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ale_audisio's review against another edition
1.0
Libro noiosissimo, ho fatto davvero fatica a terminarlo. La trama è quasi del tutto assente e la fine del romanzo è ampiamente prevedibile. Le riflessioni dell'autore, del narratore e dei vari personaggi rimangono un po' fini a se stesse e difficilmente applicabili a contesti che non siano quelli descritti dal libro. Il personaggio femminile lungi dall'essere indimenticabile è immobile, privo di spessore e carattere, ritratto di un modello di donna che non mi interessa conoscere nel 2019.
mimendes9's review against another edition
4.0
Um livro sobre encontros e desencontros, paciência e amor...
novalgina's review against another edition
3.0
Berta Isla conosce l'amore della sua vita a scuola, se lo sposa, ci mette su famiglia, ma il suo Tomás ha un segreto che lo tiene spesso lontano da casa. Talmente lontano che un giorno non torna più e Berta passa ben 12 anni a domandarsi che fine abbia fatto perché no, non può essere morto, senza un corpo non c'è mai certezza.
Diciamo che mi piace come scrive Marías, le citazioni che usa, ma il romanzo è davvero prolisso per me, troppo lungo, fatto di emozioni e pensieri ma ripetitivi. Cosa ti puoi chiedere in 12 anni di assenza di una persona che non sai che fine ha fatto? Sempre le stesse cose e infatti quelle Berta si chiede, con parole diverse, ma sempre le stesse domande.
Plot twist finale sull'inganno ma che si risolve in un nulla di fatto.
Diciamo che mi piace come scrive Marías, le citazioni che usa, ma il romanzo è davvero prolisso per me, troppo lungo, fatto di emozioni e pensieri ma ripetitivi. Cosa ti puoi chiedere in 12 anni di assenza di una persona che non sai che fine ha fatto? Sempre le stesse cose e infatti quelle Berta si chiede, con parole diverse, ma sempre le stesse domande.
Plot twist finale sull'inganno ma che si risolve in un nulla di fatto.
margaret21's review
5.0
I finished this book some days ago, but it remains with me still. I took a while to settle into the slow, intense narrative, but once I did, I became fully involved. Berta and Tomás fall in love while. still at school together. Anglo-Spanish, Tomás goes to university in Oxford, to further his extraordinary gift for languages, while Berta studies in Madrid. At Oxford, Tomás makes a mistake which results in the career choice he makes, working for the British secret service, and which changes his and Berta's relationship for ever.
This book is the story of that marriage, or rather is dwells on Berta's reactions to her husband's physical and emotional absence from their relationship. It unveils those feelings which often remain hidden, and portrays an isolated, lonely yet strong individual struggling with the overwhelming impositions of secrecy imposed on her husband by those who employ him. The Irish Troubles, Franco's dictatorship and the war in the Falklands all have their part in this drama, in which the world of espionage doesn't come out well.
At one point Berta herself quotes from Dickens' Tale of Two Cities: '…every human creature is destined to be a profound secret and mystery to every other creature'. That's what this book is about
This book is the story of that marriage, or rather is dwells on Berta's reactions to her husband's physical and emotional absence from their relationship. It unveils those feelings which often remain hidden, and portrays an isolated, lonely yet strong individual struggling with the overwhelming impositions of secrecy imposed on her husband by those who employ him. The Irish Troubles, Franco's dictatorship and the war in the Falklands all have their part in this drama, in which the world of espionage doesn't come out well.
At one point Berta herself quotes from Dickens' Tale of Two Cities: '…every human creature is destined to be a profound secret and mystery to every other creature'. That's what this book is about
sloatsj's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting novel about a young English-Spanish man, Tomas Nevinson, who is pressed into becoming a spy, his double life and conflicts, as well as those of his wife Berta, who narrates much of the book. The story revolves around Tom's career, his wife's discovery that he is not a plain old civil servant, his long absences, sad relationships, and morality and duplicity.
Part of the book's appeal is how it's hung on the poetry of T.S. Eliot, whose lines haunt the novel. I felt that worked well. There are many literary references in the book -- to Shakespeare, Faulkner, Stevie Smith and Herman Melville.
I enjoyed the book, though not as much as [b:A Heart So White|529075|A Heart So White|Javier Marías|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348288671l/529075._SY75_.jpg|782039], which also had its intrigue. Much has to do with England in and around the Margaret Thatcher era -- the Falklands War, the Irish conflict, the fall of the Berlin Wall. Fascinating times. But it does reach into the 90s and beyond and their trappings, with Berta (Marias) ranting about the Spanish male's newfound love of the "man bun." Points for that. ("I noticed on the top of his head a kind of Japanese or rather samurai bun, perched aloft like a pom-pom.")
Nevertheless, I didn't feel I really got a grasp of Nevinson's character. He was much discussed, his own father called him 'mysterious' even as a child, but that didn't come through to me. He seemed a rather plain if smart and talented person who got sucked into a bad position. He was conflicted of course but not particularly complex.
The other weak spot from my point of view was the lengthy rumination. Sorry, but I did feel it went on too long in places, unnecessarily.
For what it's worth, I've ordered another Marias book, so I'm a fan.
Part of the book's appeal is how it's hung on the poetry of T.S. Eliot, whose lines haunt the novel. I felt that worked well. There are many literary references in the book -- to Shakespeare, Faulkner, Stevie Smith and Herman Melville.
I enjoyed the book, though not as much as [b:A Heart So White|529075|A Heart So White|Javier Marías|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348288671l/529075._SY75_.jpg|782039], which also had its intrigue. Much has to do with England in and around the Margaret Thatcher era -- the Falklands War, the Irish conflict, the fall of the Berlin Wall. Fascinating times. But it does reach into the 90s and beyond and their trappings, with Berta (Marias) ranting about the Spanish male's newfound love of the "man bun." Points for that. ("I noticed on the top of his head a kind of Japanese or rather samurai bun, perched aloft like a pom-pom.")
Nevertheless, I didn't feel I really got a grasp of Nevinson's character. He was much discussed, his own father called him 'mysterious' even as a child, but that didn't come through to me. He seemed a rather plain if smart and talented person who got sucked into a bad position. He was conflicted of course but not particularly complex.
The other weak spot from my point of view was the lengthy rumination. Sorry, but I did feel it went on too long in places, unnecessarily.
For what it's worth, I've ordered another Marias book, so I'm a fan.