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spiraldots's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally written for my blog
Here is another of my #readtheworldathon books, this time for the square located furthest away from me. I'd already read The Invention of Morel and adored it so figured a collection of Casares short stories would be a perfect choice.
What I love about Casares is that his stories are just so strange and full of surprises. It's hard to describe really, but the stories are full of magic and creativeness. They don't quite live up to The Invention of Morel but were still a very enjoyable read. I won't say too much about the stories themselves as that would risk giving away some of the twists.
Overall though, this was a fantastic collection for those wanting to read more magical realism stories. I would recommend this, however if you've not read Casares before then I would first direct you to The Invention of Morel which is a brilliant novella and then, if you enjoyed that, you can come enjoy these stories too.
Here is another of my #readtheworldathon books, this time for the square located furthest away from me. I'd already read The Invention of Morel and adored it so figured a collection of Casares short stories would be a perfect choice.
What I love about Casares is that his stories are just so strange and full of surprises. It's hard to describe really, but the stories are full of magic and creativeness. They don't quite live up to The Invention of Morel but were still a very enjoyable read. I won't say too much about the stories themselves as that would risk giving away some of the twists.
Overall though, this was a fantastic collection for those wanting to read more magical realism stories. I would recommend this, however if you've not read Casares before then I would first direct you to The Invention of Morel which is a brilliant novella and then, if you enjoyed that, you can come enjoy these stories too.
dllman05's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
kateofmind's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
cristi_ivan's review against another edition
4.0
Another collection of strange stories, from Casares.
The title of this short stories collection perfectly describes the layers of the narration. We have the biggest doll – the reality, but hidden inside it is the doll of magical realism, that also contains some fantasy and political satire. As surprising as ever, Casare’s stories are inventive, with unexpected twists and turns, sometimes even terrifying. I can’t say I have a favorite, because I liked most of the stories:
A Russian Doll - the story of a gold digger trying to find a rich girl to marry, but the complications of his intentions get out of control when he finds himself participating in an ecological disaster that gave birth to lovecraftian monsters.
Meeting at Rauch - this one is rather short, but it reaches some metaphysical themes that are interesting.
Cato - the story of a theater actor that fights against Argentinean dictatorship in his own way, by the end it reveals the true motives that made the actor so involved in this cruel political game.
The Navigator Returns to His Country - the shortest of the collection, it tells an interesting story about dreams and the harsh reality that must be faced one we awaken from those beautiful dreams.
Our Trip (A Diary) - this one tells in a rather humorous way (though a bit dark) the tales of a man trying to satisfy the many needs of his lovers. The fact that the women’s names change so swiftly throughout the story, makes you feel the universality of the story.
Underwater - similar to The Invention of Morel, it tells the story of a mad scientist that plays with the lives of those around him. This one is actually an insight into the results of modern science interventions over people and environment and it reminded me a little bit of the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Three Fantasies in Minor Key - containing three short stories, this one seemed the most dissonant to me, compared to the rest of the collection; I felt like the inspiration for these stories came from some other source, not like Casare’s usual stories. These stories seemed darker, downright horror at times.
The title of this short stories collection perfectly describes the layers of the narration. We have the biggest doll – the reality, but hidden inside it is the doll of magical realism, that also contains some fantasy and political satire. As surprising as ever, Casare’s stories are inventive, with unexpected twists and turns, sometimes even terrifying. I can’t say I have a favorite, because I liked most of the stories:
A Russian Doll - the story of a gold digger trying to find a rich girl to marry, but the complications of his intentions get out of control when he finds himself participating in an ecological disaster that gave birth to lovecraftian monsters.
Meeting at Rauch - this one is rather short, but it reaches some metaphysical themes that are interesting.
Cato - the story of a theater actor that fights against Argentinean dictatorship in his own way, by the end it reveals the true motives that made the actor so involved in this cruel political game.
The Navigator Returns to His Country - the shortest of the collection, it tells an interesting story about dreams and the harsh reality that must be faced one we awaken from those beautiful dreams.
Our Trip (A Diary) - this one tells in a rather humorous way (though a bit dark) the tales of a man trying to satisfy the many needs of his lovers. The fact that the women’s names change so swiftly throughout the story, makes you feel the universality of the story.
Underwater - similar to The Invention of Morel, it tells the story of a mad scientist that plays with the lives of those around him. This one is actually an insight into the results of modern science interventions over people and environment and it reminded me a little bit of the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Three Fantasies in Minor Key - containing three short stories, this one seemed the most dissonant to me, compared to the rest of the collection; I felt like the inspiration for these stories came from some other source, not like Casare’s usual stories. These stories seemed darker, downright horror at times.
epictetsocrate's review against another edition
3.0
Durerile de coloană m-au ţinut aproape un an de zile cu desăvârşire rupt de lume. Nu ieşeam din singurătatea mea decât arareori, şi atunci numai ca să colind pe la diverse cabinete de consultaţie şi institute specializate în radiografii şi analize. La un moment dat, amintindu-mi de Aix-les-Bains, mi-am spus că n-ar fi rău să încerc şi o cură de băi termale. Ca să fiu sincer, mi-am amintit în primul rând de faima pe care lumea cea mai elegantă şi mai frivolă a Europei o aducea, cu fastul ei sezonier, acestui orăşel, dar şi de apele sale, ale căror virtuţi curative erau cunoscute încă de pe vremea lui Iuliu Cezar. La drept vorbind, ca să scap de starea sufletească apăsătoare în care mă găseam şi pentru ca schimbarea să fie binefăcătoare şi trupului, cred că aveam nevoie, mai mult decât de ape, de frivolitate.
Am luat avionul spre Paris, unde am stat mai puţin de o săptămână; un tren m-a dus, apoi, la Aix-les-Bains. Am coborât într-o gară atât de mică şi de modestă, încât m-am gândit: „Cât bun-gust, în ţările vechiului continent! Şi cât de grandomani suntem noi, în America noastră! Ar încăpea patru gări ca cea din Aix în noua gară din Mar del Plata”. Formulând ultima parte a acestei reflecţii, mărturisesc că am fost copleşit de un plăcut sentiment de mândrie patriotică.
Ieşind din gară am zărit două bulevarde: unul paralel cu calea ferată, iar celălalt perpendicular. Pe cel dinţii se îndrepta spre mine un pescar cu undiţa pe umăr şi cu un coş în mână. N-am luat în seamă ofertele pe care mi le făcea un taximetrist şi m-am apropiat de pescar.
— Fiţi amabil, am zis, mi-ati putea spune cum să ajung la „Palace Hotel”?
— Veniţi cu mine. Mă duc într-acolo.
— Nu credeţi că ar fi bine să iau un taxi?
— Nu e nevoie. Urmaţi-mă.
L-am ascultat, cu teama că greutatea celor două valize ar putea avea consecinţe nefaste asupra mijlocului. Am luat-o pe celălalt bulevard, unde drumul, o bună bucată, urcă pieptiş. Ca să nu mă mai gândesc la bietul meu mijloc, l-am întrebat:
— Cum a mers pescuitul?
— Bine. Cu toate că pescuitul într-un lac bolnav nu prea îţi aduce cine ştie ce satisfacţii. Cum să vă spun, de fapt nu e-o plăcere decât pe jumătate, de vreme ce pescarul nu se poate bucura de trofeul lui, mâncând ori dăruind prietenilor ceea ce a pescuit.
Am luat avionul spre Paris, unde am stat mai puţin de o săptămână; un tren m-a dus, apoi, la Aix-les-Bains. Am coborât într-o gară atât de mică şi de modestă, încât m-am gândit: „Cât bun-gust, în ţările vechiului continent! Şi cât de grandomani suntem noi, în America noastră! Ar încăpea patru gări ca cea din Aix în noua gară din Mar del Plata”. Formulând ultima parte a acestei reflecţii, mărturisesc că am fost copleşit de un plăcut sentiment de mândrie patriotică.
Ieşind din gară am zărit două bulevarde: unul paralel cu calea ferată, iar celălalt perpendicular. Pe cel dinţii se îndrepta spre mine un pescar cu undiţa pe umăr şi cu un coş în mână. N-am luat în seamă ofertele pe care mi le făcea un taximetrist şi m-am apropiat de pescar.
— Fiţi amabil, am zis, mi-ati putea spune cum să ajung la „Palace Hotel”?
— Veniţi cu mine. Mă duc într-acolo.
— Nu credeţi că ar fi bine să iau un taxi?
— Nu e nevoie. Urmaţi-mă.
L-am ascultat, cu teama că greutatea celor două valize ar putea avea consecinţe nefaste asupra mijlocului. Am luat-o pe celălalt bulevard, unde drumul, o bună bucată, urcă pieptiş. Ca să nu mă mai gândesc la bietul meu mijloc, l-am întrebat:
— Cum a mers pescuitul?
— Bine. Cu toate că pescuitul într-un lac bolnav nu prea îţi aduce cine ştie ce satisfacţii. Cum să vă spun, de fapt nu e-o plăcere decât pe jumătate, de vreme ce pescarul nu se poate bucura de trofeul lui, mâncând ori dăruind prietenilor ceea ce a pescuit.
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