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Conversation in the Cathedral (Paperback)

by Mario Vargas Llosa (Author) "FROM THE DOORWAY of La Crónica Santiago looks at the Avenida Tacna without love: cars, uneven and faded buildings, the gaudy skeletons of posters floating..." (more)
5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 608 pages
  • Publisher: Rayo; Reprint edition (1 Feb 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0060732806
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060732806
  • Product Dimensions: 20 x 13.6 x 4.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 284,434 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #15 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > V > Vargas Llosa, Mario
    #48 in  Books > Fiction > World > Latin American

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Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
FROM THE DOORWAY of La Crónica Santiago looks at the Avenida Tacna without love: cars, uneven and faded buildings, the gaudy skeletons of posters floating in the mist, the gray midday. Read the first page
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5.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic book, 17 Jun 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Conversation in the Cathedral (Paperback)
It took me almost ten years to read this book - I bought it in 1993, tried to understand it and then restarted it in 2002 - but it was worth persisting with.
The narrative can be difficult to follow - it weaves in and out of the past (1940s) and present (late 1950s) without explanation as it attempts to explain why Peruvian society is so crippled by corruption. And the shocking conclusion of the book jars with a modern day liberal view of the world (though I have no doubt it would have been truly shocking in the 1950s).
The book is a marvel though - and while it is currently difficult to obtain in English I would heartily recommend it to anyone with an interest in politics and history.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Latin-American masterpiece, 21 Jul 2005
By Sebastian Fernandez (Tampa, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   
When one of the best contemporary Latin-American authors says "If I could only save from the one of the novels I have written, I would save this one", you know that the experience of reading this work has to be invaluable. In this novel, the author explores, through the use of some fictional characters, the effects of the dictatorship of Manuel A. Odria in Peru. One of the aspects that shocked me and that I still find surprising is how well the impact of these terrible events translates to other dictatorships that occurred later in the Latin American history.

Vargas Llosa uses a very difficult style throughout this novel, since he jumps back and forth through time and space, and also changes continuously among the viewpoint of different characters, without warning the reader about what is going on in each case. It does take some getting used to in order to fully enjoy the novel, but once you achieve this, the rewards are abundant and leave us satisfied. In this regard, it may help to read "The Time of the Hero" first, since in this book the author uses a similar technique, but keeping it a little simpler.

I have heard some of my friends and family complain about Vargas Llosa's style in this work, saying that the author is just trying to be fancy with his writing when there is no need for it. I do not agree with this; I think that the point the author is trying to make through his convoluted technique has to do with the frustration that people feel during a dictatorship and he wants you to feel some of it too when you are going through the experience of reading about it. But also, the author knows that you are going to have to give the book your full attention if you want to understand it, so his style helps assure that you will grasp his point.

In my opinion, there is only one other book that can compete with this one for the best Latin-American novel of all times, and most people can probably figure out pretty quickly that I am referring to "One Hundred Years of Solitude". I am not sure which one comes on top, but I know for sure that I would not want to have to make a choice in terms of which of the two to save from the fire!

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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An utmost acomplishment in literature, 25 Mar 2006
By Tony Chavez Uceda (Trujillo Peru) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
There are no flaws in this masterpiece, it's pure and wonderfull art you experience reading Peru's finest novel ever. Here you are faced with the absolute reality, the lifes and inner worlds of the caracters shown to you in a complete way, like a reunion of souls chatting directly to your spirit. My advice to read this one is: just to try and listen to them, after all this novel is about the "Mother of conversations". Try to feel like a person in a party, a funeral, or just a bar, listenig to what people say.
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5.0 out of 5 stars A flawless diamond
To date, this is probably the most brilliant book that I have read in any language. Conversation in the Cathedral is a true work of art, which requires both reader attention and... Read more
Published on 13 Feb 2007 by Teapot

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