I have to say that I was somewhat frustrated with this third book in the trilogy. I read Senor Vivo first and utterly loved it. Don Emmanuel was second and was also very good. But this one, although full of the same quirky characters and the same writing style it did not hold me. The story seemed to lose its way and I felt it was more a list of crazy South American beliefs presented in a lose story format. At the end there were so many untied ends that the book ends with an epilogue of short separate sections showing what happened to all the untied pieces. I’m pleased I finished the trilogy but for me this won’t be one to revisit.

A wonderful adventure of a book. Feels like a Garcia Marquez book. I read this while in South America for a trip, and really enjoyed getting such a different take on South American culture out of it.

Read all of his books now!

Tentokrát už jsem nějak neměla náladu na další brutality, tak jsem musela chvíli zvažovat hodnocení. Ale synek mě bavil, jako celek jsem si to zas užila. Takže celkově opět 4*. Nevím, jestli by to nešlo bez těch kruťáren, určitě ale sáhnu po další knize autora.

So amusing and dark, really pokes fun at the catholic church which i enjoy immensely.

This absurd mash-up of Latin American culture, history, religion and politics is brilliant. If you have ever lived in Latin America, in particular Colombia, you will get so much more from the book because the incredible occurrences in the guise of magical realism will actually be sharp insights in how things actually work.

I found myself laughing, shaking my head and rolling my eyes all throughout the book. It took a little while to get into the book because it skips around a bit making it easy to lose the thread, but then it soared to amazing heights. Although it is the final instalment in the trilogy, it also serves as a standalone read.

It's clear that de Bernieres channels Gabriel Garcia Marquez and that his stint in Colombia was fruitful in enabling him to get under the skin of this country.

There are so many passages worthy of mention, so many serious insights and so many laughs. I loved the helicopter pilot's punishment for racism as they recovered the tractor from the muddy city, the descriptions of the lazy jaguars in the city of Cochabamba de los Gatos, vignettes of the gallivanting President Veracruz on his 14 month world tour and so many more parts of this story.

At the same time as being humorous, there are some parts of incredibly horrific violence at the hands of crusading priests which gives an understanding of the real-life terrors of campesinos stuck between the guerrillas and the paramilitaries who have been walking the damned if you do, damned if you don't conundrum.

This book is truly a masterpiece and an important commentary on Latin America and in particular, Colombia.

Absurd, ridiculous and divine. This story felt like being drunk in a dream on a wild Spanish holiday. Loved all the characters and stories, got a bit lost and confused due to all the different threads and the very poetic, descriptive writing style. Overall a really enjoyable and unique read

Very very different from Captain Corelli's Mandolin and better. A dark satire on life in Latin America with touches of magic realism. Nicely written though dark.

What a great book! Took me a little while to get used to the narrative style, it's unlike anything I've read before. At the beginning I thought it was difficult to follow and a little dry, but once I got used to it, it was full of fun and laughs. I'll definitely be checking out more by this author.

Hilarious but not for the faint of heart. Some interesting comments and insights on the church in South America and a parable about how things can go so wrong in such a short time. Great stories about the will to survive, the power of imagination and what spirituality can be.

Perhaps it would have been best not to have started immediately after falling in love with Captain Corelli's Mandolin. The first few pages were disappointing, as I wondered where all the romance and longing was. However, a few more pages in and I was engrossed in this mysterious tale. Another beautiful story, full of magic realism.

I read the first book of the trilogy when I was a Peace corps volunteer in Bolivia (2008) and found it hilarious and relatable. I read the second book a couple of years later and finally found the third one this year. I couldn't really remember the characters or keep them straight and at times the book seemed interminable. Didn't enjoy the torture and rape bits. But the writing of DesBernieres is always a delight.