I’m saddened to be finished with this trilogy. Not as sad as when I read the second book, but sad nonetheless. This book was another raucous story of stories that tied everything together and was truly enjoyable to read. I loved the logical absurdity of it all. It was like the Deus ex machina was not only the resolution of the book, but its very essence and reason for being. I look forward to reading more like this!

THIS is one of my Favourite Books of All Time! The language is interesting, beautiful and funny, all without trying too hard. The characters are captivating. I have read this book twice and will no doubt read it again. The other books in the series are good but this one is the best by far. I tried reading Captain Corelli by the same author but found it dull... if ANYONE out there knows a book as weird and interesting as this one, please let me know. I tried reading American Gods on the basis that it was interesting in the way of The Troublesome Child but NO. American Gods is horrible, trying to be interesting by being random. And boring. And the characters are mind-numbingly dull. If any readers out there enjoy weird/wacky/interesting/funny stories and characters READ THE TROUBLESOME CHILD! And please let me know what your other fav books are!

I absolutely loved this book. I read "Captain Corelli" when everyone was reading it, and I enjoyed it, but "Cardinal Guzman" is so much better. At different points in the book I was laughing out loud, crying and gasping in shock. I had no idea how it was going to end until I got to the end. Just a brilliant book. Highly, highly recommended.

"What is wrong with us that we shit on paradise?" One of many brilliant one liners from this last and in my personal opinion the best of author's South American trilogy. Levitating defrocked priests with interesting metaphysical philosophy, Mexican composers, indian bujo, resurected Spanish conquistadors, lively owner of a local cantina, women revolutionary and many more interesting characters come to life in this tale of good and evil. What should be good turns evil and the other way around , challenging the basic understanding of a civilised society. Regardless of who they are and where they come from the people of Cochadebajo de los Gatos want to live in peace and be merry. Their tranquillity will be shattered by a misguided band of new crusaders . The build up to the final stand off reads like the prose of Gabriel Garcia Marques meeting Tom Sharpe or Terry Pratchett. Brilliant characters and excellent dialogue. Louis de Bernieres is a masterful and versatile writer. Loved it.

As always, a masterclass in imagination and descriptive storytelling. The excessive violence was maybe slightly less of a focus than book 1 and I enjoyed it the more for that. I was surprised by how positively it ended when I was slightly dreading it! My main negative was that it seemed a lot of characters were introduced where there seemed a slightly unfulfilling or limited payoff for them - Guzman being a case in point. But still enjoyed it a lot.

This is the fourth or fifth book I've read by this author and as usual, I enjoyed it.

He has a devilish sense of humor and it keeps erupting throughout the story of a small, fictional town hidden away in the hills of some South American country. The plot revolves around a fanatical, hypocritical zealot and his hideous modern-day inquisition, but the book is far more about some very distinctive and quirky characters and their interactions.

This book is a sequel of sorts to another book, but can be read and enjoyed on its own.

It does have some very graphic passages and bawdy humor, so if you don't like these things, I'd suggest you avoid this one!

This book is a slice of life, ironically funny while also showing the dangers of the Catholic church. However, although I think the book is extremely well written it wasn't for me. I found that the narrative jumped around a lot from different perspectives making it hard to follow. I also found parts of the narrative going off on long tangents and I became confused as to what was happening.

I loved War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts and found this in a used bookstore so had to pick it up. As the third work in a trilogy following and expanding upon the world of many of the same characters as Don Emmanuel's, it felt nice to read about their further exploits. The imagination displayed in creating this world and telling the stories in this trilogy is amazing! The characters are very well fleshed out and do a better job standing out as unique complete individuals than many better regarded works. The themes are familiar to much South American literature but done in a unique way that does not feel tired.

This trilogy is a fitting child of Marquez and Borges that holds it's own in the highest ranks of the Latin magical realist literature. All three make for great summer reads and are very diverting enjoyable works.

Psse. It seems inspired in One Hundred Years of Solitude, which I do not like at all (one star). This one is funnier and less confusing to the reader. Even so, it has not impressed me.

Thus far, this is my third sampling of de Bernieres' genius, and I wish I had read THIS before Corelli and Partisan. While I am eager to dive into his Commonwealth Prize-winning works, Cardinal Guzman made me giggle, cry and love characters non-stop. Rollercoaster of emotions? Even that is pales in comparison.



While each character has a different set of values to bring to the story, each also have quirks which inexplicably draw them to each other or make them mortal enemies. And while part of them is too ludicrous to be real, others are a stark reminder of how a litle fucked-up ness in everybody can lead to death and destruction. Ultimately, presonalities like Don Emmmanuel, Remedios, the General and the Mexican musicologist illustrate de Bernieres' point that the power lies with an individual to make the world his own enclave.



A side note of his genius is how ultimately Greek Corelli felt while he makes this book seem like it was written by a South American author. I prostrate myself in wonderment.

Great entertaining read

Eek, think I might have missed something! It certainly wasn't CC'sM, more the pity. Now I feel bad cos who am I to doubt M de Bernières?