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snowmaiden's review against another edition
4.0
It's long been my contention that Brazilian fiction is about 40 years ahead of American fiction, and this book seems to prove it. First published in Brazil in 1980, it feels like it could be published in the U.S. right now. This is the story of Guedali, a boy born on the plains of southern Brazil with a centaur's body, and how he makes his way in the world. It's not really about being a centaur, of course, but about being ashamed of the body you were born with and wishing you could change yourself into something better (or at least more normal). Guedali eventually has his wish granted and becomes something resembling a regular human, but as often happens in real life when people go on extreme diets or have plastic surgery, he ends up no happier than he was before and starts to wish he could change back again.
As translated by Margaret A. Neves, Scliar's prose is simple yet serviceable. The focus here is not on beautiful language, but on accurately rendering Guedali's stream of consciousness and all the subtle gradations of his emotions.
If you've never tried any Brazilian fiction but have enjoyed books like [b: The Snow Child|11250053|The Snow Child|Eowyn Ivey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327098624s/11250053.jpg|16176521] or [b: The Book of Speculation|23014670|The Book of Speculation|Erika Swyler|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422476749s/23014670.jpg|42580799], you might want to add this to your list. (It's not even hard to find! Used copies of this edition are plentiful and available on Amazon for about $3.) Try it. You just might like it.
As translated by Margaret A. Neves, Scliar's prose is simple yet serviceable. The focus here is not on beautiful language, but on accurately rendering Guedali's stream of consciousness and all the subtle gradations of his emotions.
If you've never tried any Brazilian fiction but have enjoyed books like [b: The Snow Child|11250053|The Snow Child|Eowyn Ivey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327098624s/11250053.jpg|16176521] or [b: The Book of Speculation|23014670|The Book of Speculation|Erika Swyler|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422476749s/23014670.jpg|42580799], you might want to add this to your list. (It's not even hard to find! Used copies of this edition are plentiful and available on Amazon for about $3.) Try it. You just might like it.
biaseelaender's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
samirakatherine's review against another edition
3.0
I read this in about a day. It is good, though magical realism is not my favorite genre. Easy, enjoyable, interesting and unusual.
itsmemiana's review
2.0
english/portuguese
Eng.
It was really good at the beginning, but then it started getting weird and I think it all went really downhill when the male characters started treating female characters like objects and not people. Maybe men (even the feminists) won't really notice it because it's not completely 100% obvious, but I THINK all woman will. Maybe the author didn't mean for it to turn like this (I hope not) but that's just how I thought it did.
Pt.
Foi muito bom no inicio, mas depois começou a ficar estranho e acho que começou a ficar mau quando as personagens masculinas começaram a tratar as personagens femininas como objetos e não pessoas. Talvez os homens (até os feministas) não reparem muito nisso porque não é 100% obvio, mas ACHO que todas as mulheres se vão aperceber. Talvez o autor não tenha pertendido para que ficasse assim (espero que não) mas isto é simplesmente como eu acho que tenha ficado.
Eng.
It was really good at the beginning, but then it started getting weird and I think it all went really downhill when the male characters started treating female characters like objects and not people. Maybe men (even the feminists) won't really notice it because it's not completely 100% obvious, but I THINK all woman will. Maybe the author didn't mean for it to turn like this (I hope not) but that's just how I thought it did.
Pt.
Foi muito bom no inicio, mas depois começou a ficar estranho e acho que começou a ficar mau quando as personagens masculinas começaram a tratar as personagens femininas como objetos e não pessoas. Talvez os homens (até os feministas) não reparem muito nisso porque não é 100% obvio, mas ACHO que todas as mulheres se vão aperceber. Talvez o autor não tenha pertendido para que ficasse assim (espero que não) mas isto é simplesmente como eu acho que tenha ficado.
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