La fiesta del chivo by Mario Vargas Llosa Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of La fiesta del chivo
Book Review: A Timing Reminder
Summary: 5 Stars
Some writings come out at critical moments in history. The danger of repeating itself is not only in forgetting about the "Trujillos" but also overlooking the "Johny Abbes Garcias". There is an invaluable universal message in this novel which, specially these days, all peruvians should pay particular attention.Book Review: un buen ensayo, pero una mala novela
Summary: 2 Stars
Vargas Llosa ha escrito algunas novelas excelentes con trasfondo político, como Conversación en La Catedral, Historia de Mayta o, en cierta medida, La Guerra del Fin del Mundo, pero en todas ellas el elemento predominante es el relato de ficción, lo que cautiva al lector son las historias de los personajes implicados, más que los hechos históricos que sirven de telón de fondo. En La Fiesta del Chivo, en cambio, las historias personales no son interesantes, las situaciones no son naturales y los personajes no son creíbles, en especial la supuesta protagonista. Es una lástima que Vargas Llosa, por otra parte uno de los mejores escritores en lengua española del siglo XX, no haya escrito esta vez un ensayo sobre la dictadura de Trujillo, ensayo que, sin duda habría sido muy brillante, dado el gran trabajo de investigación que evidentemente subyace en esta obra; pero al habérsele querido dar forma de novela, de ella sólo se puede decir que está muy por debajo del nivel habitual de su autor.Book Review: A superb narration
Summary: 5 Stars
Mario has produced a auperb narrative in which history, human spirit, realism and novel mix into a fabulous piece. This is the type of books you can't stop reading and won't forget.Book Review: An insight on the complicity between tyrant and his subjects
Summary: 5 Stars
At first sight, "La Fiesta del Chivo" appears to be a book about Trujillo and the Dominican Republic. It is much more than that. It is an exploration of the complicity between the tyrant and his subjects. Vargas Llosa's Trujillo is a monster that orders the torture and murder of people for minor offenses to his pride, but he truly scares the reader when he shows his human side. As the author has commented, "the worst thing about dictators is that they are not demons but human beings." His aides fear their disgrace every moment of their lives; they are caught in a web of terror, admiration and dependency. His subjects hate him, and need him like a father. Urania, the woman who returns after decades in self-imposed exile, is a symbol of the Dominican Republic. Her wounds have not healed, and her pain is felt by three generations. But her encounter with the Generalissimo was ambiguous. At the age of 14 she saw the weakness of the dictator and fled to America, realizing that Trujillo would kill her rather than see his humiliation exposed. Yet, one wonders: what if she had not seen his weakness? Might she have stayed to serve the dictator like so many others?
When the dictator dies, tens of thousands of citizens line up to mourn the Jefe. A few months later, they will earnestly deny having been near the place. This would seem incredible to me if I hadn't seen it at the death of Spain's Generalissimo.
Our Anglo-Saxon friends, fortunate enough not to have the experience with dictatorship that many Spaniards and Latin-Americans share, find it hard to understand how a dictator stays in power. They imagine a people whose hatred for the dictator is controlled with a massive police force and unremitting terror. The reality is much more complex. Trujillo, Hitler, Stalin, Castro would not have lasted without the active and passive support of the people. I can't wait for "La Fiesta del Chivo" to be translated into English so I can recommend it to my American friends.
I wish, echoing the criticism of a previous reviewer, that the lines between reality and fiction in the book were better delimited. This can be corrected through commentary, though. I hope that the author or a historian will take up the task for the edification of all history fans.
Book Review: A reminder of why Mario Vargas Llosa enjoys such acclaim.
Summary: 5 Stars
This work is Vargas Llosa at his best! The novel is a frightening view of the moral degradation and sycophancy that the Trujillo dictatorship engendered, and an equally painful critique of human nature. Why are people so willing to accomodate such blatant evil? And why are amoral opportunists so readily overlooked and so frequently rewarded? Since the novel is based on history, these are not abstract philosophical questions. To its credit, the novel makes the reader ponder these issues, even while the reader may wish to bathe in Lysol after finishing the book.