WOW! I can’t believe that we are at the end already. At the beginning of this course, I felt a little overwhelmed: I did not believe that I would read so many books, while also juggling my 4 other classes. I am so glad that I took this course. If anything, it has taught me […]
“I realized I’d finished grieving for my son. I said to myself, That’s it now, the grieving’s over. I felt good. I hadn’t felt that good in years.” (164) “There was nothing left to say. Nothing left to do.” (165) This was a very touching read. It was so simple and easy to digest. As […]
“Then I go back to the novel. A vertical novel told horizontally. A story that has to be seen from below, like Manhattan from the subway.” (122) “Or a horizontal novel, told vertically. A horizontal vertigo.” (125) Getting into the book was a bit difficult for me. It reminded me of Andre Breton’s Nadja due to what […]
” ‘I have no name,” I replied quite frankly. “I am the gecko.” “That’s silly. No one is a gecko!” “You’re right. No one’s a gecko. And you – are you really called Felix Ventura?” My question seemed to offend him. He lay back on the bench and his eyes disappeared into the incredible depths […]
“Then the Kid raised himself up ever so slightly, leaning on one elbow, and murmured something into his ear which no one could hear, a few words of love, no doubt, uttered under his breath or perhaps left unuttered, but sensed by the Gaucho who kissed the Kid as he departed. They remained motionless for […]
“Everything chimed with his desire and made him possess me. I had become his child. It was with his own child he made love every evening. And sometimes he takes fright, suddenly he’s worried about her health, as if he suddenly realized she was mortal and it suddenly struck him he might lose her. ” […]
“Ah if only I could grab Macabea, give her a good bath, a plate of hot soup, a kiss on the forehead as I tucked her into bed. And cause her to wake up and find simply the great luxury of living.” (50) That was the most interesting introduction I have read so far in […]
First and most importantly, I think that Colometa/Natalia/Maria is so real. The way that the book is narrated is so relatable, as some of the things she says and thinks reminds me of some debrief sessions I would have with friends. Her narration of meeting Quimet, of how she broke Pere’s heart, and her feelings towards her […]
Ernesto’s connection with nature was something that was evident throughout the book. In particular, his view of the river as an entity really stood out to me. To me, it represents the tension that exists in his life between his connection with the Indigenous peoples and his white identity. It was interesting to me how […]
I won’t lie, this book was a little strange. Starting it, I thought (naively) that this would be a book about a boy who loved his mother dearly and wanted to tell the world all about her. Ending it, I’m seeing that this is a boy who loved his mother, yes, but loved her in […]
