- Paperback: 160 pages
- Publisher: Arcadia Books (24 May 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1905147643
- ISBN-13: 978-1905147649
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.7 x 1.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 221,859 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Synopsis
In the late nineteenth century, Carlos Fradique Mendes, Portuguese writer and traveller, is as much at home in Lisbon as he is in Luanda or Rio de Janeiro, all part of the Portuguese-speaking Creole world. In Angola he falls helplessly in love with Ana Olimpia Vaz de Caminha, who was born a slave and yet becomes one of the country's richest women. This tale of romance, adventure and redemption concerns itself with the fortunes of the Creole bourgeoisie of Luanda as it struggles to preserve its influence in the decades between the end of the slave trade and the onset of modern Portuguese colonialism.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
My dear godmother, Yesterday evening I disembarked at Luanda, carried on shore by two sailors from Cabinda. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
My dear godmother, Yesterday evening I disembarked at Luanda, carried on shore by two sailors from Cabinda. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a book that is well worth reading. It is an entertaining novel set in Angola, Brazil and Europe - the first novel by an Angolan writer to be translated into English. Written in the form of a series of letters by a louche Portuguese nobleman, it opens a window on the nature of creole societies in Angola and Brazil, on slavery and its psychological ramifications right down to this day, and on the perception of race in Europe in the last quarter of the 19th century. There are also some wonderful cameos and set-pieces. If. like me, you see novels as a window onto the pscyhologies of peoples from around the world, this book will interest you, as opening your eyes to the mindset of people from Angola who have had such a different historical genesis to that of many people around the world.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Wonderful read (something you would take to the beach with you especially for those hot summer holidays in a tropical climate) Set in Angola, Brazil and Portugal during the close of the Portuguese slave trade the book takes the form of corrispondance letters first of all from a middle class Portuguese liberal who arrives in Angola and falls in love with a local African woman and finaly from the lady herself.
Its a lovely read, wonderfully describing Angola during the 19th century the sights, the sounds the mixed culture both African and European. The author is also wise not to make things out too idealistic concerning the conditions of both native freedmen and slaves while being keen to describe how the Angolan capital had become a racial melting pot.
It would be unfair to give away too much of the story as this is a short book (about 150 pages) and you will probably have it finnished in a day but it is without doubt worth reading.
Its a lovely read, wonderfully describing Angola during the 19th century the sights, the sounds the mixed culture both African and European. The author is also wise not to make things out too idealistic concerning the conditions of both native freedmen and slaves while being keen to describe how the Angolan capital had become a racial melting pot.
It would be unfair to give away too much of the story as this is a short book (about 150 pages) and you will probably have it finnished in a day but it is without doubt worth reading.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Latin American literary genre is fairly populated these days and you may be tempted to pass up on Agualusa. You would be wrong! This novel is well worth reading. The novel, mainly arranged around the letters of Portuguese adventurer Fradique is full of insightful little events and episodes from the period. Without giving too much away the novel is beautifully written, with some charming narrative sequences and acute philosophical observations about life in general. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and my only regret that I've already read The Book of Chameleons.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
