Mini-Comments

Recently, I've read two more books by Portuguese authors. Both weren't big books, actually around 200 pages each, more or less, and I figured they would be quickish reads. Both books are fiction as well and I brought them from the library.

Mãe, Doce Mar by João Pinto Coelho, which is literally translated as "mother, sweet sea", is the story of Noah, who discovers who his mother was when he was 12, after being in an orphanage and in foster care. He now needs to know how to adapt to this new life, but everything twists again when they go have some holidays in Cape Cod and he meets Frank, an eccentric Jesuit priest, someone who is also part of his mother's past.

I liked this novel, as I had liked one other by the author I had tried, and his writing is very competent and likable and I was easily drawn into Noah's life. The book is divided into parts, where we get to see how everything - and every main character - is connected and the impact of revelations done as the story moves along. It's true some things are surprisingly told, but once the big picture is obvious, I have to say this book turns out to be a lot more dramatic than what I anticipated. There's also this vibe of "meant to be" which can seem rather dark here. Some events are definitely emotionally draining to contemplate.

I liked this one and I'll certainly try other things by the author if they become available.

Grade: 8/10

O Diabo by Gonçalo M. Tavares, which literally translates as "the devil", is a metaphorical tale centered on the image of the devil. Here, the devil is a character from the imaginary of many tales and myths and legends and the author uses him as the leading figure in a story where we can see how the devil might be thought to be everywhere.

This is the first book I try by this author and it seems I've chosen the wrong book to start, because this is part of a series, loosely connected it seems, on mythology. The writing is good and very, very clever, but I must confess I was not a fan of this book. 

When it starts it seems the author picked the characters of the children of the last czar in Russia and we follow them in mundane situations with the devil always around. At first, I thought the book would be an allegory on this moment of History and what it entailed but then, as the story moves along I've started to feel more and more lost. Many other situations and allusions appear and start being part of the more or less linear development but it gets to a point I had no idea anymore what I was reading. If the goal was for the reader to recognize elements of real life events and see them through a more mythical/dreamlike/fairy tale type of story, then I failed miserably.

I might try another book by the author, not in this "world" so I can have something else to compare the writing at least.

Grade: 3/10