The Savage Detectives: A Novel by Roberto Bolano
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Book Reviews of The Savage Detectives: A Novel
Book Review: Raising the Bar
Summary: 5 Stars
Essentially the story of the leading lights of the viceral realist poets revival of 1975 and their subsequent fates,coupled with their mission to find Cesarea Tinajero, the original visceral realist of the 1920's.But this book is so much more; a celebration of latin American literature,a lament of a troubled region and the sheer folly of youthful enthusiasms;taking up oauses and cultural standpoints that end up defeated by time, history and circumstance. It is a book whose themes and ideas can be explored for an eternity.
Savage Detectives pushes the boundries of the novel. As many books as I've read,I can't think of one that I oan compare this too.It stands out as unique.
The beginning and end (which essentially is the beginning and end of the visceral realist revival) is told in diary form, whilst the years 1976-96 are told in short story/annecdotal form where you piece together the lives of Ulises Lima and Arturo Belano.These are superb narratives that stand up as short stories in their own right;the psychopathic Austrian giving his account,a photographer telling of a meeting with Belano during the civil war in Liberia to name just two of an outstanding batch of maybe a hundred or so narratives.
This isn't your average novel. Its something new,something great. You need to have the time free to fully read and absorb its immensity.
It makes my jaw drop to hear critics say that 2666 betters this novel.Its one I'll read when I have a month free in order to fully take in the delights that are Roberto Bolano.
Book Review: Probably the best book I've ever read
Summary: 5 Stars
People often describe things as "either you love it or you hate it." I think by looking at the review statistics of this book (The two highest star counts are five and two) this is definitely one of those books. I certainly can't say if you read it, with an open mind, there's no way you can't love it, but Bolano certainly deserves a chance.
However, that being said, this isn't the book I'd read by him as a starter. I'd give that to Last Evening's On Earth.
It's hard to describe why I love this novel, if you could even call it that. It's split into three sections, the middle section taking up about two thirds of the book. The middle section is narrated by dozens of people, some recurring and some not, telling stories that very loosely center around Arturo Belano and Ulises Lima, the founders of a poetry movement. I can tell you right now the book is more exciting than that makes it sound. I can't recall ever reading a book that caused me to be enshrouded by so many emotions: Fear, Love, Anger, Happiness, etc. The book is very erotic, violent, vulgar, and beautiful. Bolano is truly one of a kind.
I also feel I should say I strongly disagree with the review that says "The Kind of novel Borges would have written." The fact that they are both Latin American is about the only thing they have in common.
I can't tell you you'll love this book, but I can tell you it deserves to be looked into at the very least.
Book Review: Very interesting read
Summary: 5 Stars
If there is ever one piece of literature that I've laughed the most reading, it is this book. It is bar none the funniest piece of fiction I've ever read.
I initially felt very lost reading it but as soon as I got past the first 10 pages I got hooked. It was funny and the characters really stood out very well. I think it was due to Roberto's skill in engaging the readers' attention, which I feel is the thing people often overlook when they read this book (from the general consensus here at Amazon.com). The descriptions, the way he paces a scene, the dialogue, his humor, all this things really helped brought this book to life, not only in my head, but also in my heart. And he has this rare gift of taking the most base things and adding a layer of humor on top.
That said, he does go overboard and often times make things too unbelievable and too left wing, with the sexual scenes and references. I think that's why many of the reviewers here didn't like it very much. This book certainly isn't for everyone. And it does require a little literary savvyness to enjoy it. Also, people looking for a conventional storyline here will be seriously disapointed. This book is more a character study and a study of South American literature than anything else. A memoir.
Book Review: A staggering and urgent masterpiece.
Summary: 5 Stars
Bolano himself has called his 600-page novel The Savage Detectives "a love letter to [his] generation". However, The Savage Detectives is both a valentine and an indictment to his generation, as all great works, I think, are.
Know that this is a book that will change your life, transform your eyes, mind, and heart. The Savage Detectives is a verifiable and bonafide masterpiece, choke full of urgency, mystery, animus, humor, sadness, and heart.
Though perhaps daunting due to its length and somewhat complex structure, this is a surprisingly readable and refreshingly unpretentious book. A brilliant, brilliant work. I cannot recommend this one enough. This is a master at the height of his powers, a book that will stand alongside the greats.
This book was the best book I read in 2008, hands down, and possibly the best I've read, maybe ever (a dangerous statement, I know).
I could go on forever about this one. I won't. You should check it out for yourself.
Book Review: Latin American Kane
Summary: 5 Stars
Reading this book, I kept thinking for some reason of "Citizen Kane." Not in the plot, but in the structure. The person you never see in the narrative seems to be acting much in the same way as the reporter in "Kane," gathering information from documents (the diary) and from eyewitness accounts (the entire second section) in an attempt to piece together the lives of Ulises Lima and Arturo Belano. These characters, who are arguably the novel's protagonists, seem to be more like ghosts than main characters. They haunt the diary, making sudden appearances and then disappearing again just as quickly. They are ostensibly the subject of the oral history section, and even while the various narrators have their own set of concerns and preoccupations, Belano and Lima are never far from the surface. Much like in "Kane," this technique of revealing the characters only through the recollections of other characters lends them a mythic quality that haunts their entire quest.