Louis de Bernieres appears to have an almost formulaic way of writing his novels. This might seem like a counter-intuitive conclusion considering that each of his works is unique and bizarre. They are like a jumble of strange pieces that are crammed together to form one humming, buzzing whole.

Well, that is what occurs when it functions properly. However, for me, this particular novel did not quite come together.

Perhaps it was the pacing, or maybe the characters did not develop as fully as I would have liked. There were moments of great beauty and insight, but overall, it felt a bit disjointed.

Nevertheless, I still appreciate de Bernieres' creativity and his willingness to take risks with his writing. I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.

What an amazing book, and what a talented writer! Once again, I find myself reading a trilogy out of sequence. Perhaps this isn't such a bad idea after all. I began with "Senor Vivo," and many of the characters and events were a bit of a mystery or puzzle to me. However, as a result, they seemed even more magical. Now, I know all about Aurelio the brujo, his adopted daughter, the location of Cochadebaja de los Gatos, and much more.

So, I can read and enjoy the second volume again with a new understanding. Louis de Bernières' writing is so much more than just a magical story, full of exotica and jokes. It is mainly his life philosophy that I love. He doesn't trust any officialdom or any ideology from the right or left. He has a deep love for people and embraces the complexities of our universe to the last drop.

I couldn't wait to devour the third volume of the trilogy right after Christmas! I'm sure it will be just as精彩 as the first two.

So this was a truly very odd little novel, yet precisely the kind of odd that appealed to me. It left me with extremely high expectations for the second and third volumes in the trilogy.

It is very much like a love-song dedicated to a very specific Latin American storytelling tradition. The scope is sprawling and broad, featuring a large and well-developed ensemble of characters. Some of them are among the most lovable I've ever come across in print, while others are among the more loathable.

Flashes of wickedly quicksilver humour dart and glitter through the narrative, much like fish swimming through a river when the light catches and silvers them. However, this humour serves to highlight rather than undercut the constant seething themes of corruption and violence.

The nameless South American country where our story unfolds, seemingly a facsimile of Columbia with aspects of Argentina and Chile, is a world where life is cheap and pain is treated as a punchline. When you throw in jungle spirits, magic cats, and all those magical realism hallmarks, you end up with a wonderfully exciting proposition of a book.

This is de Bernières’ first novel, and it is truly fascinating to observe the evolution of his later style.

Different sections are dedicated to a diverse range of characters and story types, while others focus on history, politics, local traditions, and other typically “nonfiction” topics. One can clearly see the seeds of the writer who would later pen Corelli’s Mandolin beginning to sprout here.

The influences underlying this novel are quite evident. Firstly, de Bernières spent time teaching English in Colombia, which is unmistakably the unnamed republic in the book. Secondly, he must have immersed himself in the works of Latin American authors, particularly Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

The novel seems to blend the typical steamy narrative set in a chaotic banana republic with the exuberant fun and magical realism of One Hundred Years of Solitude. It also contains a healthy dose of political satire, presenting a unique perspective on history that differentiates it from both banana republic novels and Latin American magical realism.

While it may not yet fully express the author’s own distinct voice, rather being more of an exploration and modification of other authors’ voices, I suspect that readers of de Bernières’ more mature novels may initially feel a hint of disappointment.

However, once the story gains momentum, readers will be amazed by the author’s humor and inventiveness, eagerly racing to reach the end. Beginning with the spoiled lady who desires to divert a river to fill her swimming pool and the fat, stupid, brutal army officer, the novel progresses through a series of captivating events, including giant cats, a laughing plague, political disappearances à la Argentina, and the founding of Cochadebajo de los Gatos (“a city of cats beneath a lake”), which plays a significant role in de Bernières’ continuation of the saga, The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman.

It has a plethora of ideas, yet often it seems as if de Bernieres is simply using them without rhyme or reason. When it hits the mark, it is truly excellent, possessing the ability to be charming, heartfelt, shocking, and humorous all simultaneously. The chapter introducing Parlanchina serves as a wonderful example of this. Sadly, some of the less impactful ideas slow down the pace. This is especially true when each idea rarely holds any significance in the later chapters of the book. It is more akin to over 40 loosely connected short stories about a fictional South American community. There is a great deal happening that is worthy of admiration. However, the lack of a conventional structure implies that when the book is good, it can be outstanding, but when it is mediocre, it can be dreadfully dull.

This is the first installment of de Bernieres' Latin American trilogy, which is set in a fictional South American country that bears a strong resemblance to Colombia, yet incorporates elements from numerous other Latin American nations as well.

The plot weaves together multiple story lines and protagonists. It centers around several villagers in the town of Chiriguaná, who are terrorized by corrupt militia and the selfishness of the local landowners. Eventually, they decide to fight back. Other aspects of the story reveal the appalling corruption of the military, with thousands of ordinary citizens of the country disappearing without a trace, being tortured and killed in the hunt for dissidents and communists.

The story artfully combines horribly graphic descriptions of violence, rape, torture, and death with humor, vivid descriptions, and magical realism. During the course of events, the village of Chiriguaná is suddenly overrun with a huge number of black cats that grow to the size of panthers. There are even instances where donkeys and women give birth to black kittens.

It is a beautifully written book, but by no means an easy read. It took me longer to get through than I had anticipated simply because the subject matter is both wonderful and horrible. Although fictionalized, it is clearly based on real events that have occurred in South and Latin America in the past half-century. I had planned to read the trilogy in one go, but after finishing this one, I felt the need to space out my reading more. It can absolutely be recommended, but it is not for the squeamish or faint of heart.

This is the novel that truly hooked me on de Bernieres. It is the first installment of a captivating trilogy of magic realist novels, set in an unnamed country in South America.

The second and third books in the trilogy have equally intriguing titles. They are, respectively, "Senor Vivo and the Coca Lords" and "The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman".

The characters in this novel are diverse and engaging. There is the somewhat boorish don of the title, rebels, spoiled and then unspoiled indolent female landowners who undergo a significant transformation due to the power of love. There is also a cast of large and relatively docile panthers, various corrupt and not-so-corrupt army men, a native South American man deeply in touch with the spirit world, and a resurrected conquistador.

The tone of the novel is a unique blend of musing, humor, and yet it is also tinged with grim horror and sadness. There are moments that will make you laugh out loud, and there are episodes that you wish had never happened. The themes explored in the novel are universal, touching on love, power, corruption, and the human spirit.

I wholeheartedly recommend this novel, as well as the equally enjoyable second and third books in the trilogy. They are a must-read for fans of magic realism and anyone looking for a captivating and thought-provoking read.

It took a considerable amount of time for me to truly immerse myself in this book.

The writing is simply astonishing, and the setup and character introductions are truly incredible.

I believe this is precisely why it took me so long.

I continuously had to go back and reread certain passages multiple times.

Ultimately, due to this, the story wasn't solidifying or coming together.

I finally had to stop rereading passages and looking up every single word I didn't know (literally every other word in some parts) in order to get into the story and understand what was happening.

As a result, the first 20% took me months to get through, while the final 80% only took me a day.

I'm now directly moving on to the next installment of this trilogy since I have the momentum and am accustomed to the delicious writing style enough to resist the urge to completely absorb and savor every perfectly composed and beautifully written sentence.

I think my strategy from here on out will be to read the books through once and then reread them more slowly another time when I will know the story well enough to be able to succumb to the beauty of the writing.

This is an incredibly strange and wonderful book.

Mr. de Bernieres has masterfully crafted a pastiche of South America, using an unnamed and entirely imaginary country as his medium.

The plot revolves around the arduous struggles of one village and its inhabitants as they strive to survive in the brutally unforgiving modern South American world.

The book is a rich tapestry, incorporating elements that are historical, supernatural, political, racial, satirical, absurd, violent, and sentimental. You name it, and it's all here, and then some. It truly encompasses most of the South American experience.

It's like a more accessible version of 100 Years of Solitude. Mr. de Bernieres writes with a lyrical and often florid style, which actually works beautifully with this story.

However, parts of the book are deeply painful to read. He doesn't shy away from depicting the corruption, senseless warfare, and insurrection. In fact, the scenes of explicit random violence were so intense that they prevented me from giving the book a four-star rating. (Maybe I'm just getting soft.)

This was, I believe, the author's first book, and it clearly showcases the talent and ability that would later produce masterpieces like Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Birds Without Wings.

Devoured on holiday in just two short days, this is a truly fine book penned by a highly skilled British author.

I had previously steered clear of De Bernieres due to the excessive hype and popularity surrounding his Corelli novel. However, when I was recommended and read the superb 'Senor Vivo and the cocoa lords', I finally realized what I had been missing out on. And this book, which is another installment in his trilogy of Latin American novels, is no exception.

It offers a brilliant and incisive look at the socio-political affairs in South and Central America. Through the use of exaggeration, comedy, and caricature, this engrossing book weaves a deep and captivating tale that涵盖了 a wide smorgasbord of ethnic groups, class and societal levels, and human stories. It takes us on a journey from the titular Don Emmanuel to the three armed forces leaders of De Bernieres' fictional country.

In conclusion, this book is truly superb and a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the rich and complex tapestry of Latin American literature and culture.

This is the type of book that I truly relish. It is epic in nature, with a myriad of points of view and, as a result, a plethora of characters. It is satirical and tragicomic, making it a unique and engaging read. How on earth can someone populate this South American Question Mark of a Town? De Bernieres is in the same league as Tolkien and John Kennedy Toole, as his characters are fleshy and complicated. The war is fought from many angles, and everyone has a role to play.

Don Emmanuel makes a cameo similar to that of Queen Elizabeth in "Shakespeare in Love" (think Dame Judy Dench in all her splendor), yet his name is given to the title. It's not Remedios, the Guevaraesque woman and the main revolutionary, nor her fellow guerillas (all of whom are underdogs and suffer, yet constantly fight for freedom as in all the best narratives). It's not "Dona Costanza's Sexual Awakening" or "Holocaust in the Tropics". It has a silly, quirky title, and that's exactly what it is: a silly, quirky novel. But it's also relevant, bittersweet, and complex. It's more than one might initially think. It would fit perfectly with "Slumdog", being dead serious yet heartfelt to the nth degree (the atrocious rapes and killings are interspersed with vignettes of intense happiness and the unification of native peoples).
There is also the clever prose, the important pseudo-irrelevancies, and the constant flights of fancy. De Bernieres clearly has a great deal of fun inventing this world. Gabriel Garcia Marquez is serious and poignant, while this more modern storyteller has a larger sense of humor and takes a less direct approach with symbolism. The population of the little besieged town is suddenly plagued with cats, which the townspeople care about and integrate into their rural lives. The cats then become panthers, and although there is an obvious exodus, there is also a return to the motherland. Oh yes, and according to the Santa figure that is the jolly Don Emmanuel, a cure for the war is... yes, sex. How can something be so simple in its complexity?

Bernieres is indeed one of my most beloved authors. He has penned two of the all-time favorite books in my collection - Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Birds Without Wings. There is simply no one more adept at crafting epic historical novels. He has the remarkable ability to write with great heart about ordinary people who find themselves in the throes of circumstances and events beyond their control, events that threaten to completely uproot their lives.

In Captain Corelli's Mandolin, his gaze is fixed on a small Grecian town during the Second World War. Meanwhile, in Birds Without Wings, he turns his attention to the Armenian Genocide and the inherent cruelty of religious violence.

The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether parts showcases the glimmer of Bernieres' greatness, yet it also reveals the lack of restraint and excess typical of first-time authors. Personally, I am not partial to magical realism. Bernieres shines brightest when he approaches history as it truly was, rather than as he might wish it to have been.

Undoubtedly, I will read the sequels, but at my own pace.