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Michael Finocchiaro's Reviews > In Praise of the Stepmother
In Praise of the Stepmother
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by
Michael Finocchiaro's review
bookshelves: erotica, peruvian-20th-c, nobel-lit, fiction, novels, peruvian-21st-c
Mar 22, 2017
bookshelves: erotica, peruvian-20th-c, nobel-lit, fiction, novels, peruvian-21st-c
I hesitate between 3 and 4 stars here. As always, the writing is fantastic. There are also five chapters which give dialog to paintings by Jordaens, Boucher, Francis Bacon, Szyslo, and Fra Angelico which are gorgeous. But the premise of incest initiated by the kid is, well, disturbing. That being said, there is also 3 pages on Don Rogoberto taking a shit which is insane as well. Not my favorite MVL, but a short and interesting read.
Fino's Mario Vargas Llosa Reviews:
Fiction
The Cubs and Other Stories (1959) TBR
The Time of the Hero (1963)
The Green House (1966)
Conversation in the Cathedral (1969)
Captain Pantoja and the Special Services (1973)
Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter (1977)
The War of the End of the World (1981)
The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta (1985)
Who Killed Palomino Molero? (1987)
The Storyteller (1989)
In Praise of the Stepmother (1990)
Death in the Andes (1996)
The Notebooks of Don Rigoberto (1998)
The Feast of the Goat (2001)
The Way to Paradise (2003)
The Bad Girl (2007)
The Dream of the Celt (2010)
The Discrete Hero (2015)
The Neighborhood (2018)
Harsh Times (2021) TBR
Non-Fiction
The Perpetual Orgy (1975)
A Fish Out of Water (1993)
Letters to a Young Novelist (1998)
Fino's Mario Vargas Llosa Reviews:
Fiction
The Cubs and Other Stories (1959) TBR
The Time of the Hero (1963)
The Green House (1966)
Conversation in the Cathedral (1969)
Captain Pantoja and the Special Services (1973)
Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter (1977)
The War of the End of the World (1981)
The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta (1985)
Who Killed Palomino Molero? (1987)
The Storyteller (1989)
In Praise of the Stepmother (1990)
Death in the Andes (1996)
The Notebooks of Don Rigoberto (1998)
The Feast of the Goat (2001)
The Way to Paradise (2003)
The Bad Girl (2007)
The Dream of the Celt (2010)
The Discrete Hero (2015)
The Neighborhood (2018)
Harsh Times (2021) TBR
Non-Fiction
The Perpetual Orgy (1975)
A Fish Out of Water (1993)
Letters to a Young Novelist (1998)
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In Praise of the Stepmother.
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Reading Progress
February 25, 2017
– Shelved as:
to-read
February 25, 2017
– Shelved
March 22, 2017
–
Started Reading
March 22, 2017
–
Finished Reading
May 11, 2017
– Shelved as:
erotica
May 11, 2017
– Shelved as:
peruvian-20th-c
May 11, 2017
– Shelved as:
nobel-lit
May 11, 2017
– Shelved as:
fiction
May 11, 2017
– Shelved as:
novels
May 11, 2017
– Shelved as:
peruvian-21st-c
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I nice, short review Fino. I read this book years ago and quite enjoyed it myself. It certainly is twisted and unusual, but a fine little book, and I think it proved to me more than the other Llosa I have read that his writing is as impressive as his story-telling and ideas. I know this isn't a widely read book, so it is nice to see somebody else has enjoyed it.
I honestly feel there wasn't enough pages dedicated to the story. Of the 100 something pages, half were historical; which is great for adding atmosphere; but adding atmosphere to WHAT? if you know what I mean...
There wasn't enough time spent on the story itself to add atmosphere to it through those historical escapades in my opinion.
There wasn't enough time spent on the story itself to add atmosphere to it through those historical escapades in my opinion.
True...But then The Bad Girl was the perfect length and was awesome
gotta line it up then! this is the only book ive read by him.
It's funny you liked The Bad Girl so much. I've heard it is considered one of his worst books. I have one friend who says it is the only bad thing Vargas Llosa ever wrote.
Well, I read Madame Bovary and The Perpetual Orgy just before because those were his inspirations and I felt the echoes of Flaubert in The Bad Girl and really loved the writing. My review is up here on GR if you wish to read it
It is listed 6th out of 30 on the Listopia Best MVL Books here on GR, btw, above Death in the Andes
Thanks for the heads up. I will definitely check out your review (and that list!)!
Compelling cover