Reviews

Brodie's Report by Jorge Luis Borges

cubehead27's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny mysterious reflective relaxing

3.5

frietje9's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

reasie's review against another edition

3.0

The preface says that Borges hopes to tell realistic, straightforward stories, and for the most part the stories are set in Buenos Aires and have the feel of first-hand or second-hand accounts. All are in first person with the unnamed narrator supposedly Borges himself. The last story, the titular story, breaks from this pattern to present a bizarre account of a barbaric African tribe. I will say that Jews are shown as turncoats and villains in the stories, and I feel there is an overall racism lurking within the Argentine patriotism. It turned me off what is otherwise really well-written.

fableheaven's review against another edition

2.0

- La Intrusa ⭐⭐⭐
- El Indigno ⭐⭐⭐
- Historia de Rosendo Juárez ⭐⭐
- El Encuentro ⭐⭐⭐
- Juan Muraña ⭐⭐⭐
- La Señora Mayor ⭐
- El Duelo ⭐⭐
- El Otro Duelo ⭐⭐
- Guayaquil ⭐
- El Evangelio Según Marcos ⭐⭐
- El Informe de Brodie ⭐⭐⭐⭐

alexh51's review against another edition

borgesian

cmccafe's review against another edition

2.0

Too many knife fights.

alliix's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

1.5

avinsh10's review against another edition

4.0

Borges mentions that the inspiration for these stories was from Kipling's laconic masterpieces(hope to read them, someday). He stays true to his words.

The stories here explore a wide range of themes from religion, culture, time and memory. Unlike his meta-fiction or labyrinthine works, this focuses mainly on a simple story with a twist at the end.

The short stories included in this version are:

1. The Gospel According to Mark- Religion(5 Stars)
2. The Unworthy Friend- Gaucho/Western(4 Stars)
3. The Duel- Duel with Paint Brushes(3.5 Stars)
4. The End of the Duel- Gaucho/Western(4.5 Stars)
5. Rosendo's Tale- Crime(4 Stars)
6. The Intruder- Crime(4 Stars)
7. The Meeting- Crime(4 Stars)
8. Juan Murana- Gaucho/Psychological Thriller(4.5 Stars)
9. The Elder Lady- Victim of time(5 Stars)
10. Guayaquil- Will to Life(5 Stars)
11. Doctor Brodie's Report- Culture(5 Stars)

Deceptively simple yet intricately structured. I'm sure, these stories will still surprise me when I revisit them in the future.

Regards,
Vinay

djfreshjams's review against another edition

4.0

favorites: the gospel according to mark, the elder lady

it's my opinion that Borges is at his best when he's at his weirdest and most metafictional, and the stories in this collection are overall on the tamer side, which is what kept this one from five stars for me.

vicenteesobral's review against another edition

4.0

Melhores contos:
- O evangelho segundo Marcos
- O Relatório de Brodie
- A intrusa
- História de Rosendo Juárez