Benjamín Chaparro is a retired detective still obsessed by the brutal, decades-old rape and murder of a young married woman in her own bedro...
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Oct 23, 2011
Alla
rated it: 
"The secret in their eyes" by Eduardo Sacheri follows criminal court investigator Benjamin Chaparro, as he retires and types up the story of his most memorable case--the murder of a young school teacher, Liliana Colotto, whose unexpected killing leaves her banker husband, Ricardo Morales, unable to go on with his life. The couple is in their twenties, and appears to be too young and nice to have had any enemies. But, as Chaparro reasons, Liliana--who was killed while in her own apartme
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Oct 17, 2011
The Sunday Book
rated it:
Writing:
Sacheri does an amazing job in getting the reader to feel this world he has created to be real. Not only in the way he presents architecture and scenery, but in the way he presents his characters. Not one introduced character is a throw away. They are each created and molded to help the story along and explain even the smallest of incidents.
The book breaks down into two story lines. You have the recounting of the murder and you are also witness to the love dance between tw More...
Sacheri does an amazing job in getting the reader to feel this world he has created to be real. Not only in the way he presents architecture and scenery, but in the way he presents his characters. Not one introduced character is a throw away. They are each created and molded to help the story along and explain even the smallest of incidents.
The book breaks down into two story lines. You have the recounting of the murder and you are also witness to the love dance between tw More...
Mar 30, 2011
Jorge
rated it: 
Como suele ocurrir con las adaptaciones a cine, el leer El secreto de sus ojos es inseparable de compararlo con la película. Lo que me ha gustado de esta experiencia es descubrir que tanto la película como la novela son fabulosos obras dentro de su lenguaje. Es decir, la novela es una gran novela, y la película una gran película. Pero vamos por partes.
El secreto de sus ojos es una novela de detectives cuyo hilo conductor es la soledad y el romance frustrado. Por una parte, el protagoni More...
El secreto de sus ojos es una novela de detectives cuyo hilo conductor es la soledad y el romance frustrado. Por una parte, el protagoni More...
Dec 28, 2010
Ileana
rated it:
"Entrecierra los ojos y se concentra en el perfume a viejo que esas hojas sueltan en el aire quieto del Archivo. Llevan allí más de veinte años, encimadas unas sobre las otras, y Chaparro no puede esquivarle el bulto a una imagen que lo seduce desde niño. Se imagina siendo él una de esas hojas. Una cualquiera. Se piensa aguardando años y años, en la más completa oscuridad, con el rostro pegado a la hoja de enfrente, inundado a perpetuidad por la lustrosa suavidad de la página contigua. Si u
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Nov 19, 2011
Jose
rated it:
Como siempre se tiene que hacer la comparación con la película (el secreto de sus ojos) y, aunque la perlícula me parece espectacular, el libro lo supera.
La narración salta del presente, con un narrador omnisciente, al pasado, con una narración en primera persona. La brutalidad de la muerte de Liliana junto con el amor y la férrea disciplina de Agustín Morales marcan la vida, no sólo de Chaparro, tambien de Sandoval y de Báez.
La narración es ágil, amena. Los dialogos totalmen More...
La narración salta del presente, con un narrador omnisciente, al pasado, con una narración en primera persona. La brutalidad de la muerte de Liliana junto con el amor y la férrea disciplina de Agustín Morales marcan la vida, no sólo de Chaparro, tambien de Sandoval y de Báez.
La narración es ágil, amena. Los dialogos totalmen More...
Aug 21, 2009
Ricardo
rated it:
Vi la peli el jueves e inmediatamente quise leer la novela. Mi mensaje de correo a la editorial (la misma que publica a Eternautas) fue tan fervoroso que, como premio, me mandaron de regalo la novísima edición de Alfaguara. Mañana me daré una vuelta por la presentación en Cúspide (Village Recoleta). ¿Me parece a mí o estamos ante uno de las grandes novelas argentinas? Que placer es cuando las palabras se acomodan tan armoniosamente en la lengua madre.
Ok, lo terminé de leer esta maña More...
Ok, lo terminé de leer esta maña More...
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Sep 28, 2011
Olga
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Benjamín Chaparro is a retired detective who is writing a book about a murder case he worked on years ago, and as he revisits the details of the investigation he also recalls the beginning of his long, unrequited love for Irene Hornos, then just an intern, now a respected judge. Set in the Buenos Aires of the late 1960s, Sacheri’s tale reveals the underpinnings of Argentina’s Dirty War and takes on the question of justice — what it really means and in whose hands it belongs.
Last week I More...
Last week I More...
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Nov 29, 2011
Craig
rated it:
This novel, which follows the unraveling of a 20-year-old mystery, was so engaging that I stayed up late to finish it last night. Written by Argentinian author Eduardo Sacheri, it was the basis for the film by the same name that won the 2010 Best Foreign Language Picture Oscar -- and given the plot here, I can see why it won. The story follows Benjamín Chaparro, who has just retired from his job as deputy clerk of an investigating court, as he decides to write down his memories of one particular
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Sep 25, 2011
Jessica
rated it:
I'm glad I missed this on Netflix Instant by one day. I had no idea it was based on a novel... probably because it wasn't released in the US. But now it's here and it's an excellent read.
I often find that my favorite crime novels are those that don't have the typical cat-and-mouse approach, or the burned-out cop out for revenge. This novel has two different stories that work well together.
A clerk from the criminal court (who is much more involved in investigations than an Ame More...
I often find that my favorite crime novels are those that don't have the typical cat-and-mouse approach, or the burned-out cop out for revenge. This novel has two different stories that work well together.
A clerk from the criminal court (who is much more involved in investigations than an Ame More...
Nov 06, 2011
Rachel
rated it:
Benjamín Chaparro is a retired detective who is writing a book about a murder case he worked on years ago, and as he revisits the details of the investigation he also recalls the beginning of his long, unrequited love for Irene Hornos, then just an intern, now a respected judge. Set in the Buenos Aires of the late 1960s, Sacheri’s tale reveals the underpinnings of Argentina’s Dirty War and takes on the question of justice — what it really means and in whose hands it belongs.
Reading T More...
Reading T More...
Dec 09, 2011
Diane
rated it:
Retiring after 31 yrs as a clerk for the investigating judicial system in Argentina, Benjamin Chaparro decides to write about a case that has haunted him for many years. Written in a straightforward manner, very little emotion, the reader travels with Benjamin back to his early days in the dept., through Argentina's dirty war in the 70's, and the investigation into this case. Loved the characters of Sandoval, who is a very smart investigator with a major problem, and Chaparro, as well as the jud
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Oct 29, 2011
Karina
rated it:
The book was good but at the beginning it was boring and it was also kind of slow for the story to actually pick up. The book has a surprising end that I wasn't expecting at all. The book is basically about Benjamin Chaparro who retires and starts to writes about the cases that made an impact on him. There is one case in particular that he still remembers and that case is about an unsolved murder case that he worked on. The case was about a young bride who was raped and murdered at her apart
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Nov 07, 2011
Jeanette
rated it: 
This author employs some stylistic affectations ranging from the merely distracting to the downright annoying. The worst of these quirks is the frequent interruptions from the main character (narrator) so he can tell you about his writing process. These constant shifts made it impossible for me to follow the thread of the narrative.
I was also put off by the excessive use of foul language. I'm not bothered by it in small doses, but this book is loaded with f-bombs, and the word "as More...
I was also put off by the excessive use of foul language. I'm not bothered by it in small doses, but this book is loaded with f-bombs, and the word "as More...
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Feb 11, 2011
Cecilia
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Nov 13, 2010
Eudiza
rated it:
La frase que da título a este post es algo que todos hemos escuchado una y otra vez… "Los ojos son el espejo del alma" dicen otros, hay quienes prefieren escribir canciones sobre su efecto en en el corazón...
Mirar a los ojos es tan difícil hoy en día. Hagamos un ejercicio ¿hace cuánto tiempo no ves a los ojos a alguien? ¿Minutos? ¿Horas? No tienes qué contestarme hace cuánto miraste tu celular o la pantalla de tu compu, eso te aseguro que sí lo sé.
Cuando se crece co More...
Mirar a los ojos es tan difícil hoy en día. Hagamos un ejercicio ¿hace cuánto tiempo no ves a los ojos a alguien? ¿Minutos? ¿Horas? No tienes qué contestarme hace cuánto miraste tu celular o la pantalla de tu compu, eso te aseguro que sí lo sé.
Cuando se crece co More...
Jan 11, 2012
Rosemary
rated it:
Is this a novel, a murder mystery, a meditation on ageing, friendship, love? Humour: a man so strong and well-informed that if a vicuna farts he would know within the hour. I'm glad I've read the book and now I must see the movie - won the best foreign film from the Academy in 2010. Glad I missed it so I could enjoy the book first.
Jan 16, 2012
Riet
rated it: 
Ik heb twee jaar geleden de Argentijnse verfilming van dit boek gezien. Het boek is beter, zoals altijd, maar ook behoorlijk anders. Het is een combinatie van thriller, liefdesgeschiedenis en commentaar op de politieke toestanden in Argentinie in de jaren '70. Heel leesbaar en knap in elkaar gezet.
Jul 19, 2011
Amélie
rated it:
Me gustó bastante. Inclusive cuando lo tuve que leer a las dos de la mañana para la prueba me seguía gustando. Además cuando lo leo me imagino la voz Sacheri leyendo :|.
Su forma de contar es bastante fácil de entender y no aburre pero al mismo tiempo hace un montón de descripciones.
Su forma de contar es bastante fácil de entender y no aburre pero al mismo tiempo hace un montón de descripciones.
Jan 14, 2012
Marianna
rated it:
I read this book over the Christmas break. It was an easy two day read -definitely not uplifting and no happy ending. There was enough of a mystery to keep me interested from beginning to end. I read this book because apparently the movie adaptation is excellent.
Jan 29, 2012
I'm not sure if it's just my mood, but I can't get interested in this book. It has two storylines, one in the present and another in the past. The present-day thread, which is mostly the main character's musings over his life, is not working for me. I'm not sure if it's something about the writing or the ponderous pacing or the repetitiveness or what, but it's not engaging me. I was starting to take some interest in the past storyline, but not enough pleasure to off-set my disinterest in the res
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Aug 09, 2011
Manecita_1972
rated it:
Interesante trama policial, sin embargo me parece que faltó desarrollo del destino final de Morales y Gómez . Ahora solo me falta ver la película.
Aug 21, 2011
Alejandro
rated it: 
Un buen libro, pero es uno de los pocos casos en los que la adaptación cinematográfica supera con creces a la obra impresa
Feb 10, 2012
Tove
rated it:
A few bad words, but I thought the author is a wonderful writer and this is a great book.
Jan 29, 2012
Barbara
rated it:
Seguendo un percorso inverso alle mie abitudini, sono arrivata al libro partendo dall’entusiasmo generato dal film. E non sono rimasta delusa. La scrittura è fluida, convincente, a tratti struggente, e l’effetto sorpresa non è affatto compromesso, visto che la trama in più passaggi si distacca notevolmente dalla sceneggiatura del film. In questo distacco, che rende il libro più compassato, forse si perde qualche invenzione interessante che alla fine porta ad amare di più il film.
Jan 25, 2012
Phillipa
rated it:
I remembered only a few pages in that I had seen the movie and while that didn't bother me too much i didn't like the continual self-flagellation of the main character. On and on about what a fuck up he was. In the end I agreed with him and stopped reading.
