Alentejo Blue: Amazon.co.uk: Monica Ali: Books

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Product Description

Tatler

'Compelling, atmospheric and elegantly written.'

Daily Telegraph

'Well written and often entertaining .... a perfectly pleasant
read.'

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

2.7 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not sure if this is actually a novel..., 20 Jul 2007

By	purplepadma (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alentejo Blue (Paperback)

Alentejo Blue is certainly a work of fiction which runs for just shy of 300 pages - but that isn't enough to make a novel. It's really more like a collection of short stories all set in the same rural Portuguese village. There is occasionally some wonderful use of language in the description, but this fails to make up for the fact that it just doesn't hang together. I can't help feeling that it would have been a more absorbing and satisfying read if more time and attention had been given to fewer characters, rather than skimming the surface and risking stereoptype and characature in the process. Or perhaps the range of characters and perspectives would work if there were a strong plot driving there interactions, but ultimately this is a book about a place where nothing happens. I hope Ali can pull something rather meatier out of the bag for her next offering.

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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Go and read something less boring instead, 16 Oct 2006

By	Corrinne Milsom-Mann (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

Having loved Brick Lane I was very eager to read this but it was a huge disappointment - so much so that I don't normally write reviews for Amazon but I am compelled to say "save your money!"

This book comes with a very big "So what?!" It reads like a random collection of short stories which are badly thought out, lacking in plot and with weak characters. There are character links between the stories but they are so shallow and predictable.

Like most books I read, I could not wait to finish this book- but for all the wrong reasons - it is boring and I actually became desperate to get my teeth into something decent and revive my dying brain cells.

As for the insight to the Alentejo region.... it feels like Ms Ali was struggling for an idea for her second book, and so whilst on a two week holiday to the region she came up with the not so bright idea of Alentejo Blue. My cat's water bowl has more depth and her research appears to be nothing more than hiring a villa in the region for a fortnight and walking around blindfolded with ear plugs in.

Sadly, we see this all too often... great first novel plus a two book deal / huge pressure to deliver to the same level equals total flop.

It is no great surprise to say that I won't be recommending this to anyone.

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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An evocative journey through Alentejo, 18 Jul 2006

By	Sofia Mooney (Portugal) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Being Portuguese, I was naturally drawn to the title. Unfortunately not very often is Portugal portrayed in the literary world. For that reason alone, Monica Ali deserves credit. She has most certainly been to Portugal, particularly to Alentejo and she has proved her knowledge of Portuguese history, politics and customs. Through the various characters, ranging from locals to expats and tourists, she conveys different pictures of that enchanting and often forgotten area of Portugal. The descriptions are vivid and veracious. The use of Portuguese is slightly forced at times and there are a couple of spelling mistakes: for instance, "silves" and "azulejes" instead of "silvas" and "azulejos", respectively. However, the chosen spellings are actually more true to the Alentejo accent.
The plot is somewhat disjointed, especially blatant when the initial scene with the death of an old man's male lover is inexplicably and utterly abandoned.
Nevertheless, Monica Ali's prose is at times reminiscent of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Prepare for reader excitement to reach Ovaltine levels
At the end of reading this book, and skimming some of the more tedious chapters... something I rarely do... Read more

Published 1 month ago by abegoa

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring....
I was desperate to finish this book simply because I wanted the misery to end. I found it incredibly dull; it wasn't well-written and was a collection of short stories about... Read more

Published 2 months ago by BM

2.0 out of 5 stars Fragmented
Overall, a rather disappointing book, though the writing is quite good and there are particularly good passages/sections throughout. Read more

Published 21 months ago by BookWorm

5.0 out of 5 stars How does she do it?
This book is awesome. I'm a Brit living in Canada but have been intimately connected with the south of Portugal since the 60s. Read more

Published 23 months ago by Nicholas Boothman

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthy successor
I have to admit I only bought this book because I loved Brick Lane so much. I have never been to Portugal so have no idea if these interlinked stories are representative of a way... Read more

Published on 24 Jun 2007 by Hayles

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tour-de-Force

Quite simply, Monica Ali is probably the best writer of fictional prose in English today. Read more

Published on 16 Sep 2006 by Jerry Lieber

2.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful title, disappointing story.
I've bought this book on title alone, expecting a poetic and bucolic capture of people, costumes and landscape of this beautiful region in Portugal, instead the book revolves... Read more

Published on 10 Sep 2006 by E. J. L. Marques

2.0 out of 5 stars Just boring
As I was born and bread in a tiny village in Alentejo (Canhestros), I couldn't help buying the book and see how others would portray my beloved province. Read more

Published on 25 Jul 2006 by A. A. Raposo

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	50% buy the item featured on this page: Alentejo Blue 2.7 out of 5 stars (11)
	22% buy Brick Lane 3.2 out of 5 stars (116) �4.80
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