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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterpiece., 31 Jan 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Dom Casmurro (Library of Latin America) (Hardcover)
Here's a very short summary of the plot. It is the story of a man, starting with his childhood, and his love for Capitu, the neighbour's daughther. In time, he marries her, and eventually comes to believe her unfaithful. Such a simple storyline doesn't hint at how good the book really is. Narrated in third person, the author nevertheless places the reader over the main character's shoulder, so that the reader can only see what the main character sees, and we have access only to that character's thoughts. Whatever he notices in Capitu to make him think her unfaithful is a mark of his own jealousy, and that is also the measure we are allowed to see; everything else the reader must fill in the blank spaces by him/herself. The author shows a very skillful hand; it is unavoidable to ask oneself if she really was unfaithful, and it is impossible to really know, of course. Fortunately, we can move well beyond that, and ask ourselves what type of character is that of the main actor in the drama, capable of such jealousy for someone who is, after all, known to him since his childhood. We all suffered from small insecurities in our lives, some of them real, some of them imaginary, and some of them we transcend, and we put behind us. The subtle description of episodes in the book constructs a mosaic of our own soul. Also of interest is the description of Brazilian society in the late 19th century; the characters are at the so called top of the social ladder, but the other characters which depend on them, and how they orbit the rich in a dependence relationship, are all there. Besides that, there's even more to be had if one looks at the situation of women in general as portrayed in the book. What makes it a great book, though, is what the author shows us about ourselves.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A universal literature masterpiece, 19 Nov 1998
By A Customer
Machado de Assis is perhaps the greatest Portuguese language romancist, and certainly the most important Brazilian author. This book is his best work. In a very short manner, it could be desribed as a "Brazilian Ottello", but it mustn't be be considered as a version of the Shakespeare classic, but a unique story, very reach in itself. Machado has an amazing ability to make the reader feel like his characters, and involves us in a tram where the complete uncertainty and blind jealousy is thrilling, and rises our deepest passionate feelings, for or against the main character. This book is a definitely a must read for everyone who enjoys good literature.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A lifelong favorite, 7 July 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Dom Casmurro (Library of Latin America) (Hardcover)
When I first read this book, back in 1987, I was about to marry the girl who had lived next door ever since I was 10. I instantly knew the book would be a lifelong favorite because of the wonderful, simple, and short descriptions of childhood love in one of the early chapters. The question of unfaithfulness Machado created in my mind was only a scholarly one, it did not touch me as emotionally as the passages of childhood love, simply because it was unconceivable that such a thing would happen to us. I was convinced of Capitu's innocence and appreciated it enormously that Machado does not provide us with a clear-cut verdict. Now, 10 years later, I have reread the book because my Capitu is gone and all I have left are questions so similar to Dom Casmurro's that it is frightening. The book has a completely new meaning to me, and Capitu's guilt is screaming at me from virtually every page. I now even more appreciate it that Machado does not provide us with the truth, because such, apparently, is life. This is a book to read slowly, let it soak in gently into your soul during a couple of days if not weeks, and when done, have your love read it, and then talk about it for weeks. It also is a book to keep and read again years later. A new, different version of you will probably find rather different things in it. Both translations, in 1987 I read a Dutch translation, and recently an English one, manage to make clear that Machado had a way with words that is very intriguing. Sometimes so much is said with so few simple words. The real book is written between the lines.
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