A welcome, fresh translation of an overlooked classic, a superb novel of (bad) manners.
A parodic novel by the great Brazilian writer, first published in 1891.
Quincas Borba is a philosopher of sorts, the inventor of a doctrine he calls Humanitism, which takes logical positivism to its extremes. Having propounded it, Borba declares himself “the greatest man on Earth,” but although he confidently denies death, soon thereafter he dies. His friend Rubião, who tolerates Borba’s eccentricities, is the sole recipient of Borba’s considerable fortune, with but one proviso: He must take care of Borba’s beloved dog, itself named Quincas Borba. The dog is a sweet thing; Rubião not so much, leaving the poor critter alone while he enjoys the life of high society in Rio de Janeiro. Among other things, Rubião tries mightily to seduce the beautiful young wife of his financial advisor. Sofia is no Emma Bovary, and though she’s well aware that Rubião desires her, she seems more interested in an empty-headed social climber closer to her age. She’s also well aware of her powers: “Once she had laced up her corset, still standing before the mirror, she lovingly arranged her breasts to show off her magnificent décolletage,” attributes that Machado, fond of allusion, likens to a passage from the Greek historian Herodotus. Rubião has fully absorbed just one lesson of Quincas Borba’s: There’s not enough to go around, making it necessary for one tribe to kill another in order to eat, a lesson that Rubião distills into “a signet ring inscribed with the motto: TO THE WINNER, THE POTATOES!” Alas, potatoes are elusive, and the only admirable figure in Machado’s novel is the dog, who “loves being loved. He’s happy to believe that he is.” He’s probably not, but, like the other hapless characters in Machado’s satire, he’s happy to chase his own tail.
A welcome, fresh translation of an overlooked classic, a superb novel of (bad) manners.Pub Date: July 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781324090687
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Liveright/Norton
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.
A young woman’s experience as a nurse in Vietnam casts a deep shadow over her life.
When we learn that the farewell party in the opening scene is for Frances “Frankie” McGrath’s older brother—“a golden boy, a wild child who could make the hardest heart soften”—who is leaving to serve in Vietnam in 1966, we feel pretty certain that poor Finley McGrath is marked for death. Still, it’s a surprise when the fateful doorbell rings less than 20 pages later. His death inspires his sister to enlist as an Army nurse, and this turn of events is just the beginning of a roller coaster of a plot that’s impressive and engrossing if at times a bit formulaic. Hannah renders the experiences of the young women who served in Vietnam in all-encompassing detail. The first half of the book, set in gore-drenched hospital wards, mildewed dorm rooms, and boozy officers’ clubs, is an exciting read, tracking the transformation of virginal, uptight Frankie into a crack surgical nurse and woman of the world. Her tensely platonic romance with a married surgeon ends when his broken, unbreathing body is airlifted out by helicopter; she throws her pent-up passion into a wild affair with a soldier who happens to be her dead brother’s best friend. In the second part of the book, after the war, Frankie seems to experience every possible bad break. A drawback of the story is that none of the secondary characters in her life are fully three-dimensional: Her dismissive, chauvinistic father and tight-lipped, pill-popping mother, her fellow nurses, and her various love interests are more plot devices than people. You’ll wish you could have gone to Vegas and placed a bet on the ending—while it’s against all the odds, you’ll see it coming from a mile away.
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781250178633
Page Count: 480
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
BOOK TO SCREEN
SEEN & HEARD
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.
Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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