome in many places and leaves some pretty harrowing images in the head. And it is a book that needs time, not to be skated through.

The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman is the last part of de Bernières' Latin-American trilogy. For me it was also the best book of the three. This book is magical realism at its best, without ever taking the magic part too far. The colourful characters that de Bernières introduced in the first book were somewhat pushed into the background in the second book (for the biggest part of this book the spotlight was on Dionisio Vivo's adventures), but in this third book they take up their righteous place in the story.

The humour is definitely fantastic, there were a lot of times I had to laugh aloud. Besides the many jokes, the story contains many cruel events, just like in the first two books, but here they are described less detailed and extensively. In Senor Vivo and the Coca-Lord there were some passages that were so horrifying to read that it became almost unpleasant.

The way this fictional country in Latin America is described, is absolutely marvelous. While reading, you can really feel the searing heat, you can see the wild animals and nature and you can almost taste the spicy food and strong spirits. Another great aspect is the fact that the author fills the story and the dialogues with Spanish, Portugese and indigenous words and expressions. It really brings the story to life and makes the jokes stand out better.

The world de Bernières created is funny, full of fantastic elements, cruel, sometimes absurd, exotic, loving... and all these things just blend perfectly together. This third book has a good ending so you're not left behind unsatisfied. You know that the situation in the country is still far from good, but the end leaves you with a positive and hopeful feeling.

Very funny