- Jubilee offer: spend £10 or more on any product sold by Amazon.co.uk on or before June 6 and you can buy The Diamond Jubilee A Classical Celebration Album for just £2.50 Here's how (terms and conditions apply)
The Jaguar Smile: Nicaraguan Journey
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
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. |
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"Stirring and original . . . It gives us a picture of the country in bright, patchwork colors unavailable in your usual journalistic dispatches."
"-The New York Times"
"-The New York Times"
"A vivid and probing introduction for perplexed outsiders trying to make sense of Nicaraguan dilemmas."
"-Newsday"
"Extraordinary . . . a masterpiece of sympathetic yet critical reporting graced with [Rushdie's] marvelous wit, quietly assertive style, odd and yet always revealing experiences."
-Edward W. Said
Book Description
An extraordinary and vivid introduction to the country of Nicaragua and its politics
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Like one of the other reviewers I have never felt tempted to try reading Rushdie's work. I stumbled across this title when searching for English languauge books on Nicaragua. It looked sufficiently short in length so I took the chance.
The book is a series of cameos and linked events Rushdie experienced during a visit to Nicaragua in 1986 sponsored by the Sandinista government. He introduces us to several different characters in a very personal style from the President to a midwife on the inaccessible caribbean coast. He clearly likes the country and people and respects what the Sandinistas were trying to do, but without being unquestioning of some of the policies.
The style, with short chapters based around different characters or incidents reminded me in some way of a factual version of VS Naipaul's novel 'Miguel Street'.
It is particularly interesting to read at the moment since in January 2007 Daniel Ortega finally was re-elected President of Nicaragua, for the first time since Rushdie wrote his book. There was still vocal US opposition to Ortega prior to the elections. Also Rushdie in his book has an interview with Violeta Chamorra, who was the editor of one of the main censored newspapers under the Sandinistas. She was fiercely anti-Sandinista and later became President herself, although Rushdie could not have known that would happen when he wrote the book - so it was interesting to read his assessment of her.
Rushdie admits the book is his subjective view on a trip he made. It never pretends to be a history book. He combines Nicaraguan poetry with the text.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The book is a series of cameos and linked events Rushdie experienced during a visit to Nicaragua in 1986 sponsored by the Sandinista government. He introduces us to several different characters in a very personal style from the President to a midwife on the inaccessible caribbean coast. He clearly likes the country and people and respects what the Sandinistas were trying to do, but without being unquestioning of some of the policies.
The style, with short chapters based around different characters or incidents reminded me in some way of a factual version of VS Naipaul's novel 'Miguel Street'.
It is particularly interesting to read at the moment since in January 2007 Daniel Ortega finally was re-elected President of Nicaragua, for the first time since Rushdie wrote his book. There was still vocal US opposition to Ortega prior to the elections. Also Rushdie in his book has an interview with Violeta Chamorra, who was the editor of one of the main censored newspapers under the Sandinistas. She was fiercely anti-Sandinista and later became President herself, although Rushdie could not have known that would happen when he wrote the book - so it was interesting to read his assessment of her.
Rushdie admits the book is his subjective view on a trip he made. It never pretends to be a history book. He combines Nicaraguan poetry with the text.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having never read a Rushdie novel I bought this slim volume on a whim as the topic sounded interesting and not the kind of book I would associate with the author. Part travelogue, part study of a country in the midst of a political tug-of-war, Rushdie's erudition shines through within a surprisingly easy writing style. His prose is simple yet beautiful and, in places, extremely funny.
The highly-charged subject matter (the politics of Nicaragua post-Revolution) is approached in a relaxed manner which nevertheless is highly critical of American interference. Rushdie comes across not as a mindless cheerleader for the Sandinistas but as a clear-sighted intellectual examining and falling in love with the new Nicaragua.
Rushdie's self-deprecating humour and clear passion for the subject matter make this book a delightful read which completely challenged my perception of the author as inaccessible and verbose.
The highly-charged subject matter (the politics of Nicaragua post-Revolution) is approached in a relaxed manner which nevertheless is highly critical of American interference. Rushdie comes across not as a mindless cheerleader for the Sandinistas but as a clear-sighted intellectual examining and falling in love with the new Nicaragua.
Rushdie's self-deprecating humour and clear passion for the subject matter make this book a delightful read which completely challenged my perception of the author as inaccessible and verbose.
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Countries & Regions > Central America & Caribbean > Central America > Nicaragua
- Books > History > Countries & Regions > South America
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Government & Politics > Countries & Regions > Central & South America
- Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Central & South America > Nicaragua
- Books > Travel & Holiday > Travel Writing
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.
|
