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vll295's review against another edition
3.0
Do you like a quick read? A mystery? Then this may be the book for you. In this book we are introduced to Vogelstein, a pretty introverted guy who unexpectedly finds himself in the middle of a murder case. This case is like no other. I suspect that others who have read Borges or more of Poe’s books than I have, would enjoy this book more than I did. I liked it just fine, but I am sure that there are things that they would pick up on that I am just not familiar with. I appreciated the setting as it always takes me to new place and I appreciate that. An interesting book.
beth_diiorio's review against another edition
5.0
This is now one of my favorites. Verissimo does such an amazing job with his characters' traits, I had a clear picture in my imagination of their temperament and body language tendencies to the extent that I felt like I knew Vogelstein, Rotkopf, Cuervo, and Borges personally. The story was very clever and entertaining (especially such subtly important components as Aleph the cat and the Japanese man who got knocked over twice). I was inspired to read two works by Edgar Allan Poe, The Gold-bug and The Murders in the Rue Morgue; both of these short stories are alluded to throughout. I enjoyed this whole experience so much that I will be offering Borges and the Eternal Orangutans together with Edgar Allan Poe Complete Tales & Poems in my upcoming "Leap Into Books" giveaway on my book blog.
bengriffin's review against another edition
3.0
A fun, enjoyable little read. Not quite sure what everyone else absolutely loved about it, but it works well as homage and is definitely entertaining.
espressoroast's review
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
snowmaiden's review against another edition
4.0
A pleasant little mystery story that involves Jorge Luis Borges, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, John Dee, and many other figures of occult literature. This is the second book I’ve read by Verissimo, and I admire his sense of the absurd and the delight he takes in poking fun at pretentious intellectuals, as well as the conciseness with which he writes. Some writers would have turned this plot into a 500-page slog, but he brings it in at under 150 pages and doesn’t allow it to wear out its welcome.
stacialithub's review against another edition
5.0
A complete & utter delight of a book. A Borges style mystery with some Poe, Lovecraft, infinite monkeys, & surrealism thrown in. Verissimo (meaning 'true' in Portuguese) leads you through a labyrinth of mirrors, philosophy, surrealist reasoning, ancient history, & good old-fashioned noir while spinning this marvelous mystery as you search for the truth of the matter. Excellent.
hence's review against another edition
4.0
ok so i really enjoy verissimos voice generally. the murder mystery element combined with the dense literary allusions reminds me of the name of the rose. however, as much as i liked the first chapters of this short book, it suffers from the same problem that the club of angels does: the ending really lets go of all the buildup. this perhaps more so than club of angels in all honesty.
this is quite unfortunate because i was prepared to give this five stars about 20 pages before the end. i feel like it certainly is a difficult narrative to dissolve and i do like the bluntness but, the epilogue doesnt come after any resolve- it is the resolve.
this is quite unfortunate because i was prepared to give this five stars about 20 pages before the end. i feel like it certainly is a difficult narrative to dissolve and i do like the bluntness but, the epilogue doesnt come after any resolve- it is the resolve.
lauren_endnotes's review against another edition
5.0
"Solutions can always be found in libraries."
From BORGES AND THE ETERNAL ORANGUTANS by Luis Fernando Verissimo, tr. from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa, 2000/2004 by @ndpublishing
Our story opens with Vogelstein, a Brazilian writer and translator, who is making arrangements to travel to Buenos Aires to attend a symposium in honor of Edgar Allan Poe's work.
The first-person narrative is addressed to Jorge Luis Borges, Vogelstein's literary idol. (He even named his cat El Aleph...) and he shares his surprise to finally meet Borges, at the conference's cocktail hour. All the scholars jockey to get JLB's attention, yet Vogelstein manages to sustain it and get a personal invitation to visit Borges at his home library.
The story jumps into a literary murder mystery - who killed the Poe literary scholar at the conference?? And Vogelstein's wildest dreams come true when Borges "takes the case" and enlists his help to solve the crime. Ciphers, codes, and a lot of allusions to Borges, Poe, Lovecraft's short stories and all sorts of other intellectual pathways and tangents, and then a surprise ending...
Rollicking good time for bibliophiles, mystery lovers, and Borges fans. In other words, I absolutely loved it! So much, in fact, that I immediately bought the other Verissimo translation from New Directions, The Club of Angels (2002).
Got a real kick out of this quote from Vogelstein's perspective as to why he never got married:
"I had always thought of a permanent domestic commitment to any woman (other than Aunt Raquel) as an intellectual threat. Not that another woman would steal my soul, but she would fatally interfere with the organization of my books..."
From BORGES AND THE ETERNAL ORANGUTANS by Luis Fernando Verissimo, tr. from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa, 2000/2004 by @ndpublishing
Our story opens with Vogelstein, a Brazilian writer and translator, who is making arrangements to travel to Buenos Aires to attend a symposium in honor of Edgar Allan Poe's work.
The first-person narrative is addressed to Jorge Luis Borges, Vogelstein's literary idol. (He even named his cat El Aleph...) and he shares his surprise to finally meet Borges, at the conference's cocktail hour. All the scholars jockey to get JLB's attention, yet Vogelstein manages to sustain it and get a personal invitation to visit Borges at his home library.
The story jumps into a literary murder mystery - who killed the Poe literary scholar at the conference?? And Vogelstein's wildest dreams come true when Borges "takes the case" and enlists his help to solve the crime. Ciphers, codes, and a lot of allusions to Borges, Poe, Lovecraft's short stories and all sorts of other intellectual pathways and tangents, and then a surprise ending...
Rollicking good time for bibliophiles, mystery lovers, and Borges fans. In other words, I absolutely loved it! So much, in fact, that I immediately bought the other Verissimo translation from New Directions, The Club of Angels (2002).
Got a real kick out of this quote from Vogelstein's perspective as to why he never got married:
"I had always thought of a permanent domestic commitment to any woman (other than Aunt Raquel) as an intellectual threat. Not that another woman would steal my soul, but she would fatally interfere with the organization of my books..."
beamv's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5